Thanksgiving- I sort of hate it

 We spent Thanksgiving with my family in Des Moines, IA.

 

I liked my veggie platter.

Every year I have a craft or two to keep the kids entertained.  They love it.  This year was a Thankful Turkey.  We all decorated feathers and wrote one thing that we are thankful for and stuck them on ol' Tom here.  This year was really nice out so they were playing outside too, which was even better.  Derek and Kevin played in a Turkey Bowl in the morning and took the kids to the park before nap times.  I loved having Thanksgiving so early this year!

Lots of food. 

Here's my issue with Thanksgiving.  We spend hours and hours cooking because we have 4 different families represented and all of us think "it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without..." so we cook massive amounts of food, spending all our time and energy sweating (and sometimes arguing) it out in the kitchen.  Food should not be what Thanksgiving is all about.  Next year I honestly want to do chili in the crock pot with a baked potato bar and Marie Calendar pies and watch the Cowboys play.  THAT sounds like a fun thanksgiving to me. (But it wouldn't be Thanksgiving unless we had frozen cranberry juice and 7-up to drink...just sayin')
 

I thought Tammie and Lisa (Jennie's sister) might come to blows over the gravy here.  Tammie is a total Saint who bit her tongue... We literally had too many cooks in the kitchen.  Jennie was in a tough spot being in the middle of it all.  I have the best Sister-In-LovesLaws.

My poor baby was really not feeling well.  I'd taken him to the doctor on Tuesday, and Bret checked him out, and whatever he had was just viral, but it sure seemed like an ear infection to me. He was miserable.  Wednesday night/Thursday morning I was up with him all night.  Eventually I ended up in the living room with him where we both slept on the floor or with him cuddled up against me on the couch for about 15 minute stretches at a time.  Once again, Jennie is the best SIL and in the middle of the night came to check on us and offer to help.  It was such a kind and genuine gesture.  I love her!

 

Jennie, Lisa and I (and Lisa's teenage daughters) went to see Breaking Dawn part 2 Wednesday night also.  It's going to be weird not seeing a Twilight movie next Thanksgiving.  I really liked this one - I thought it was a great way to end the series.

 

The next weekend Bret and his family came to Omaha because our friends David and LeeAnn were in town.  Camo Cameron was feeling better by then.