Beyond the Baby Steps: Busy time of year!!

So I haven't posted in a while, here are my excuses:
1. I'm busy, the week after the race we went to NYC for 4 days.
2. The next week was Thanksgiving!
3. The next week we were slammed with illnesses and getting ready for Christmas.
4. Z. hasn't been traveling as much and we share a desk and a chair.

But the guilt has been getting to me and Z's traveling this week so I thought I would fill in what we've been up too.

New York was a lot of fun. We were celebrating our 5 year anniversary and we had actually gone there for our one year anniversary too. So it's been awhile since we've been there and I love it this time of year. It was ALOT colder this time though but still beautiful. I can't wait to take J. bird when he's older, it's just magical.
I did meet Katie Holmes, yes the Katie Holmes, TomKat. Z. and I went to see her Broadway show then afterward they come out and sign the playbill (is what that thing is called?). Anyway, we were face to face, literally I could have hugged her we were that close, and I said something like "I loved the show" and she said "thank you very much" or something along those lines. She looked me straight in the eye...we made eye contact people! No, I didn't mention that I beat her marathon time or that J. Bird and Suri would be really cute together.

I aslo discovered one of my new favorite things in the whole world. Frozen Hot Chocolate at this little place called Serendipity3. It was actually in the movie Serendipity with John Cusack. Anyway I loved it and can't wait to go back and get it again!!

On to Thanksgiving, we had a great time this year. Due to my own procrastination packing etc. it was a little hectic at times overall it was very relaxing. Thanksgiving morning we continued our family tradition of running the Turkey Trot 10k then having brunch together. Then we went over to my parents house for dinner with all the fixings. It was fantastic. My mom introduced a new dish Cheesy Apples which doesn't sound that appetizing but it was great. We decided to watch a movie together as a family while J. Bird was napping, little did we know renting it that it was basically soft porn which is always fun to watch not only on Thanksgiving but with your parents. So I was thankful that day I wasn't sitting next to my Dad.

Chatting it up with Uncle L., he had a late night the evening before, this was his position most of the day. Oh to be young!!

Then the Friday after Thanksgiving we headed to the 'burg to see Z.'s family. Which was a lot of fun and always good to see everybody. We started watching my new favorite show there (after J. Bird went to bed) True Blood on HBO. It was awesome but again with the soft porn and our parents. I think we had a theme going for the holiday ;)

This weekend was FULL of Christmas activities. I think I got excited that J. Bird can actually grasp what's going on this year so I wanted to do everything plus with Z. leaving for a week I wanted to get in some quality family time. It started Friday night with the James Center Grand Illumination.

J. Bird checking out that crazy reindeer with his friend Blondie.

The next morning we made it out in the freezing cold to the Richmond Christmas Parade. J. Bird was so cute, even though his hand was cold he would pull it to wave to anybody waving to him which was pretty much everybody but he loved it.

That evening we went with my parents to the Bethlehem Walk in Goochland. We ended up waiting a while but it was snowing and very peaceful. J. Bird did great. The Bethlehem Walk is a living reenactment of Jesus's birth and life and although I'm pretty sure J. didn't know what was going on he got that we were talking about a baby. I think it's important to start early telling him what Christmas is really about and this is a fun way to do that.

Sunday we decided to get our Christmas Tree. Our family tradition is to cut our own tree but I just really like to see my husband in his lumber jack get-up. Very sexy!