Thanksgiving Day

When the kids are out of school for a whole week, they get pretty creative in the things they do to entertain themselves.  This fort evolved over several days before it reached perfection Thanksgiving morning.  Then Thanksgiving afternoon it had to be disassembled so we could have dinner.  There were a few tears when we had to take it down.

 

Sara did her famous Sara Bucks Auction.  She makes paper Sara dollars and gives them out to family members when they do something good.  She keeps track of how many Sara dollars everyone has earned.  Then she makes creative prizes to give out, and holds an auction.  It's really a fun thing, and everyone looks forward to her auctions.  

Scott and Josh made a raspberry pie.  Josh picked raspberries from our garden all summer long.  And the raspberries that he didn't eat on the spot, he stored away in a Ziploc in the freezer, saving them to make a raspberry pie.  He was so excited to finally make the pie.  

 
Cooking was a pretty laid back event.  Scott and I found our new double ovens, double dishwashers, and 6 burner gas stove quite convenient for preparing all the food. It was so nice to have that time with Scott to talk and laugh together while we cooked.  We let the kids pick their favorite dishes to include in our Thanksgiving dinner.  Rolls and orange rolls topped each kids lists.

Kate talked Savannah into going outside and blowing bubbles.  It's pretty hard to say no to Kate when she wants something.

Savannah created this wall of thankfulness for us.  It was such a good way for us all to remember the things we should be thankful for.  We all added pieces of paper to the doors throughout the day, and then at dinner we all took turns reading ours. 

When it came time to sit down to eat, Owen broke out in a full blown meltdown.  He cried through most of dinner.  He finally cheered up when I went over and let him sit on my lap, and helped him eat. 

Dinner was delicious, and after Owen cheered up, everyone enjoyed themselves.  Kate loved feeding herself.  As she finished the jello in her bowl, she decided she should turn her bowl into a hat.  We all thought that was hilarious. 

After dinner was cleaned up (and Kate had a bath), Scott and I headed out to do some Christmas shopping while the stores were running their doorbuster Black Friday deals.  Kate came with us.  I didn't want the kids to have to babysit her (she's a handful and requires constant attention), and I knew she could keep secret the things we'd buy.  We went to two stores, and got all the things on our list for great prices.  Then we headed home for pie!  Kate loved the chocolate pudding pie. 

After another bath for Kate, we called it a day, and everyone went to bed tired and happy.  It was a great Thanksgiving!