
Dallas had to work all weekend, but Caroline convinced me to go to early Thanksgiving dinner at Aunty Laura’s anyway. Fun catching up with everyone!

Dallas had to work all weekend, but Caroline convinced me to go to early Thanksgiving dinner at Aunty Laura’s anyway. Fun catching up with everyone!
Tags:adam·aly·amanda·brad·caroline·dallas·doug·eddy·gail·glenna·hanover park·heather·jeff·kenji·laura·mitch·naoko·rory·thanksgiving·tommy·tyler

Caroline & Danny

Wisconsin Girls: Rachelle & Caroline

Miko, Aunty Gail, Heather

Aunty Laura’s soup

Heather’s salad along with Aunty Laura’s signature flank steak and cone sushi

Aunty Laura got these on a recent trip to Germany and was calling them Mozart’s Balls. They’re Mozartkugel.

Who let Uncle BB in?

Aunty Laura, Caroline, Danny

Miko, Winnie, Peggy

Packers Bib

Caroline (about the Packers onesie): Isn’t it cute!??!? Danny: NO

Jordan onesies.

Danny & Naoko

Caroline checking out the awesome green tea cake that Naoko made. (Glenna on the side.)

Just cut the cake, Danny!
Last year, while everyone was still in town visiting for Christmas, Dallas’s family in the suburbs threw me a bridal shower. This year right after Christmas they threw Caroline and Danny a baby shower. Caroline is expecting a baby boy in the beginning of February.
I bought the baby his first Packers outfit, which Caroline loved and Danny hated! It was a onesie, hat, bib and a Packers 101 board book. Caroline was holding the hat up and was like “oh look, he could wear this home from the hospital!” and I said, “yes, it will be right after the Packers win the Superbowl!” Danny was not amused.
Tags:baby shower·bb·caroline·cone sushi·danny·flank steak·gail·germany·glenna·hanover park·heather·laura·michael jordan·miko·mozart·mozartkugel·naoko·packers·peggy·winnie

Brad, Amanda, Dallas, Aunty Gail

Doug, Tyler, Uncle BB, Eddy, Naoko, Aunty Laura

Brad & Aunty Glenna

Rachelle & Eddy

Heather & Eddy

Tommy & Mitch
On Christmas day we always go to Dallas’s Aunty Gail’s house out in Mount Prospect, IL. Every year Aunty Gail makes beef tenderloin, mashed potatoes, corn, green bean casserole and her mom’s lettuce/mayo/crab/pea salad. It never varies. Dessert varies because other people always bring different desserts, but Aunty Gail always makes her signature cookies. This year Naoko made a super light and airy cheesecake (usually it’s so dense and filling!), a chocolate cake and cream puffs. Naoko’s desserts are always fabulous, but Dallas and I both commented together about how great the cream puffs were. The custard was so delicious. Heather and I each brought candy trays. Mine should look familiar, since I’ve been featuring all the candy recipes here last week.

Christmas Dinner

Christmas Desserts

Kenji

Kate & Tommy

Kate, Ben, Tommy, Derek
This year there were relatively few (only 18!) people over for dinner. I think it’s the first year that we could all sit at the long table. The first year that I didn’t sit at a kiddie side table! After dinner, many other family members came over and we had the gift exchange. Every year Aunty Gail tells you a thousand times, “$10 gift bag, no junk, no junk!” Ok. Well, what can you really get for $10 that is not junk? This year she finally increased the limit to “$20 gift bag, no junk, no junk.” To be honest, I think I was already spending $15 on the gift bags anyway. And actually, the price increase helped a lot. There were many good gifts, and no junk, Aunty Gail, no junk.

Back: Uncle Neil, Uncle Peggy, Miko, John, Derek. Front: Winnie, Ben, Kyle, Kate.

Uncle BB, Aunty Glenna, Brad, Amanda, Tyler, Aly, Adam

Back: Jeff, Heather, Aunty Gail, Eddy, Doug, Naoko. Front: Chris, Mitch, Kenji, Tommy.

Back: Eddy, Mitch, Tyler, Chris, Derek, Ben. Front: Kenji, Kate, Tommy.

Eddy, Mitch, Tyler, Chris, Derek, Ben, Kate, Tommy, Kenji

Marty, Uncle Sonny, Brian

Siblings: Uncle Sonny, Aunty Laura, Uncle BB, Aunty Gail, Uncle Neil

Siblings: Uncle Sonny, Aunty Laura, Uncle BB, Aunty Gail, Uncle Neil

Uncle Sonny, Aunty Laura, Uncle BB, Aunty Glenna, Aunty Gail, Aunty Peggy, Uncle Neil

Rachelle, Aunty Laura, Dallas

Brad, Aly, Dallas

Trying to get all the cousins in one shot.

May be more difficult than the kids!

Someone with Heather’s camera got this good shot I snagged. Back: Marty, Winnie, Kyle, Brian, John, Doug, Dallas, Amanda, Brad, Heather, Jeff. Front: Naoko, Miko, Aly, Rachelle.
This year all of the golfers were fighting over a package that they thought were a pair of golf gloves. Dallas ended up with it in the end and guess what? It was a Coach key chain. Score for me! When it was Winnie’s turn to pick a gift she let one of the kids pick and they picked a very large box, which is not ideal because she lives in California and would have to travel home. So when it was my turn to pick I took her big box. It ended up being an amaryllis bulb, which I’ve always wanted to try growing, so score again for me! There were a few boxes and tiny gift bags that people thought were going to be bags of rice. Usually Aunty Gail will put a few pieces of rice in a Ziploc and wrap it and then the gift is 20 pounds of rice. Dallas always wants this gift because it’s something he can actually use. Most of the small, light gifts this year turned out to be gift cards. Aunty Gail’s gift was actually a Shake Weight that Aunty Glenna got. I don’t know how there are no photos of her, or the many people who tried it out, but it was hilarious, as you can imagine.

Aly & Eddy

Gift Exchange

Eddy playing with the Potty Putter.
As always, amazing to see how the family is growing every year. And great to visit with everyone!
Previous Christmases at Aunty Gail’s:
Tags:adam·aly·amanda·bb·ben·brad·brian·chris·christmas·dallas·derek·doug·eddy·gail·glenna·heather·jeff·john·kate·kenji·kyle·laura·marty·miko·mitch·mount prospect·naoko·neil·peggy·sonny·tommy·tyler·winnie

Yesterday we went to Doug & Naoko’s annual Labor Day barbecue. Dallas and I hadn’t seen the Chicago suburbs family since New Years Day! Actually, Aunty Gail was at our wedding, but everyone else… it had been a long time. I don’t know how 8 months flew by, but it was good to see everyone.

Heather & Tyler, Rachelle & Eddy
It was not so long ago that Heather’s kids were the youngest in the family. SO not the case these days. Her oldest Chris is the same age as my niece Stephanie: 15. Her younger boy Mitch is 12 (I think?). I remember saying something to Chris about “when you were 9 blah blah blah.” Then thinking “9? no way!” But it’s true. I have known those kids, this family, for more than 7 years now.
At the barbecue, I met the two newest members of the family. Tyler is Brad and Amanda’s baby and is one month old. Eddy is Doug and Naoko’s youngest and is 8 months old.

Aunty Glenna, Cory, Caroline, Naoko, Rachelle, Aunty Laura, Amanda, Heather
Many of the ladies of the family. Aunty Glenna is celebrating her 30th wedding anniversary with Uncle BB today and is a brand new grandmother. Cory is moving to Vail in a month or two. Her husband Chris is already there. Caroline is pregnant and due February 10th. Naoko has 3 sons – Tommy is 5, Kenji is 2, and Eddy is 8 months. Me, newlywed. Aunty Laura is expecting her second grandchild in February. Everyone thinks it will be a boy. All of the kids of that generation are boys (except 1? Kate?) Amanda just had baby Tyler a month ago. Heather likes to hold babies (holding baby Tyler in this photo).

Sal, Brad, Danny
A bunch of the guys golfed all day. Aunty Gail was with them too. I heard she was the best golfer of the bunch. Probably the most sober too. Coincidence? After golfing I found a bunch of the guys standing around by the grills. Typical. Danny will forever be the designated grill chief now. They know he worked in a vegetarian restaurant, right?

Caroline, Aunty Laura, Aunty Glenna, Cory, Heather, Tyler, Amanda (hiding behind flowers), Aly, Aly’s boyfriend, Naoko manning the stove
From the grill area I took this spy cam photo of the kitchen. I think only Aly saw me!

In the living room Ghostbusters was on. I thought this was a perfectly innocent movie, but the kids started getting all riled up saying there were ghosts in the basement and running after each other acting like ghosts. Some parents were worried their kids were going to have nightmares. A while later the TV was switched to college football.

Another shot of the living room. I can count about 10 kids in this photo. There were even more at the party. See what I’m saying about Mitch and Chris not being the kids any more? In this photo of my first Labor Day BBQ at Doug & Naoko’s there are 3 kids. Joey and Marietta’s two girls and baby Vince (Matt & Jen). If you add on Chris and Mitch, that’s 5. That number has at least tripled, I think. Well, and it’s not all family. Doug and Naoko’s friends have a lot of kids now too.
Even though there were 8 kids on the couch, Dallas and Sal still caught some ZZZZs. Not when Charlotte (Sal & Kim’s) took a liking to Dallas though. She’s the girl laying down on the right side of the photo with the navy and striped dress on. I was sitting out in the screen porch and every time I looked into the living room she was climbing on his shoulders, putting a stuff animal on his head, sticking her fingers in his face, etc. Once she was even giving him a back massage. Who’s this girl?!?! hhaha. Dallas said that Charlotte was calling him Uncle Joey for a while. Because he looks so much like Joey, a tall white blonde. See the 5th photo down, here. When Kim told her to tell Dallas goodbye as they were leaving she said “Bye, Alice!” So funny.
All in all another great barbecue. Noako put out some delicious food, as always! Great to see everyone again.
Doug & Naoko like to have a Labor Day party every year. Here are some photos from years past:
- 2005: we played a lot of horseshoes
- 2006: Jordan brought fresh smoked salmon from Alaska. He’d just been on a trip there.
- 2007: No Party? Or just no photo or post?
- 2008: Lots of kids. First year I noticed that?
- 2009: Also celebrated Aunty Gail’s retirement. One more photo from that year.
- 2010: Doug & Naoko have a new house
Tags:aly·amanda·bb·bbq·brad·caroline·charlotte·chris·cory·dallas·danny·doug·eddy·gail·ghostbusters·glenna·heather·jen·joey·kenji·kim·labor day·laura·marietta·matt·mitch·naoko·palatine·sal·tommy·tyler·vince