Turkey Time

Thanksgiving, like nearly all of the holidays evoke in me a kinda "Martha Mania" in which I have these grand plans to create a picture perfect holiday complete with the delicate and perfect balance of tradition, and hallmark, commerical and homespun, these "good things" as Martha would say that my holiday would not be complete without. I am proud to say however, that the advent of our fourth child in four years has led me to part with some of my "superhero" ways in exchange for actual dare I say it, enjoyment of the holiday.

Our family was lucky enough to be hosted by the Mr.'s little brother and his fabulous wife. Who invited us to come early, and didn't seem too put out when we left late. It was quite fun to be indulging in good conversation, while trying what can only be described as gourmet cooking. (Let's just say the side dishes were quite a departure from my crockpot or 30 minutes or less meals, and quite delicious I will say!!) I will also say, that I warmly welcomed and took full advantage of the opportunity to hold Sleeping Beauty, and let someone else tend the dishes, the children, and all the other stuff. It was thoroughly enjoyable to spend time with Uncle Josh and Auntie Abby and have a little glimpse into the way things were before the Mr. and I brought forth all these children. It is afterall quite fun to reminisce about how life used to be. I just hope we didn't scare their pants off with what the next phase could be!!

So we of course had the obligatory turkey dinner with many trimmings, including a fantastic homemade apple pie by my sister in law, and a pumpkin cheesecake that was amazing. Perhaps one of the tenderest moments for me was watching the Mr. teach Cubby, Miss H and Little Daddy to make "his" cranberry sauce that he learned in four year-old school. I am a sucker for tradition, and watching this man that I have been in love with since the moment I saw him (11 years ago and counting) teach our own children this tradition was, well, overwhelming.

I realized after the trip was over that I neglected to take very many pictures, probably because I was enjoying myself, and holding the baby so much. Naturally, the children were still wearing coordinated outfits, but this year I only made Sleeping Beauty's, and the children ate on handcrafted placemats, but this year I let Miss H and Cubby design their own. It was fun, and relaxing, and for me a great opportunity to reflect on how many gifts we have been given. For me, I count not just the Mr. and our great children, but the knowledge that these are gifts to be appreciated and are given in love by a Heavenly Father. In asking the kids what they are most thankful for we were none too surprised:

Miss H-- All the things, especially a baby sister.

Cubby-- The Cubs

Little Daddy-- owl book (Peek A Who) and Tonner too.

Although it's not a Hallmark card, it sure tugs at my heartstrings to have them express thanks for one another. Probably, this post is getting a tad long, but here are a few "flashback pics" although as I was preparing to put these up, it occured to me that The Mr. and I had 6 Thanksgivings together before we had kids, and somehow I don't think I have a single picture of them.. funny how that works..

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Here's hoping you enjoyed your Thanksgiving and that the simple things bring you the greatest pleasure.