Gobble, Gobble!

Last week, as Thanksgiving quickly approached, I kept hearing about what a big deal this holiday is. The Food Network and Cooking Channel aired Thanksgiving-related programming almost nonstop. The news media droned on and on about all the traveling that people do in order to spend time with loved ones. People went nuts over the back-to-back-to-back NFL games. And of course, regular working stiffs all got the day off (and some, like Dad, also got Friday off).

And my parents aren’t immune to the excitement. In the hierarchy of holidays, Dad places Thanksgiving just a notch below Christmas. (And I assume it’s only at the No. 2 spot because he’s more of a kid than I am and Christmas will always be his undisputed champion of the world.) As for Mom, she babbled on and on about the Leftovers Sandwich (an unholy combo of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy on two overmatched slices of bread) that she makes every year on Friday.

Needless to say, I also was starting to get excited. And then the day itself came, and I realized that Thanksgiving for adults is known merely to babies as “Thursday.”

Here’s how adults celebrate Thanksgiving: They’re surrounded by family, they stuff themselves with food and drink until they can’t take anymore, and they fall asleep on the couch. Then they wake up, stuff themselves some more, and fall asleep again.

Here’s how babies celebrate EVERY SINGLE DAY: They’re surrounded by family, they stuff themselves with food and drink (mostly drink) until they can’t take anymore, and then they fall asleep on the couch. Then they wake up, stuff themselves some more, and fall asleep again.

Now, don’t get me wrong. It’s a great existence, being able to do that. But I guess I didn’t realize that days like these are so few and far between when you’re an adult. Makes me appreciate life as a baby a little more.

Having said all that, I certainly enjoyed my first Thanksgiving. I got to spend two days with my mom’s family in Redmond, including some great quality time with my cousins Jackson and Brooklyn and their gigantic dog Marley.

And on Friday, I also experienced my first-ever photo shoot, courtesy of my Auntie Amy. I got all dolled up in a few cute outfits, if only to prove to people that I own clothing more sophisticated than just onesies and sleepers.

Below are a few photos from a fun two days, and a small sampling of photos from the photo shoot.

My cousin Brooklyn (that's Marley on the left) says hello.

My cousin Jackson introduces me to Buzz Lightyear.

Mom has read that sips of beer help stimulate the flow of milk. Here, Dad (grudgingly) shares some of his.

Like I said, everybody falls asleep early on Thanksgiving. My Uncle Ben is a pretty good bed.

Getting my game face ready on Friday for my first Apple Cup on Saturday. Cougs lost. Again.

Getting cleaned up for my photo shoot.