Christmas Break 2016

 ^^The best we could do for a family photo. 

 ^^Meeting Santa for the first time.

 

^^We made tons of cookies - peanut butter blossoms, rugelach & chocolate chip blondies.

^^More cookies & meeting Santa for the second time.

 ^^Auntie Tiff visited and we made a gingerbread house.

 ^^Followed by Elevenses inside a gingerbread house!

^^Gingerbread everything. 

^^Amelie looking guilty after decorating the giant gingerbread man.

 ^^A day trip to Oxford.

 ^^The dining hall which inspired the one in Harry Potter. 

 ^^The baking continues - these for Santa. 

 ^^Amelie loved decorating. 

 ^^Amelie wanted to know why Santa didn't eat all of his cookies. Plus Christmas dinner. 

^^Very happy to feed the ducks. 

After 2+ weeks of family time, it's back to the regular schedule with a blog post on Clara soon if the girls will stay napping a little longer. 

A Trip to Copenhagen

We took a quick trip to Copenhagen during the bank holiday weekend and it has become one of my favorite cities. First of all, it's very baby/kid friendly which is important to us now that we have the little one. There was easy access for strollers everywhere, (nice & clean!) changing tables in almost every bathroom, (clean!) areas for babies to play in plus the coolest high chairs. 

I found every person we encountered to be extremely welcoming and nice in a genuine way, not the "I have to put on a smile and be nice to you because you are a customer way." Not only were people helpful, they just seemed happy and were fantastically dressed. Speaking of the well dressed, the whole aesthetic and general look in Copenhagen was completely my vibe. From the rustic wooden tables to the smooth neutral colored dishware, it was totally me. 

Most importantly, Copenhagen is foodie central. You can find anything and everything here from an authentically good American burger to one of the world's best restaurants. Though I do wish we were able to dine at Noma, I was perfectly content with our food choices. I had a cinnamon bun a day, the perfectly composed hot dog, some very good kung pao chicken noodles and much much more. 

We stayed at an apartment we found on Airbnb and it was super kid friendly. I mean, it had an entire play room with the coolest toys (mainly wooden, food related & musical). Could that not be more perfect? I don't know if Amélie or I had more fun with them. Also, mental note to buy Amélie a pizza with slices velcroed to each other and her own little comfy chair.  

^^Oh the plane ride. I can't imagine flying all the way to America with this one at this age. Thank goodness there was an extra seat in the middle for her to sit between us because it would have been a very long 1.5 hour flight otherwise. 

A few places I recommend:

Airbnb Apartment (centrally located, full of toys and lots of room) 

Dop Hot Dogs (delicious & organic)

Copenhagen Street Food (the best!, food trucks in a giant warehouse with lots of indoor and outdoor seating, I wish I could've tried it all)

Warpigs (the sides are to die for so is the brisket plus the beer according to A)

Tivoli Gardens 

Danish Museum of Art & Design

National Aquarium Denmark

Emmerys (an organic bakery with the best cinnamon buns) 

p.s. How was I able to write this blog post during the day when Amélie is not napping? I'm giving her the "good" Cheerios, not the usual low sugar oat ones I give her. Oh and if you travel with a one year old, bring snacks, lots of snacks. 

p.p.s. Another thing I love about Copenhagen? Hot dogs and ice cream on every corner. And good ones too. 

Thanksgiving 2014

I'm slowly catching up with everything I need to do now that we have internet again so here are a few pictures from Thanksgiving a couple of weeks back. We celebrated the weekend before with all of the Sensos and then again on Thursday with just our family of three. 

^^A group shot of all of us and all of the food!

^^I made the pies the day before, just your good old classic apple pie and pumpkin pie.

^^Apple pie in the oven.

^^We had turkey chili while Amelie played with some watches. She liked the Rolex the best, of course.

^^Early morning shot of the turkey, 7am. 

^^Table all set and even a little place card for the baby. 

^^I hope Thanksgiving is going to be her favorite holiday too!

^^From the left: green beans with pancetta & onions, baked sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, mashed sweet potatoes, the turkey, sausage stuffing, butternut squash, mashed potatoes, apple pie, gravy, cranberry sauce and a pumpkin pie (the best recipe here.)

^^Amélie loved the pinecone.

^^I had two plates of this.

^^Our little table. 

^^She kind of liked mashed potatoes and butternut squash.

^^I was soo full.

^^And Amélie passed out after the meal. 

^^Then I made turkey everything the next day - stock, soup and salad. 

I can't wait until Amélie is old enough to understand holidays and how excited I am about Thanksgiving each year. It will be so nice to have her help me in the kitchen each year just like I did with my mom. For now, she sits in her high chair and takes it all in :)