There is so much that we take for granted and this gives us a reason to stop and contimplate what we really have been blessed with.
Number one on my list is my husband and my family, and the health we all enjoy.
The events of this year has made me appreciate that more than ever.
I am so thankful for the testimony that each of my children have, that they are all active in the church and teaching their children to gain that same testimony.
I am thankful that they all live close enough that we can arrange times to be all together. I am thankful that, although we all have trials...and some more than others, that we have all been blessed with the temporal things we need as well as the spiritual necessities of life.
For the first time in several years we had our entire family together. With everyone having another family to share Thanksgiving with it seems that 1 or 2 families were always missing. This year the kids managed to all be on the same schedule. But with everyone together, it did present one complicaton...how would we all fit.
Craig and I have been on a very long and very slow construction project in our basement which will hopefully remedy this "no where it fit everyone" situation.
We have removed the wall between the bedrooms and are making one room that we will all fit into so that on birthdays and holidays we have somewhere that we can all sit down and eat together.
Goal was to have it complete for Thanksgiving dinner.
Jeremy came down from Idaho for a day and he, Jared and Chris all helped Craig frame and get up the walls, but there just wasn't enough time to get the finish work and painting done.
Not only did the room not make it, but because of work going on for that room the family room is full of closet doors, 2x4s and a piles of other multiple items...therefore even if we could, by some chance, fit a table in our living room that would hold everyone...which we can not...there was no place for anyone to go before or after dinner.
So Chris and Megan offered their house for Thanksgiving Dinner.
That is always a little more work because there is so much to haul down to their house and I have not, as of yet, given into paper for Thanksgiving. Now don't get your hope up kids with the "as of yet" remark...I have no plans of going to paper plates.
Chris and Megan's house was great. We had 24 of us for dinner, all our family and Rob's mom, Dena. There was lots of room for the kids to race and run...which they did, and lots of room for TV and visiting...So Thanks Chris and Megan for sharing your home with us!!!
We had our traditional dinner which includes turkey, stuffing, ham, funeral potatoes, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, cheesy cauliflower, rolls, pumpkin pie, apple pie and chocolate pie.
I am pretty sure that everyone had plenty to eat.
Anna had her first pickle, as you will see in the pictures below and drooled a bit of her roll, while Straton just chilled and watched us all wondering what this was all about.
Rather than having to mingle between parents, the other 9 grandkids had their own table this year. They are all growing up too fast.
Mindie topped off the day with a gallbladder attack, but is doing better. This did, however, prompt her to finally go in to have this condition, which has been going on for sometime, checked out.
All in all...it was a pretty great day!!!
Thanks kids for sharing it with us.
