Home again, home again, jiggity jig

So I don't intend on going back to Canada for a visit every month that I'm here but it seems to be working out that way. My sister, who lives in England was in Canada for a visit and my parents very graciously flew me and the girls up so the whole family could be together. I haven't seen my sister, her husband, and my nephew for 2 years and I have never before met my niece who is 9 months old. David stayed home because he had classes and an exam.

Well needless to say, my new little niece is ridiculously adorable. My nephew is delightful and not only because he has the cutest little accent ever. He had a fascinating conversation with Asha about the fact that in England they call underwear "pants" and pants "trousers". Asha has told pretty much every person in L.A. that since we've been back. I found myself feeling like a complete hick because my accent sounded so coarse compared to his. Apparently he said to my sister when they had a moment alone "Mum, Auntie Melissa always calls me 'dude'. What does that mean?". Overall, it was lovely to spend some time with my sisters and amazing to see all 7 of the new generation together.

So in the spirit of Thanksgiving I want to say what I was thankful for this weekend. Firstly I am thankful for my husband who was so jealous that I "got to" go on a plane with Asha and Nia. I personally was jealous that he got to sleep in lay on the beach without stopping Asha from getting washed away and Nia from eating rotting seaweed. David has a bit of a romantic notion about flying with children because he hasn't actually done it in a while. But, he reminded me that there are fun moments when flying with children when I'm not helping Asha in the tiny bathroom while holding a sleeping baby.

Next I am thankful for my sisters. I can honestly say that despite the fact that we have children that are all very close in age we just truly adore them all. There is legitimately no envy, one-upmanship, or competition between us. It helps that all of them happen to be gorgeous as well as brilliant (but I may be a tad biased).

I am also thankful for my wonderful in-laws. I knew that I have a great relationship with them but it really hit home when I was talking to David on the phone and he asked if it was wierd being there without him or Jeanette. It honestly hadn't occurred to me that it would be wierd at all. I think that's pretty rare.

Finally, I am thankful for my parents who made the whole thing happen. Not only did they get us all together for the first time in 2 years but they let us overrun their home. And when I say overrun I am not exaggerating! That place was a madhouse complete with two babies, an adorable yet slightly evil 2 year old, 2 very energetic boys, a 4 year old girl who loudly sings approximately 75% of the time, and a love-sick teenager.

Well this list is obviously not exhaustive and I am also thankful for the rest of my family and friends. I am definitely a very lucky girl. On a side note, Thanksgiving marked the 1 year anniversary of my becoming a vegetarian, or to be precise, a pescatarian because I still eat fish. I officially reduced my carbon footprint by 1 tonne for the last year. Unfortunately that's about equivalent to the carbon burned by my plane trip home but let's focus on the positives, shall we?