First US Thanksgiving

Will and I decided not long after our move that we were not going to travel for the holidays. As much as we'd love to have our family and friends around, we just needed a few months off from cars, planes and not our beds. We are so very lucky to have a family that not only forgives us this, but actually hit the road to come and see us in Tennessee! My brother Jens, and his fiancee Donna, and their three girls all made the long journey. It was a full house and we loved it! Edie was dealing with a nasty cough, which meant we were all dealing with a lack of sleep. But the family stepped in, kept that baby happy all day long and even helped (a lot) with the cooking.

Here are some pics from our Thanksgiving feast. (p.s. Why didn't I use place mats? I'm no Martha Stewart, but come on....) (p.p.s. Will's bandana-hand pic is to memorialize the frying of his hand after he had that millisecond brain lapse we've all fallen victim to: putting your un-mitted second hand on the dish you are removing from the oven. Ouch)

Amma and Afi

My parents came to see us for their first joint trip to Nashville a few weeks ago. We enjoyed beautiful weather and a little too much good food. Will took everyone on a tour of Vanderbilt's campus and Amma & Afi got to experience the wonder of the Nashville Main Library's storytime theater. Edie has been talking about them for weeks since. In fact, as I type, she found a photo of the two of them and is saying "Amma, Afi, WOW!!" It sure is nice to have family (relatively) nearby again.

Great Grandmas

Our stint in Germany made it impossible for Edie's great grandmothers to meet her until we finally moved back to the US. Two of them came down just before Thanksgiving. Edie was under the weather, but as cheerful as she could manage and of course still awfully cute. The toughest task was getting her to stay still for some group photos. The instant I pull out a camera these days, I hear "NOOOO!!" followed by much stomping and unphotogenic movement. For the record, I don't even think I'm too bad a momarazzi and when I do snap, it's usually candid, so not too sure where this "cheese"-aversion is coming from. Harumph. Here are some of the best we got.

Aunt Jen!

My dear friend Jen has visited me no matter what my cock-eyed life plan throws at her. From California, to Munich, and now to Nashville. This time round had a little more draw than just me and my charming family, however, in the form of a yoga workshop. There was much yoga in 3 days time and it was fantastic! (Google "Kino MacGregor" if you're interested in this wonderyogini.) In between sessions, we ate, slept, read to toddlers and cuddled the dood dogs.

James, Jenny and Lillian

This visit was written in the stars! Will's friend from way back, James, had a conference here in Nashville at the end of October, so his family joined him and they all stayed the weekend so we could catch up and finally meet each others kiddos. We had so much fun that the little ones slept in till 8 am and we wild adult types got nuts and almost made it to midnight. From dog parks, pizza and puppet shows to tu-tus and grown up drinks, it sure made us wish Iowa was a lot closer.

Haley and Julian

I've been a terrible delinquent with updates! Part of this has been on account of our incredible fortune to be visited by so many family and friends. So, long over due, but here we go....

Haley and Julian - my BFF from law school days gone by and her progeny - came to see us in August. They were here when we closed on our house, so they were able to enjoy the luxurious rental accommodations as well as the delightful Tennessee summertime (cue trombone: *waaah waaah*). This is to say, they were great sports about staying in a house whose design aesthetic is "trashy treasures" (art is so subjective) as well as the 100+ deg heat with beaucoup humidity. Edie and Julian got along great, thanks in large part to Julian's very sweet and tolerant nature. It took days of asking before Edie finally accepted that her "Juni" had gone back home.