Turkey Day

Top Ten Memories from Thanksgiving ’08 (in no particular order…)

1. Spending two nights with 14 people in one house. There’s nothing that bonds family like spending time together in your PJ’s and sharing your bath towels.
2. Watching four-year-old Sydney ballet dance in her Dora the Explorer pajamas.
3. Daniel’s delight at getting up at 5 am to put the turkey in the oven. He has been the official cooker of the bird for years now. Without a doubt, he makes the best turkey I’ve ever eaten.
4. Daniel’s generosity to get back up with Madeline at 6 am so that I could sleep in.
5. Madeline’s first Thanksgiving dinner. She got to eat both turkey and ham and loves them both! Then she moved on to black beans and grated cheese – two favorites.
6. Enjoying sweet potato casserole for the first time in my entire life. After having a traumatic experience with sweet potatoes at the age of four, I had not eaten them since. I decided to be a grown up this year and learn to like them as Madeline started to eat them. It worked! Cousin Jenny’s sweet potato casserole was yummy.
7. The first annual Ping Pong Olympics, played to a soundtrack of “Gangsta’s Paradise.” I joyfully beat my cousin and then gave up a game to my mother-in-law. Can you believe it?! I’ve resolved that next year will be better. I am scheming a way to train between now and then…
8. Getting to lay down for an hour after dinner while I waited for Madeline to fall asleep – one of the definite benefits of having a little one.
9. Going through cousin Jenny’s handmade jewelry and picking out three awesome necklaces.
10. Madeline joyfully watching her grandma, her aunt, and her mom do the chicken dance for her entertainment and clapping with us during the clap parts. Oh what fools we gladly make of ourselves to see the little ones smile. :)

And now a few photos:

My sister Rachel spent the day with us on Wednesday before we headed out to Owensboro to be with Daniel's family.


A very happy Daniel carving the Thanksgiving ham


Grandma feeding Madeline dinner in her too-cool Thanksgiving bib


Scott, Jenny, Madeline, and Grandma


Great Grandma with her three great grandchildren, four grandchildren, and their spouses


Madeline loves Aunt Emily


What a beautiful family! Jenny with Sydney and Isaacd


Isaac showing off his impressive hanging skills


Ping Pong Extravaganza! Emily is really good!


Madeline found the best seat in the house.


Happy Thanksgiving!