Thanksgiving x 3

Living in a foreign country over the holidays definitely has its disadvantages. We miss our family, the food isn't quite the same, the culture is so different, and it makes being away from home seem even further away. But, on the other hand, being far away also has some perks. We feel very fortunate that we've made such awesome friends here in Nagoya. And because of that, we had 3 Thanksgiving dinners!

Thanksgiving Dinner #1: at the Hilton, for all Boeing employees and their families. This event made me realize how many foreigners are living here in Nagoya for Boeing - WOW! Over 100 people were at this event!

All dressed up and ready for the party!

Family pic, she wasn't very cooperative.

Thanksgiving Dinner #2: Mike & Sally's home. This wonderful couple just moved to Japan from South Carolina with their three kiddos. They are some of the nicest people we have ever met, and we're glad they are here!

Attempt at another family picture.
She was slightly more cooperative this time.

Thanksgiving Dinner #3: Marian & Brian's home. This incredibly family hosted a huge Thanksgiving feast for 40+ people. Luckily they have quite a spacious apartment to accommodate everyone, and even better that it was right here in our building. We got to meet people from all over the world at this party, and for many of them it was their very first Thanksgiving. We (Americans) were able to show them what Thanksgiving is all about: family, food, and fun! Each family brought a dish to pass, so there was a huge variety of food, and plenty of turkey for everyone. We all drank wine, played games, and had a great time.

One of the food tables.

(There were several!)

Elodie slept the entire night, so we were
able to have some nice adult time. :)

Joe said it best in one of his Facebook posts: "With so much to be thankful for this year it is way too hard to put it all in a Facebook post. However, thanks be to my wonderful wife and daughter! When Family is not near you bring those friends around you together in gatherings like those over the past few nights and make a new Family. Thanks be to this tremendous experience/journey we are on in Japan and the wonderful friends from all over the world who continue to enrich our lives forever."

Joe and I have so much to be thankful for this year, especially for this happy & healthy little girl!

Miss You Grandma S!

A few days after my mom left, Joe's mom arrived to see the baby and visit with us for a few weeks. We feel so fortunate that both grandmas were able to meet Elodie at such a young age and spend some quality time with us.

We are very appreciative of everything Grandma S did to help us while she was here. She not only helped take care of Elodie, but also cleaned, went grocery shopping, cooked fantastic dinners & baked lots of cookies. Thank you for all of your help Grandma! :)

The theme of her trip here was: cuisine. We took her to a variety of restaurants, including: Japanese, Taiwanese, Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, Turkish & Moroccan. It was fun to get out for a variety of meals and show her our favorite restaurants in Nagoya.

Here are a few photo highlights from her trip.

Tea ceremony & lunch with friends.

Hanging out with grandma!

Napping with Grandma.

Formal tea ceremony at a nearby garden and tea house.

Family time :)

Birthday celebration, and delicious chocolate cake!

We miss you, Grandma! And can't wait to see you in a few weeks over the holidays.

Happy Halloween!

Our friends Robert & Yumi hosted a Halloween Happy Hour in our apartment building, as a way for all of us new parents to dress up and have fun with our friends before everyone headed out to the bars for a crazy night.

Joe and I wanted to do a theme for our costumes, but were really restricted on what we could do. Mainly because of lack of time to prepare, and the overall difficulty of finding a costume in a foreign country that doesn't really celebrate Halloween. But we managed to find Santa costumes and decided to dress up as a Santa family.

Mr. & Mrs. Clause and our Santa baby :)

Even Grandma participated!

We had a great time at the happy hour party. Good drinks & food, and a fun time with friends. Here are a few other costumes from the party....

Alice in Wonderland & The Mad Hatter

Mario and his lovely bee

Bo Peep and her sheep

Jellyfish & squid

PEACE!

On actual Halloween Day, we attended a birthday party for our friend Morgan who turned 1 year old! Elodie dressed up as a ballerina for the occasion.

Happy 1st birthday Morgan!

Beautiful ballerina :)

Love this picture of her!