Thank You, Thank You Very Much

Is anyone else in utter shock that the winter holiday season is upon us once again? Not that I'm complaining. I have so much to be thankful for. Since last Thanksgiving, I've been blessed with a new sister-in-law, a beautiful baby boy, the transformation of my beloved hubby into an equally amazing father, female friendships that only seem to get stronger as time goes by, and the return of my waistline. Kind of.

My brother Leon and his wife Claire joined us again for Thanksgiving this year. Also, we were thrilled to have our dear friend Umberto travel all the way from Milan to celebrate with us, too. I think that Benjamin was even more thrilled than we were, however. He and Umbo hit it off so well that I joked that we'd have to make sure that Umbo didn't bring Benjamin back to Italy with him as a souvenir.

We spent the day before Thanksgiving enjoying what has become something of a family tradition: Rock Band. Maybe Benjamin will actually be able to play one of the instruments the next time we all get together!

On the big day, Leon and Claire resumed their positions as Vice Presidents in charge of Turkey Roasting and Sausage Stuffing. This year, they got a little help from Umbo. Above, you can see Leon and Umberto having their way with the turkey. I swear that I witnessed them doing things to the poor bird that must have been illegal in at least five states.

Later in the evening, Vince's parents, his sisters, and his nephews arrived for the feast. Vince's Dad and Umbo made quick work of slicing up the turkey.

We were anxious to see what our resident food critic thought of Leon's turkey. After puzzling over its unfamiliar taste and texture for just a moment, he gave it one thumb and one chubby pinky up.

Still full from our Thanksgiving feast the night before, we decided to enjoy a light breakfast of Portugese sausage, fried spam and eggs, corned beef hash, french toast, and pancakes at Rutt's Cafe on Friday morning. Never one to miss an opportunity to make new friends, Benjamin spent the entire meal staring at a group of policemen seated in the booth behind us until they agreed to take a picture with him.

The friendly cops at Rutt's weren't the only new pals that Benjamin made this weekend. On Saturday, Umbo's college friend Andreas (whom he hadn't seen in 15 years) and his fiancee Jennifer joined us for lunch. In the evening, Claire's college roommate Grace and her fiance Armand came by for dinner. We capped off the weekend by meeting up with our cousins Mike and Jason and their loved ones. Mike, his wife Wendy, and their baby girl Audrey were in town from Raleigh, NC to visit Wendy's sister in Irvine. Wendy's brother-in-law Ivan joined the reunion. Jason was in Cerritos with his girlfriend Hanie. Ever the Ladies' Man, Benjamin spent the visit showing off his standing skills to the younger Audrey.

And if the weekend weren't exciting enough, Benjamin took his first steps! Ok, I'm totally exaggerating. He didn't really take his first steps, but he did start doing this bizarre half-crawling/half-crabwalking thing in which he crawls on his hands and knees and then takes a step left foot. Surely, that counts for something. Right?

Even if it doesn't, that's ok. I enjoyed a wonderful weekend was filled with food, family, and friends, and that's more than enough to give thanks for!