Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!  We had a very busy Thursday.  Most years we either have to rotate between the 2 families on this day, or sometimes my family has been known to have it on friday.  I think they mostly have done that to accommodate us, though, so I don't blame them for wanting to get together on the holiday!  We got to Cinci around 10pm on Wednesday night.  Got up the next morning to watch the parade on TV, visit a little with family, and also some friends came by and said hi.  We ate lunch, trying not to stuff ourselves on round one.  This was hard for Mike, but he did pretty good.  We were very proud of Gabe.  Before the meal he had told us that he was going to at least try everything.  He ended up not trying everything, but did try quite a bit.  I've seen a lot of maturity in him lately.

Caleb on the other hand, well, I knew it wouldn't be pretty.  You see he only eats breakfast, peanut butter sandwich or peanut butter banana,  and pizza right now.  Once in a while you'll get him to each a chicken nugget or two.  And of course, he'll eat fast food fries.  I try my hardest to limit any fast food consumption, but I have yet to figure out how to avoid it all together in some circumstances. Back to thanksgiving, he ate nothing!  We all sat down to eat and as the food came around the table I put a mouse size taste of a few things on his plate.  If he'd just taste some things he'd love them, but he won't even take a taste!  Anyway the wining and crying wouldn't stop because all he wanted was a PB sandwich!  Over the last year we've decided that he doesn't get a separate meal, he eats what we eat or nothing.  And usually it's nothing.  I ended up taking to the other end of the house and putting him in a room and told him he could come sit with us when he decided to stop crying.  He decided he wanted to stay in the room.  Our dinner then was peaceful.  He did eventually come out and we let him have some dessert because it was Thanksgiving!  Then we visited a little more and had to leave for Indy for dinner.

It was at my sister's house.  They smoked a ham and a turkey!  MMMMM  The table was full of all the comforts of what Thanksgiving used to have when we had it at Grandma's house.  Homemade dressing, Grandma's rolls, greenbean casserole...okay so I am not a fan of that one, but it's a staple, Aunt Soni's Apple Crisp, Dad's fudge.  Besides all the food, I loved that most the family was there!  We used to all sit around the table and Grandma and Grandpa's every Thanksgiving and Christmas, but as our families got larger our get together's got smaller because everyone has busy lives.  Last year and this year, though, I look around and see just about everyone I wanted to see!  We missed Uncle Phil, he was in New Mexico taking care of selling their house so they could permanently move back to Indy.  We always wish the Prouty's could be here, but living in Colorado makes it hard.  There were several Christmas's growing up that they were here though.  There are several of my second cousins that weren't there, but being from a big family it's really hard to get all of us together.  Of course, we missed Uncle Irv, hard to believe it's been 2 years since we lost him, just not the same without him and never will be.  We all miss Grandpa.  He's been gone 22 years, but has a special place in all our hearts and memories and we always remember what chair he sat in every year!  Speaking of chair.  It was nice this year to sit around Grandma's dining room table.  Candy had asked for it and now she has it in her house, so that chair that Grandpa always used was with us along with all the other chairs we have all sat in over the years.  I get choked up looking around that table at all the people in my life who have made me who I am today!  I'm so thankful for them all!  I love them all!  I was most thankful that my Grandma was there and able to enjoy all the time together.  I know how much it means to her.  I have a hard time thinking about how Thanksgiving would be without her.  I don't ever want that to happen, but know it has to come sooner of later.  We will all be devastated by it, but for today we give thanks that she is with us and pretty healthy.  Thank you Lord!