This year for Thanksgiving we had no family coming to Texas, so it was just us. I had a moment of feeling sad and feeling sorry for myself, but once I shook that feeling it was a lot of fun. We ended up having Thanksgiving dinner with some friends of ours, the Roberts, and the food was divine! Meghan (Roberts) and I are both pretty into food, and we know each other well enough that we could have a frank discussion beforehand to see if we were a good "match" for Thanksgiving dinner. We both have some pretty set-in-stone traditions, and so we needed to make sure that we could both be happy with the way we split the food assignments. I know...this seems very impersonal and a little crazy, but we were both fine with it! As it turned out, the things we really cared about (such as Bryan smoking the turkey, homemade soft rolls, a variety of pies) were fine with them, and the things that were traditions for them (the homemade stuffing, green bean almondine, and some different cranberry sauces) sounded great to us. So we were a match! The meal ended up being really delicious, and the company was great. The kids always love eating in the dining room with the good china, and they ate like champs. The kids and I made these cute little place cards during the day, and they were excited to have contributed to the table decor. On the day after Thanksgiving, we took the family to SeaWorld. We usually go once a year, and the last time we went was actually last Thanksgiving. Ruby wasn't that into it last year, but this year...oh my! She has been asking to go back every day since we went!! She cried at the end of every show, because she didn't want it to be over, and we actually did have to go see one show twice, just to appease her. I thought it was just darling to see how much she loved it! We also celebrated Bryan's birthday over Thanksgiving break, but that's another post...
Trying to make it an annual tradition, I took Ella to see The Nutcracker again this year. When Ruby gets a little older, she'll get to join in too! This year the show was performed at the Majestic Theater in downtown San Antonio in conjunction with the San Antonio symphony. It was a great production! We went with couple of friends, Meghan and her daughter Paige, and we had a nice little lunch downtown before hitting the Saturday matinee showing. Ella loved the attention and the dressing up, and loved watching the ballet. She did fall asleep again this year in the middle of the second act (it really is quite relaxing!), which I thought was pretty cute. Afterward we were able to meet the cast, including our friend Heather, who played one of the Chinese dancers. Ella was even brave enough this year to get her picture taken with her, as well as with the Sugar Plum Fairy and Prince. It was great little afternoon outing! And how cute is she with that little purse?? She's got lip gloss, fruit snacks, and some tissue in there. :)
