Thanksgiving: I'm thankful for family fun!

This Thanksgiving was all about family fun. Now, we didn't plan it that way or anything. We set out to do our very normal thanksgiving routines; but all of our activities somehow morphed into family fun. And, the highlight was that we kind of celebrated Thanksgiving week instead of thanksgiving day; and the fun was had by the entire family, kids and adults alike.

For starters, my sister and nieces came in the Monday before thanksgiving. Anytime they are here it is a party; especially in the eyes of Bryce & Sara Kate. So, the fun started that Monday when all the cookie club girls went out for a girls night. For those of you who don't know, the cookie club is composed of me, my mom and sister, two aunts, and two cousins; we get together every year for the entire weekend and bake cookies....thousands (literally) of cookies. We always have a great time when we go out together and this time was certainly no exception. Our cookie weekend starts today (12/7) so be sure to watch for a post about that.

On Tuesday, the girls came to our house so mom & Shelley could shop; and again, it should suffice to say that when the girls are here it's party time. But, that afternoon, the party really got started when Brad and I, along with G-Daddy took the kids bowling. Bryce & Sara Kate have never been before so it was a lot of fun. Daddy & Brad had to get there own lane because their pride and competitiveness wouldn't let them bowl on a lane with bumpers. Daddy used to bowl a good bit in his younger years, but he hadn't bowled in years. He still broke 100; but Brad beat him; which give Brad bragging rights until next time. I won't even mention my score, except to say that Bryce even did better than me; but in my defense, I let Sara Kate bowl some of my rounds. Check out big kid's form.....

We ate all our meals together at moms house; and that means cooking and cleaning together. There is something about preparing a meal for the family "with" the family. Shelley and I kind of do whatever mom tells us. Brad ALWAYS carves the turkey. Scott & Dad usually clear the table with us. Daddy usually does the dishes, but for some reason, we beat him to it this year. I think Daddy "conveniently" went to show Paul something in the basement. That's okay daddy, we've got your number next year. :)

But my favorite part of Thanksgiving this year was the revival of 'game time'. It was so much fun!! Mom, dad, Shelley, and I played taboo and pictionary and laughed our heads off. Brad played uno with the kids a couple of times, and Shelley and I played pictionary with the girls Thanksgiving Day which also proved to be fun and interesting. Every time we got in the car with the kids, we played some traditional 'car' games that we tweeked and modified to make them about Thanksgiving. Like, "On Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for......" where we take turns adding to the list and everyone has to remember the entire list from top to bottom. On Friday night, Brad decided he wanted to play Mil Bournes. Mil Bournes or "Couf" is a game my parents have played for years. So, all the adults (minus Scott) played 'couf. In our family, there is no shortage of sarcasm and 'couf is a game where it can really shine. That in itself, was fun to watch....I think the kids thought we had lost our minds.

We didn't forget we were celebrating Thanksgiving; and I wanted to try to really explain to the kids what this Holiday means. Maci & Bayley already know of course, but Bryce & Sara Kate are still young and I wanted to teach them about the pilgrims and the Mayflower, and being truly grateful. So, we had a little Mayflower lesson and a couple of crafts that we did with the kids. We made the most darling edible pilgrim hats out of cookies, marshmallows, and melted chocolate. And, we also made Thumb-print Turkey place cards for our Thanksgiving table. Three years ago, my mom started a tradition of writing something we are thankful for on our Thanksgiving tablecloth; so it was cool to see how the list grows each year, and it was fun to see the little turkeys all over the table.

On Saturday, we went to Marietta to celebrate with Brad's family. By then, Bryce was really into Uno so even Grandma Sheryl, Aunt Laura and Suzy got into the gaming action. Plus, it is a tradition to watch the Georgia/ Georgia Tech game and of course, that's always fun (especially when Georgia wins).

This Thanksgiving was the absolute best of my whole life, and more than anything this year, I am thankful for family.