Happy Thanksgiving

Here we are in our "Thanksgiving Best." You can't see this in the picture, but Hadley has on her second cousin's black "tappy shoes." These are her favorites although they are a bit big yet. I'll probably be using this picture for Christmas cards so don't look at it too much.

We had a nice time at our Thanksgiving dinner with friends. It was right during Hadley's naptime and she didn't want to take a nap so Jesse and I took turns following her around as she explored the new house she was in. She fell asleep on the way home (of course) and was ready for bed about an hour after we got home, which was fine with us.

Saturday we had two other couples over along with their baby boys. Hadley screamed with delight when the boys came into our condo and played with them until almost 9 o'clock. We had a great time with the other two couples. It's nice to have friends who are in the same stage of life as we are.

Sunday we went to church and listened to an excellent sermon that included one of Flannery O'Connor's short stories in it. You can't go wrong when the sermon includes Flannery O'Connor.

Tomorrow we're back to the "normal" schedule of the day to day stuff, but we're looking forward to a visit from Hadley's uncle!

Show me the Bubbles

Miss Independent

Here's Hadley sitting face forward in the carseat for the first time. She was pretty excited as you can see from the picture. We went to Costco and Trader Joe's today and she loved looking out the window as well as her new surroundings in the car.

Hadley didn't like it too much when I turned around to look at her. She would scowl and wave her arms at me to turn around. So I watched her from the side mirror instead as she smiled and kicked her legs. I think she was feeling like a big girl. It reminded me of the time I drove by myself for the first time. I screamed with glee as I drove down Gunderson and made my way to my best friend Celena's house. When I called my mom to tell her I got there safely, she said she heard me "let out a little yelp," but I denied it. How uncool is it to let your mom know you are excited about something? I guess I'm getting a taste of my own medicine now.

Donuts and Dates

For the past several Fridays now, Hadley and I make our way to Barnes and Noble to meet up with her two boyfriends and play while the mommies have some coffee and chat. However, today it was pretty cold (for DC standards) so I invited one mom over with her son (the other mom is on vacation), and we had some coffee and donuts while Hadley played with her buddy. The made quite a mess but had a good time. When they left, Hadley was not happy at all. She kept looking at the door waiting for her friend to come back.

Dinner at the Occidental Room

I'm sorry these pictures are all sideways!

Saturday night Hadley, Jesse and I got all dressed up and went down to DC to have dinner across the street from the White House. It was pretty fantastic! Jesse and I reminisced our way down Connecticut while Hadley sang and played in the backseat. I noticed Politics and Prose changed a bit since I'd last been there, there is a Starbucks at the Van Ness Metro stop where the Sirius coffeeshop used to be, and there is a Gap I'd never noticed around DuPont Circle (don't worry, World of Wines is still there).

We met up with lots of Greek relatives who seemed happy to see us. It's always fun to hear stories about my Grandparents and I feel lucky to have a family who is so interested in its heritage.

The dinner was delicious, and the room was quite impressive. The entire restaurant has pictures on the walls of famous people who have eaten there. Several presidents, Jay Leno, and of course, Hadley. Although she wasn't too happy that there wasn't a diaper changing station in the restroom. Neither was her mother.

Momma's Helper

Thursday is "Clean the house-do laundry-go grocery shopping day" at the Feyen household, and Hadley loves to be a part of the festivities. She likes to pick out meals:

She helps me sort the laundry:

She loves Whole Foods, especially since that is where Mommy buys her a snack (and something for herself) and they sit in the cafe area for awhile:

Yum, bananas and rice puffs. It doesn't get any better. She even insisted that she share some with me. I know I'm growing up when I take mushed up banana from my 1 year old daughter.

And because Hadley doesn't trust me with the grocery list OR the pen, she holds them while I get the things we need for the week.

All in all, an honest day's work.