A Very Merry Thanksgiving !

   Whewwww.......what a week !  Action packed and I wouldn't trade a minute of it !  
     Josh, Melanie, Taige and Tia came on Tuesday.....we were so excited to see them !   The weather was wet ,but it was a "warm" wet so no snow for them to contend with .  Seth and Amanda came up to share dinner with us, a really fun night !   The next day I was knee deep in flour and sugar and it was a miserable day, weather wise.  Everyone just kind of hung out......we did get in a few rounds of Mexican dominos and backgammon......Tia, you are an awesome player !! 

   Thanksgiving morning started ,of course, with Holiday fruit, smokies and french toast for eight. In order to work off a little of the breakfast, everyone headed out for a little basketball.   It was a beautiful morning, although everyone was trying to stand in the sun ! Ross was the first to show up that afternoon, a welcome sight as his old truck, Blackie, made it up the driveway.   Granny, Tess, Boyce and little Bryn were next to arrive......yaaaa, some hands on time with my Bryn !!   Our friend , Phil, came just as the family band was getting warmed up.......and by the then the turkey was smelling pretty good !!
    We ate around 5:00 and finally got up from the table around 7:30.  We rolled into the family room to crowd by the fire and tried to stuff ourselves further with pie, cake, cookies and fudge .   The party broke up not too long after, Tess and Boyce had a bit of a drive home.  They also gave Granny a ride back to her house.....and yes, they insisted on taking Bryn too !

    The next day Granny treated us to In&Out , and an afternoon at Chucky Cheese......the kids had a blast !!    My Taige and Tia are such joys......so much fun and so sweet.  I've gotten to spend more time than usual with them this year......we've loved every minute.
Leftovers for dinner......Yay......everything always tastes better the second night.

   Yesterday we all drove to SugarPine Lake......including Seth and both dogs, Callie and Josh's awesome dog, Timber.  The hike around the lake is about 4 1/2 miles.....it felt wonderful to all of us...until about that last 1/2 mile....even the dogs were dragging.   The turkey soup had been simmering all day while we were gone, the highlight of Thanksgiving.  I made some homemade pizza to go with it and we had a most enjoyable  dinner.   Everyone turned in around 9:30, full of good food and fresh air.
   Josh and his family left early this morning.....we all wish we lived closer to each other.  They are such a wonderful family...I love you all so much....thanks once again for making the long journey.