gobble, gobble!

this turkey day we took a "jet plane" (as Molly likes to refer to it) down to bright and sunny Arizona to be with the Feeney half of the family.

Molly was, once again, an amazing traveler. we got up at 4:30 a.m. to make the flight and ended up having to sit in the plane, at the gate, for an hour while they decided about the safety of a dent in its side. Molly played and read and pretended to be the pilot and never once complained. did you know those buttons on your armrests do more than just move your seat back? Molly explained to us they actually help the plan take off and land - maybe that's why they don't want people messing with them during takeoff and landing. Molly of course is an experienced pilot so everything was ok!

as a special treat, we got her a big bird as a surprise for the trip and the minute she laid eyes on him she lit up like i've never seen before. she explained to him all about the airport and the jet planes and going to see Grandma and Erin and Ryan and on, and on. big bird was filled in and ready to go! here they are relaxing on the plane together...

Molly had been asking for weeks about "going to see Grandma Mike?", so when we arrived in Phoenix and she actually got to see her, it was very exciting and there was much waving at Grandma's car.

we stayed that first night in Phoenix at aunt Erin's and when we got to the house we saw cousin Sara (who Molly kept calling aunt Erin, but it all got worked out eventually). Sara is almost 16, has her learner's permit and talks about which colleges she's going to apply to...this freaks me out. i knew her when she was smaller than a bread-box, and now she's talking about college majors. where does the time go? i know that too soon Molly will be wanting to drive a car and go to a college on the other side of the country and i just can't handle that. nope, i've decided, she will live with us forever! :)

that evening we got to see our friends Dan, Mary Jane and Faith again. we went to their house for dinner where Faith was a most fantastic hostess! she is a beautiful, smart, gracious little girl with a wonderful imagination! i wish Faith and Molly could see each other more often. Molly and Faith played, us grownups talked, and it was a really lovely time. and to top it all off, Molly had her first ice cream sunday with sprinkles. delish! here are the girls smiling for the cameras (plural).

the next day we took our time getting started for the day and Molly got to see cousins Ryan and New Year - whom she adores! Ryan showed Molly around and let her play with all his toys. Molly especially liked the little playhouse in the backyard (to the right). and when we took Ryan to preschool later that morning, Molly was very upset she didn't get to stay and go to school with him - there were many tears! back at the house New Year played with her and helped her make a sticker book. she is very good with kids and Molly really enjoys playing with New Year (and i feel safe knowing i can step away and do some things and Molly is in good hands).

once everything was re-packed, dishes were cleaned and we were all dressed - it was time to drive up to Payson to Grandma's house. it is a beautiful drive to "Rim Country" with many saguaro cactus along the way. the minute we arrived in Arizona Molly was shielding her eyes and exclaiming, "bright! so bright!" her daddy and her have an aversion to sun (which is why Portland is the perfect place for them to live!) but personally, i was loving it, and the drive was breathtaking with blue skies and desert landscape. but in Molly's case, we were very glad to have a pair of Ryan's sunglasses (with spiderman on them no less!) to help with the brightness factor. plus, she looked stylin'! check out the shot to the left of our arrival in Payson...what a cutie!

by the end of the day, everyone had arrived. Grandma Mike's house is so spacious that we all had a room to stay in and our own bathroom. plus the kitchen is big enough to handle all of us in there chatting and cooking. it is the perfect place for holiday get-togehers! (and it's for sale, so if you know someone looking to move to the desert, let's talk!) that night we stayed up late, catching up, and i went ahead and threw together sweet potato casserole for dinner the next day (Zero's favorite). i really enjoy being part of the Feeney family, they are really, really good people. people make jokes about in-laws, and i just thank my lucky stars that i hooked up with the most perfect guy and his totally awesome family. and i am very thankful that these are Molly's people! to the right is a shot of Molly with most of her cousins (Declan and Sara were elsewhere). you've got Sinead, New Year, aunt Erin and Ryan all surrounding Molly on the couch. what fun!

Thanksgiving day was a blur (though it was the first day we got Molly to take a real nap, which was nice). everyone was hustling and bustling, cooking and caretaking and having fun. Molly got to watch part of the Thanksgiving day parade. when she saw Kermit the Frog floating by she totally knew who he was and screamed it out. very cute. and she like Pokemon, though she kept referring to him as the bunny. and whenever they showed a marching band or singers or dancers, she of course danced around. Sara, the young lady who is growing up way too fast, is an amazing cook. she made several things for Thanksgiving dinner including an amazing (vegetarian!) roasted pumpkin and leek pasta dish with goat cheese, and some amazing desserts (pictured here). her goal is to become ridiculously rich, but i think she should become my personal chef instead. the pay is bad, but i'd be very, very appreciative! :)

we also got a visit from the Thanksgiving superhero, Super Molly and her sidekick, Bikini Panda. here is a little slideshow:
the mask was cousin Ryan's, the panda belongs to Sinead, and the little bed is for New Year's American Girl dolls. what a combination that made!

after Molly managed her second good nap in a row, we took some time to walk around and check out the beautiful views from Grandma's house. here is one spectacular view from deck leading out from the front door. did i mention the house is for sale?:)

dinner time came and the table looked amazing. friends and family came together and we had a wonderful feast! there was butternut squash soup, the most amazing potatoes you've ever eaten, and for the meat-eaters, a beautiful turkey with cornbread stuffing. for dessert there was pumpkin torte and chocolate-covered cookie dough balls (my new obsession). and so much more! we were all very happy and very thankful!

the next day aunt Beth, Erin and cousin Sara were brave and got up to face "Black Thursday" at the Payson Walmart, and we all went and toured some houses in Payson that Grandma Mike likes. the day flew by and before we knew it, we were back in the car heading to Phoenix for our flight back to Portland. uncle Sean and New Year drove us back and we had a great time singing together in the car. if only i had a recorder to capture the entire car singing the theme song to Sesame Street with a certain special inflection of the word sweet in the line "where the air is sweet" - kinda reminiscent of sa-weet! what fun!

we got to the airport with time to spare and got to watch the planes taking off and landing, one of Molly's favorite past times! Molly was such a big girl, she walked up to the ticket agent and handed her her ticket, and marched down the jetway. she even stopped to chat with the pilot! and once again, she did a great job on the plane (though we have to remember lollipops next time, because her ears seem to really be bothering her on landings). we got in early this time, and made it home without a hitch. tired, but so thankful for our wonderful trip.

we hope your Turkey day was wonderful and that you're enjoying this holiday season. big hugs to everyone!