We Are Thankful!!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year, full of family, friends, and food!! So many fun traditions continued, and some new ones were started. It's always amazing to me how much can be fit into a few days!! To sum it up...

1) We continued our "Eating the Plates" pilgrim dinner from last year. And, I told Mark at the end of the evening that if our kids didn't enjoy it so much, it would definitely be dropping off of my list of traditions. :) It is very hard work to be a pilgrim for a day! And, we even cheat ALOT with modern day conveniences (notice the griddle in the background)!! But, it is definitely one of the most-loved activities around here...so, I guess we'll find a way to keep it around. It is amazing to think about what it would have been like to be a pilgrim...it would have worn me out, I tell ya. Cooking all day and ending up with meals that no one really loves. I don't know about that. Anyway, it definitely is a memory we will always enjoy.

This meal began as a way for us to really experience pilgrim life last year, and has now turned into a greatly anticipated day for a different reason: It's the day that Mark Daddy Daddy has to eat beans, which he detests with all of his being. :) I think the countdown started somewhere around mid-September, and there was such joy on their faces as it finally happened. Here's the play-by-play of Mark eating lima beans, which were a part of the succotash stew.

And, here's the giddy reaction of the girls...
It was quite the accomplishment to get their Daddy to eat a bean!

And, as much as Mark hated the beans, Carlie and Abby Kate were that much more miserable at being forced to try new things as well. Carlie's favorite part was the corn soup...her least favorite part (saying it nicely) was the butternut squash. Let's just say there was gagging going on. AK's favorite part was the bannock cakes dipped in maple syrup. Her least favorite part was everything else. :) And, Kendyll's favorite part BY FAR was the Indian Pudding.

We also took time this night to talk about our blessings, finish writing in our thanksgiving journal, and read some of our favorite entries from last year. That was a real treat, and makes me want to keep the journal going for years and years!

2) We were off to Gammy & Papa Ron's house the next day!! It was a fun few days at the ranch for Thanksgiving this year, with a housefull of family members, and lots of things to do outside.

S'mores...

Leaf-jumping and bug-hunting (see the tiny ladybug?)...

Cousin-lovin...

We attempted quite a few group pictures, and this one cracks me up. Not only is my lighting awful, I love that AK is attacking Braden's head, Avery is eating a stick, Carlie is scratching her ear, and Caleb is crying his eyes out. They are basically all totally beat down by this whole thing. :)

...and then there was still more picture-taking...

...and we even tried some skeet-shooting! My first time to hold a gun, much less fire it!! And, I nailed that little clay-skeet-thing! (How is that for some technical talk?!)

We also started two new traditions with Mom that will be very fun for the grandkids. They each got to pick their first annual ornament for the grandkid tree. Here are the older ones with their ornaments hanging...

They also got "Christmas Countdown" activities from Mom, and they have been pulling out one bag a day, which holds puzzle pieces, a treat, as well as an activity they must do each day. They have had so much fun with this, and have enjoyed doing things they wouldn't normally think of (like "make your sister's bed today"!)

Abby Kate's countdown is Santa's face, and a beard full of cotton balls. She is much more interested in the cotton...but she is still loving it too. (And, she says "ho ho ho" every time she sees it. :) Thank you, Mom, for thinking of this for them. They absolutely love it. :)

3) Next, we headed to Fort Worth for some fun. First, we surprised the girls with last-minute tickets to the Disney on Ice show! It was a really good show, and the girls were so thankful for this treat. Look how close we were to the characters! It was definitely the place to be, especially for Abby Kate to really enjoy it. She was in absolute awe the whole time. (And, yes, since then Kendyll has added "ice skater in a show" to her list of possible career fields. :)

4) After the show, we met Grandad, Grankay, and Cailee at Corner Bakery for some yummy soup and salads before the big Christmas parade downtown! It was one of the better ones over the years, I have to say! I think that was for a few reasons:

1) Dad & Kay got reserved seats this year. So, no fighting over a curb this year! VERY nice.

2) The weather wasn't quite as cold as usual, which helped us enjoy it better

3) The floats seemed a little nicer and the parade was the perfect length.

Of course, next year Dad says we could possibly be an entry of our own. So, then the parade will hold new meaning for us! Dad, if we do it, can we please get some Shiner mini-cars? Please?!

The parade night is always a fun one for all of us, and I love that it kicks off our Christmas season every year. :)

I am so thankful for the abundant blessings in my life, and was continuously reminded of so many of them this Thanksgiving week.