Thanksgiving 2014

We held our 2nd annual "crazy dinner" on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.  Everyone got a food assignment and $3 and this is what we had for dinner!  I must be doing something right in our everyday lives because both Kessiah and Jenessa commented on how much packaged food we had!  That is something I normally try to avoid!  Thankfully, I was supposed to get a side dish and my pick was a green salad...at least we had something healthy!

On Thanksgiving morning, Ryan took Kessiah and Sienna to the park to play a football game with people from our ward.  The girls all had their food assignments to help me get dinner on the table.  And we enjoyed a yummy feast.

I truly have much to be thankful for!

Thanksgiving in December!

We went to Utah for Thanksgiving this year, but several people in our family wanted to do our own Thanksgiving dinner at home!  So we finally got around to it today (I didn't mean to do it so close to Christmas, but that is just how it worked out!)

Five for Friday

1.  Thanksgiving...we went to Richfield for Thanksgiving...it was the Ogden "on" year.  It was great to see my grandparents (who are 99 years old!  and still living on their own...although my parents just live down the street.)  It was nice to catch up with some cousins/aunts/uncles.  There were almost 70 people there!  And of course the yummy food!

2.  It was nice to spend some time with my parents, 2 of my brothers and their kids.  We had18 people in my parents house...good times were enjoyed, memories were made...the cousins had a great time together.

3.  Ryan and I did a little "Black Friday" shopping...taking advantage of the many people around to watch our kids...we found some things we wanted but not others.  We went to Walmart at 10:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving night to try to catch some deals...I think everyone in Richfield and the surrounding areas were at Walmart...the place was packed!  We ended up walking out with nothing!  At 5:00 a.m. Ryan dropped me off at K-mart while he went to Radio Shack to hopefully get a laptop.  After he stood outside for 30 minutes in the freezing cold he got to the checkout and was told the lady in front of him bought the computer he wanted!  They had 1...one...computer in the whole store!  Annoying! I think next year I'll do all my shopping online!

4.  It is always a little strange for me when we go visit family.  I'm used to being with my kids all day but when they have cousins around it seems like I don't get the chance to connect with them like I usually do...As much as we enjoy getting away...I do enjoy getting back home!

5.  Because it was Thanksgiving this week let me end my post with some things I'm grateful for!  The gospel, my husband, my children, my extended family, the scriptures, our prophet, freedom, Ryan's employment and benefits, health, the opportunity to homeschool my children...of course there are many more things...those are just the first ones that came to my mind!  I am truly blessed.

Our Week: Thanksgiving

We had a great Thanksgiving week. Before the big day we did a few craft projects including making individualized placemats and a thankful tree. On Wednesday Kessiah and Jenessa helped me prepare some of our yummy side dishes. They were both very helpful. I let Kessiah cut some things with a real knife for the first time. She was very proud of herself and kept wanting to know what else I had for her to cut. Jenessa tried cracking some eggs, we just had to remind her to crack them hard enough on the island to break the shell. She was a little timid because she was afraid they would break and make a mess!

My parents got here late Wednesday night and have been able to share the long weekend with us. It has been really nice to have them here and spend some time with them...plus Ryan and I have been able to get away and do some Christmas shopping together!

My dad's birthday was on Friday, we enjoyed being able to spend that day with him and have an excuse to eat more cake! (Can you count how many cakes we've had this month...Sienna's birthday, Kessiah's birthday party, Pa-pa's birthday and Kessiah's birthday...not to mention the banana cream pie and pumpkin dessert on Thanksgiving!)

Ryan also got the Christmas lights up outside this weekend. Yeah! We look so festive! Now, we just need to work on the inside.

Thanksgiving Theme

OK, this is mostly for my own benefit in the future but if anyone can use it great! I will be adding to it in the next few days... do you have any more ideas for me?

Books:
An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving by Louisa May Alcott
If You Were At The First Thanksgiving by Anne Kamma
Let's Celebrate Thanksgiving by Peter and Connie Roop
Pilgrims by Mary Pope Osborne and Natialie Pope Boyce
Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving by Eric Metaxas
Thank You, Sarah by Laurie Halse Anderson
Thanksgiving Day by Gail Gibbons
Thanksgiving on Plymouth Plantation by Diane Stanley
The First Thanksgiving by Jean Craighead George
The Very First Thanksgiving Day by Rhonda Gowler Greene

Crafts:
Crafts for Thanksgiving by Kathy Ross
Thanksgiving Fun by Ronne Randall and Annabel Spenceley
Familyfun.com

Books I want to check out next year!
Grateful: A Song of Giving Thanks by John Buccino
Cookies: Bite-Size Life Lessons by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julie Markes
Thank You, World by Alice B. Mcginty
Giving Thanks by Jonathan Landon

Our Week

Our big project last week was getting Kessiah's pinata finished for her birthday party. (See post about Kessiah's birthday for more info)

We spent some time last week talking about Thanksgiving. I've even learned a few new things! For example, did you know that at the first Thanksgiving the children served the adults and had to eat last! The children also had to eat standing up, only the adults got to sit down! Kessiah and Jenessa are worried that I'm going to start some new traditions! As we were talking about the Indians one day, Sienna said "I a Indian and go to the candy party!" She was referring to Halloween when we went trunk or treating in the church parking lot. I thought that was pretty cute to refer to it as a "candy party" And now that our Halloween candy is gone, she thinks we need to go to another "candy party!"

Our fun science project of the week was measuring out the length of our intestines with yarn. Kessiah and Jenessa thought it was really strange that our long intestine is so much shorter than our small intestine and there was some discussion about the need to change the names!

One evening at dinner Logan was making quite a bit of noise while sitting in his high chair so Ryan put his finger to his mouth and said "Shhhh!" Logan copied him by putting his finger to his own mouth and blowing. He has done it several times since then as well (with encouragement). What a cutie and such a copy cat!