Ehlana and Ethan:
Happy 24th Birthday, Rowen!
This Black Friday is also the anniversary for her birthday boyfriend gift from Tim, so we’ve had some fun with that; though she’s also been stuck working at the store for the big sale day too. That won’t keep Cassie from helping her best friend to have an awesome day, but that story will need to wait for tomorrow; since her party hasn’t happened yet!
We need to start our report from the last update; so let’s do that now. We had a busy Thanksgiving day morning with the work we had around the big dinner and kid control duties as our cousins and some friends arrived, but we also watched some of the annual parade in New York and had some play time with the other kids and teens too.
As usual, our afternoon and evening entertainment highlights included watching football games in the living room or chick flicks in the sunroom or video gaming in the lounge – along with added indoor or outdoor play and games, but the big dinner was also a main event – though we needed to split up among the dining room, kitchen, and sunroom to have room for everyone. Most of the teens and kids were in the sunroom or kitchen; we had a blast and ate too much; and let’s not really comment on the major clean-up that followed. Ethan got stuck with watching more football than I did, but then none of the outcomes of those battles were seriously in doubt despite some scoreboard comebacks; and each game started with one team dominating and then coasting to the wins through the third or fourth quarters. Our guests either stayed most of the day and fairly-late into the evening or made cameo visits; so it was busy around the house all day. Since the video gaming marathon was already at our house, Ethan eventually hosted the boys for the night – and didn’t get much sleep – while Brianna hosted a girls’ sleepover that Naomi and I were at with the gang of mostly-younger girls. We went home with Brianna by around ten-thirty with some Mom support; and then the rest of our evening included lots of girl chat, a movie, and a much-earlier bedtime than the boys had.
Some of us were still up early for Tai Chi, but then our adventures for the day really kicked up when we got ready for the big shopping day and then headed to the Inn for the breakfast buffet that most of the members of our collective families attended sooner or later. That was later for some of our favorite boys – including Ethan and Aiden, but we didn’t really mind; and that allowed us to have fun with some shopping that the boys wouldn’t have been with us for anyway! You don’t really want the shop-by-shop details; so I’ll only add that we loved all of the shopping and time with favorite people; and then we headed home again for the rest of the day – at least for most of us.
We should add that Uncle Nick, Aunt Deborah, and their kids headed out today to spend the rest of the weekend with her family and an ‘in-law’ holiday with her mother’s family. Yes, we mentioned that being the case this year for the Johnson-McEwan clan, but in this case; Aunt Deborah’s family is juggling sibling in-laws too; and that’s why they could be here with us yesterday. Let’s not dwell on the inevitability of that change coming for us as the next-gen families grow. Here at home, it has stayed cold again today, but we still had a bit of fresh air time – or more of it for any boys that braved football scrimmages at the park. There has also been college football game watching here; more gaming in the lounge; and continuing movies and board games in the sunroom. Lunch was a buffet snack break; and we’ll be split up among quite a few homes for the dinners we’ll be having soon – which for us will include leftovers and pre-cooked options including lasagna and casseroles. Ethan and I will be hosting some teens for the night; our cousins and some of their friends will be elsewhere at their own homes or other places; and the parents and grandparents will be getting around and visiting too.
It is a bit quieter here as we’re writing this and getting ready for the rest of our day, but that is relative; and this little break for Ethan and I is really just a cameo blip that we need to wrap up and move on from now. We’re having an amazing holiday so far and expect that to continue; so stay tuned for the next round of stories while we get back to having fun with our family and friends!
Until next time, live with love, fellow Magi of the Light!
