Thanksgiving 2014 - Part 1

I made a big effort to take lots of pictures at our Thanksgiving gathering because I felt so blessed to be in the midst of my mom and dad, my brother and sister with their beautiful, growing families, and with my own little family who I try to always tuck right under my wing.

It started a couple days prior to Thanksgiving when some of the girls made these cute little turkeys.

They started out with great enthusiasm and gusto for making these things

But once the dipping was complete and a few "whopper" heads were placed, the trampoline called to them and Isabel and I were left to finish them up and to do the dishes. I'm sure there was a day when I was younger and got to participate in just the fun parts, but I don't remember those days very well. Instead, it seems like I do a lot of the cleaning up. It didn't bother me so much because there was cousin bonding involved this time though. I'm always for more of that.

On Thanksgiving day we started off the morning with a few of us (me, Jared, Doug, Isabel, Nicole, Anna, and Sarah) going to my gym to work off the afternoon's turkey with a good morning bootcamp workout.

Then we spent the rest of the morning and afternoon getting ready and hanging out.

Leah and Meg set the table (they always make it look pretty):

Hannah (Chandler's girlfriend) filled up the water cups and pitchers:

Brita messed around on her iPod:

And Jared played chess with Chandler's friend Paul while Chandler played referee:

I jumped in the shower about thirty minutes before we were supposed to eat and made it in the nick of time.

A couple days ago we had a little family discussion about how long the turkey needed to roast. Adam said 3.5 - 4 hours for my 20 pound turkey and mom let out a gasp that almost made her pass out. Mom likes to really cook stuff, as in over-cook stuff. She likes everything burned. And dry. I usually give in to what mom wants me to do, but this year I was a renegade and went for a four-hour cook time. I was so nervous that it wouldn't be cooked, so we asked Doug to stop and buy a meat thermometer so we could be sure.

This baby turned out moist and juicy and delicious.

Dad did a mighty fine job carving it up.

And I also cooked a Costco ham because I love them. I'm not a big fan of turkey, and as it turns out a lot of people besides me really loved the ham this year too. Mom and I couldn't get over how pretty it looked on the platter. Mom always appreciates fine details and finishing touches.

Oh my gosh that ham was good. I just wish it didn't get stuck in my teeth like it does. It hurts so bad and I am in pain until I floss, but it's so worth it for something this good.

My only other job besides the turkey and ham was roasted veggies that I added onto the menu at the last minute. So glad I did because those things were delish.

We kept this year's menu pretty simple and it was so nice because everything was divided up between all of us. Mom made stuffing and bought rolls, Carrie and Adam made potatoes and green salad, Isabel made sweet potatoes and Doug bought a few pies. More about the pies later.

I think it was the perfect Thanksgiving meal. Delicious food with my favorite people. Meg wanted to make sure I sat with her at her "little table". I can't get over how it made her so happy to have me sitting there. When I sat down and started talking to Anna she said, "Talk to me, too." Adorable. And sweet. Kids just want our time. Why do I know that but don't seem to get better at giving it?

This is a picture of mom's Thanksgiving dinner plate. Her plate is always a good one because she takes a little, or a lot, of everything. She may be tiny but she can pack it in.

My justification for using paper plates was that I bought some that had cornucopias on them. It helped make clean up a cinch. Somehow Isabel finagled her way into doing dishes, even though she had been doing them all morning. Anna helped dry everything and Nicole was the transporter which was kind of a confusing job. She thought she was supposed to transport stuff downstairs into granny's apartment, when really her mom just wanted all the stuff transported over to the dinner table so we could sort through it later and get it out of her way so she could get all the dishes washed.

I was embarrassed that the only people cleaning up were our guests, but my girls didn't seem embarrassed by that at all. I eventually convinced them to put some salad in a container and shake a tablecloth.

Loved our guests, loved our Thanksgiving. The remainder of our day to follow in Part 2.