We rolled into Thanksgiving this year without a lot of planning, but we all agreed to change up the menu. Instead of a roast turkey we opted for Dungeness crab and kept with the tradition of eating and sleeping over at Alvin's place.
Before the food was ready we managed to snap a few family pictures. There was a brief break in the first significant rain storm of the season. In their itchy barongs, the boys could hardly keep their faces straight and their hands to themselves.
After dinner I busted out these Japanese DIY candy kits to keep the boys busy. As big fans of "Nailed It!" on Netflix, I thought it would be fun to have our own Nailed It challenge-- Karlsson style! Each boy had a Panic and Annoy button, which would deploy me (for help) or Mattias (to annoy the other brothers.)
They were fairly focused during the mission, but Anders and Magnus struggled with some of the fine motor tasks. In the end, the reveal of "Expectation vs. Reality" photos brought us to a laugh/cry, and Anders was crowned "Nailed It Champion." There were no hurt feelings in the end, as each kid happily ate their candy craft.
Black Friday morning we bummed around while the kids and dogs each enjoyed their behavioral enrichment. My parents got a kick out of showing the boys how to inflate and repair plastic balloons, a staple toy in the Philippines.
Later on we followed tradition by heading to the mall in Japantown. We had a lengthy visit to Daiso followed by a delicious Japanese lunch, then a movie to end the day.
After two days of rain we were elated that the sun came out on Small Business Saturday. It also happened to be the weekend of TreasureFest, our favorite craft/flea market.
After lunch and shopping we got on our bikes and ripped around the North side of the island, still one of the family's favorite ways to spend time together.
On the final day of the extended weekend we took Alvin out on a belated birthday date. Big fans of circus acts at
Circus Center here in San Francisco, none of us had ever been to a Cirque du Soleil. I always thought they were crazy expensive or too high brow (i.e. never within my reach), but for Alvin's 40th I wanted to treat him to a fun, new experience.
This is what my boys look like dressed up-- all in plaid and sneakers. Aside from the crazy bar/concession lines, getting to the big top was a breeze. The show itself was an amazing delight for us all, and a memorable night as a family.
As usual, we packed the weekend full. Full of food and family and gratitude, I guess you can say we nailed it.
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