Thanksgiving in Vermont

November is particularly characterized by gratitude in the Nieman family. Monday marked five years since Seth's run-in with a three hundred pound bomb. We celebrated his "Alive Day" this year with a long drive home from Vermont, which gave us the chance to talk about just how much our lives have changed in the last five years. And how grateful we are for exactly the place in which we find ourselves. Life is very, very good five years later, despite the long hours and medical bumps in the road and "who's-on-first" act that is part of juggling two tiny terrorists and two nutty jobs. We wouldn't change a thing.

OK, maybe F+F could sleep through the night. And Ford could develop an affinity for broccoli. And just every once in awhile the laundry could fold itself. But otherwise...

Not everything has changed, of course. After this most recent surgery, Seth spent his con leave deer hunting from his truck pursuant to a special handicapped hunting permit (oh thank you, state of New York.) He definitely bagged this buck when he was supposed to be lying in bed with an ice pack.

As a result, his contribution to "Friendsgiving" was this monstrosity (backstraps wrapped in lots and lots of bacon.) As Sally and Neil are from Georgia, it was a hit.

Things have been completely nuts lately and Thanksgiving actually kind of snuck up on us. We were glad we had made plans for casual hangouts with friends by way of celebration. We did find time to make pies late on Wednesday (you know, to complement the venison),

and spent the holiday (finally!) unwinding, with motorcycle rides in the street at the Hilderbrands',

food, stretchy pants, and the discovery of whipped cream in a can at the Ryans'

followed by a terrible game of Pie in the Face

and a resounding Kid Crash in front of a Disney movie.

Somewhere in there we found time to put up the Christmas tree

and throw a few things in a bag for the trip to Vermont we had decided not to cancel when we found out we'd be plus one (wheelchair) for awhile longer. I know I'm the one who most values our Thanksgiving tradition of getting away as a family, especially when hunting is off the table, and Seth was a real trooper about the whole trip.

We spent three nights in beautiful Stowe, where we got lots of snow and family togetherness. Some might say too much of the latter. This is how Seth fell asleep on "date night,"

which we ended up spending at a Children's Museum in Burlington

 with this incredible view,

 

and at the Zero Gravity Brewery, where Ford cleaned up at shuffleboard.

There were lots of children's museums, actually (we loved the one in Rutland on the drive up),

as well as Chinese acrobats at the Spruce Peak Arts Center,

cider tasting at Cold Hollow,

cheese tasting at Cabot,

and a hugely popular pilgrimage to the Ben & Jerry's factory.

Oh, and our stop at the oldest independent bookstore in Vermont turned into a trip to the Bennington Village Candy Shop. So basically we ate and drank our way through the Green Mountain State.

It was a lovely getaway. I got to visit the Trapp Family Lodge, which was high on the Walters bucket list, and Seth didn't look too disappointed in the German beer and sausage offerings. F+F got in lots of snowball fights and outdoor heated pool time (which feels hugely luxurious in the snow, and I felt terrible that Seth couldn't get in.)

Long drive notwithstanding, we enjoyed the heck out of our Thanksiving, and hadn't realized how much we needed the downtime. As we gear up for the holiday season, which promises to be a zoo, we're glad we'll have some quiet family downtime in reserve. Although I spent last night cursing at Christmas lights, so I may already have used up mine.

Photo of the week is Ford, who deeply enjoys a bit of luxury and loves maple syrup yogurt, enjoying breakfast in bed.

Another Walter Reed trip and a new use for con leave.

We have a complicated relationship with Walter Reed. Missy calls it abusive, and she might be right. As soon as you feel the perpetually gridlocked asphalt of Rockville Pike under your tires, your mind lets out whatever the mental version of a resigned sigh is, in the key of "here we go again..."

Although Seth would have been fine to just pop down for yet another surgical debridement, for some reason I was adamant that the kids and I make the trip. I hated the thought of missing a surgery, which I so far hadn't had to do, and it is important to me that the youngest Niemans know that Walter Reed- for better or for worse- is part of their lives too.

But first, office Thanksgiving, at which Finley had "just some litttttllleeee bit of pie" (four pieces) and Ford destroyed all of the table decorations.

Seth ended up being squeezed in first case Friday so we weren't there when he came out of surgery after all. Actually, thanks to 8 hours of traffic, a stop at a trampoline park in Pennsylvania to let the kids burn off some energy,

dinner and a dance party at a random Outback

where Finley ate the entire bread plate,

 and a 0200 eventual arrival at the Gateway Inn,

we didn't see Seth until the next morning. But he was thrilled to see his little monsters, Ford couldn't get enough Dad snuggles, and Finley pranced in the room singing "time for a check up!" with her Doc McStuffins stethoscope, so the long trip and absence of decent sleep was totally worth it.

It was a whirlwind weekend, but we did get a few minutes to enjoy our former home. I will always have a soft spot for Bethesda, and not just because it puts up Christmas lights almost as early as I do. (The photo on the right is from a hilarious trip to Pottery Barn Kids on Bethesda Row, where Ford attempted to shoplift this giant stuffed animal.)

We also got to hang out with the Carron Taylors, (always a treat) and Finley and Ford had a blast on the playground with Scott and Grace.

Plus we made a pilgrimage to Duck Donuts.

By Sunday, Seth was chomping at the bit to get out of there He practically leapt into his truck and sped off around noon, leaving me to a much longer trip with these two which included a stop at a filthy and terrible place in New Jersey called KidZ Village

where Ford discovered arcade music and whack-a-mole.

We eventually made it home, in time for baths, bed (for everyone else) and work email catchup until the wee hours (me). I treated myself to a morning of skipped PT and a Starbucks date with these two before tackling the mountain of laundry threatening to engulf us and heading in to work. Naturally, the week before Thanksgiving turns out to be a super nutty one in the office, so I'm burning the candle at both ends and counting down 'til Thursday.

Seth, on the other hand, is spending his convalescence hunting (pursuant to his handicapped hunting permit) from his truck. The man is unbelievable (in many, many ways, only some with which I am currently exasperated.)

The photo of the week is this goofy one. Finley loves hand-me-downs almost as much as we do.

Sick Days and Freezing Tailgates.

Seth's leg had been bothering him again, enough so that he spent the week voluntarily back in the wheelchair. Never a good sign. 

The holidays are almost upon us, our schedule is wacky and has included lots of football season house guests and a housekeeper on hiatus, some big investigations at work have blown up and required lots of late nights and early mornings... so naturally, the same day that Seth found out he needed to have another surgery at Walter Reed ASAP, Ford projectile vomited all over his classroom at daycare.

It never rains but it pours. 

Ford felt better the next day and terrorized my office, ensuring I got no work done but deeply enjoying his lunch of french fries and viewing of all of Finley's favorite cartoons.

It's been a week, for sure. We did find time to send off good friends leaving for Australia with a raucous toddler party that included the making of their own "recipes."

And end-of-evenings that looked like this.

We enjoyed our last CSA basket of the season. (Finley said "take my picture with these giant brussels sprouts!" while Ford thought "over my dead body am I eating those.")

We took the kids to the Children's Museum for Veterans' Day, which was a terrible idea, and not just because they're in a very committed anti-sharing phase (the rest of the state of New York had the same idea and there were more screaming children packed inside on a 20 degree day than should be legal).

Ford acted terrible at ballet, as usual.

And the kids were complete rock stars at the coldest tailgate of the season (although Ford doesn't appear to have been having the time of his life in this photo, even after having stolen Finley's hat and edged out this kid for the last dessert)

before getting warm and procuring more cupcakes at the Kimsey Center.

The rest of the long weekend was devoted to sword fighting, which has become a favorite pastime in our house (Ford screams "en garde!" with a hilarious and terrible accent before attacking people)

and putting up our Christmas tree. (Sara beat us, but we still watched "White Christmas" and felt like we gave it a pretty good try.) Which incidentally involved the trying on of All the Holiday Costumes in the bin and resulted in some of my favorite photos of the week.

We're not sure what the next couple weeks look like, but we're enjoying the heck out of Christmas lights and leftover tailgate food, and taking solace in the fact that at least, at the moment, nobody is throwing up. (Even while turning green with envy that most of the Walters Fam has been frolicking on the beaches of Hawaii without us. At least their pictures were fabulous...)