Thanksgiving weekend passed by in a flash of good food, relaxation and quality time with Ryan, Chase, my parents and Sadie. It was a good one!
As I went to upload pictures from this weekend, I realized I didn’t take nearly as many as I thought. I often feel like a severe lack of pictures is a sign of a good time since my mind was clearly in the moment, but since I do still have a small number of photos on my phone, I figured I’d share a recap of our Thanksgiving highlight-style!
Thanksgiving Weekend 2016: The Highlights
Thanksgiving Day Orangetheory Workout
After a few days with a fever, Chase was feeling much better on Thanksgiving but Ryan and I figured we’d play it safe and keep him at home and bypass a Turkey Trot 5K this year. When I saw a Facebook update from my local Orangetheory Lake Norman studio that said they were offering three classes on Thanksgiving, I jumped at the chance to sneak in a quality workout! I loooove Orangetheory but since I can’t go nearly as often as I’d like because of the lack of childcare, when I have helping hands available to watch Chase, it feels like a treat to be able to take a class!
The workout was a serious sweat fest and, as usual, we rotated between the treadmill, rowing machine and weight room. The workout was my first team Orangethetory workout and we paired up with two other people. While the first person hit up the treadmill for an endurance challenge (8 minutes to go as far as possible), the other two people flip flopped back and forth between the rowing machine and the weight room floor. (Two rounds of a series of three exercises on the weight room floor dictated when the two people switched.) The second block included 5 minutes of intense interval work on the treadmill and the same pattern on the rower and weights but with different exercises. I loved the workout and arrived home super sweaty and ready for a good day of eatin’!
Thanksgiving Afternoon Boat Ride
We lucked out with some unbelievably gorgeous weather on Thanksgiving. It was warm enough to take the boat out on Lake Norman and putter around some coves with my family. I just loved the unexpected time on the water and so did Captain Sadie!
Pies, Pies, Pies
Thanksgiving food is just the best! Even though nothing will ever top my mom’s stuffing when it comes to my all-time favorite Thanksgiving dish, the pies this year were a definite highlight! We had three different pies and every single one was completely gone within 24 hours. I think that goes to show that the four adults eating the pies were big-time fans! This year’s assortment included traditional homemade pumpkin pie, a pumpkin custard pie from Whit’s in Davidson and a homemade apple cider pie. My mom and I followed Jessica’s recipe for the apple pie (we omitted the bourbon and used a store-bought crust) and it was UNREAL. If you like crumbly oatmeal cookies and apple pie, make this pie immediately! It’s the best of both worlds!
Gymboree Open Gym with Family
My dad has never been to Gymboree with Chase so during my parents’ visit, we took advantage of the open gym hours on Saturday and spent some time at one of Chase’s favorite places! Chase lights up the minute we walk through the door at Gymboree and he basically had the whole place to himself for nearly 45 minutes. He climbed over everything, explored the toys, equipment and tunnels and had a blast!
My dad and Ryan decided to kick Open Gym up a notch and did their best to shoot wiffle balls into the basketball hoop from across the gym. Chase naturally wanted in on the action and seemed to enjoy dunking the ball with Ryan’s help!
Sunday Morning Hike
In the pre-baby days, weekend hikes at Lake Norman State Park were a staple for me and Ryan so when my mom encouraged us to take advantage of her offer to watch Chase, we jumped at the chance to tackle our favorite local five-mile trail. Though we were excited for some solo time on the trails, no one was more psyched than Sadie. She sprinted all over the place and made it her mission to smell every leaf in the forest. Watching Sadie jump around so joyfully is one of my favorite things in the whole world and it was the perfect way to begin our Sunday.
During our hike, I had the chance to try out the Lululemon gloves I bought from thredUP in the spring of last year. I had a feeling they would make a great athletic glove for me to have on hand, so I scooped them up when I saw them on sale even though it was already way too hot outside to wear them at the time. I’m so glad I did because they are amazing! They have a tiny slit on the upper right glove where you can slide a key, the thumbs have holes in them that you can slide off if you need to use your phone and there’s a hole in the left glove where a fitness watch can peek through. I swear they thought of everything!
Goodbye Fall, Hello Christmas
On Saturday afternoon, Ryan and I spent some time putting away our fall décor and bringing down all of the Christmas decorations from the attic. By the end of the day our house was transformed and the tree was up! Chase was very involved in all of the Christmas tree fun and loved pointing at the ornaments and saying, “Ball! Ball!” He very quickly understood that ornaments go on the tree and I had so much fun handing him ornaments and asking him where we should put them. He’d then reach out to the tree with the ornament in hand and I’d hang it up for him. It was one of those sweet holiday moments with my little guy that I know I’ll remember forever.
Family Brunch
Aside from a family dinner that last for hours, I think one of my favorite meals to enjoy with the people I love would have to be brunch. Brunch pretty much opens the doors for a variety of food and on Saturday morning, I made a spread of breakfast food and pasta to enjoy with everyone while we tested out Chase’s new booster seat. Chase loved having a place at the table that felt like a “real” seat and we enjoyed digging into a Blue Apron pumpkin pasta dish, a sausage and spinach frittata, bacon and fresh rolls. Yum!
Holiday Weekend Shopping (+ Cyber Monday Deals)
My mom, Chase and I braved the crowds and hit up Birkdale Village in Huntersville for some Black Friday shopping and returned again for round two on Sunday. We didn’t have much luck on Friday (we bought nothing other than hot chocolate and Chase lost a shoe) but Sunday was a lot more productive! We picked up some holiday gifts and couldn’t resist buying a few way too adorable things from Gap for Chase. I also bought this pullover for 50% off and think it will be a winter staple for me.
Just in case you’re hoping to take advantage of the Cyber Monday deals today, here’s a short roundup, many of which are quite similar to the Black Friday deals I saw around the web last week…
J.Crew Factory: 50-60% off everything + extra 40% off clearance with code HAPPYSALE + free shipping on orders $50+ (I’ve loved their flannel pj pants since college. The polar bear print is adorable!)
TOMS: Extra 10% off sale with code TOM10 (I wear my Avalon sneakers all the time and think they’re incredible comfortable.)
Reebok: 40% off everything with code CYBER (Loving this CrossFit sweatshirt and this super-affordable 1/4-zip pullover)
Gap: 50% off everything with code CYBMON + free shipping on orders $50+
Banana Republic: 50% off everything
Athleta: 20% off with code BOOST
J.Crew: 40% off with code HOLIDAY
Minted: 15% off everything + 20% off orders $150+ with code BF2016
Nike: Extra 25% off clearance with code EXTRA25 (Includes a bunch of clearance Nike Flyknits and Converse Chuck Taylors!)
Bombas: 20% off with code HOLIDAY20 (Ryan and I love these socks so much. Great stocking stuffer for men and women!)
Old Navy: 50% off (So many cute kids’ clothes! And I ordered this tunic sweater for myself because it looked so comfy. I figured I can dress it up or down for casual play dates.)
Express: 50% off everything + free shipping
Nordstrom: Extra 20% off sale items (Love this $20 Kate Spade business card holder – I actually use a case like this in place of a wallet when I carry a clutch or small purse – and this is a beautiful classic crossbody purse)
Madewell: 25% off with code THATSALE
Revolve: Up to 65% off
Macy’s: 20% off with code FEAST
Pottery Barn Kids: 20% + free shipping off with code OHWHATFUN (We also received this stroller blanket as a baby shower gift for Chase and it’s wonderfully cozy!)
Lord & Taylor: Extra 20% off with code THANKS
Tory Burch: Extra 30% off purchases $250+
Question of the Day
What was one highlight from your Thanksgiving weekend? What is one thing that happened this weekend that made you smile?
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