Thanksgiving 2007

I have been trying to post this for days. My desktop computer has some problem with my blog page. I can get on any other web page and it all works fine. If the blog page does happen to load up, then it won't let me upload my pictures. So, I finally came up with the bright idea of mailing all the pictures to myself and using my laptop. I know, I know. I should of thought of it sooner. But, it is quite the long way around things.

So, anyway here's our Thanksgiving. I think I'm setting a record for how many pictures to put in one post!

We've had a recent tradition that everyone brings an "activity". It can be anything. This year included a Thanksgiving quiz -- complete with prizes for each question, a board game called "ImagineIff", "Cornucopia" coloring pages for the children that decorated our table later, and a field trip! Sarah-Kate took all the kids across the street to a little mini-farm. They got to look at and feed the chickens, turkeys, doves, and rabbits.

Sarah-Kate was also in charge of all snacks and hors d'oeuvres this year. That was her pick so she didn't have to worry about any of the actual meal items. She did a fantastic job. It was all as delicious as it looks!

Miss Jael and Miss Meg were in charge of the relish tray under the tutelage and guidance of Auntie Daja/Mommy. They did a great job. There were olives, pickles, a homemade cranberry relish, and goat cheese. Meg, six years old, went shopping for the cheese. She was looking for brie. They didn't have the kind she wanted. She was not too happy. She told the grocery lady, "Well, maybe we'll just have goat cheese, then." The lady looked at her in amazement. Not an average six year old's taste in cheese, you say? She is her mother's daughter!

There were twenty-four of us this year, so we opted for two turkeys. Grandma (my mother) made one in the roaster and Papa (my husband) fried a second, smaller one. Both were delicious!

About an hour before we ate, I asked the men to move furniture and set up tables. They had to completely rearrange our dining/family room. We added two long tables to the dining room table to make an L-shaped dining arrangement. I asked them to cover the additional tables with brown paper. Then we decorated the paper with the beautifully colored pages that the children had colored earlier. The papers given to the children were just empty cornucopias. I asked them to fill them with blessings. They colorfully colored the horn-of-plenty's and then added a variety of blessings, including flowers and music!

I think they might have gotten the idea of flowers from our centerpiece.

Almost ready to sit down..........

We still couldn't fit all of us around the big table, so the three little two-year-old's got a table all to themselves. Are they not adorable?

I wonder what the conversation around their table was?

Luc got the honor of sitting next to Papa.An hour or two after dinner (and when the tables were taken down and the furniture back in place), we brought dessert out.

Pumpkin pie with real whipped cream, sweet potato cake, and gingersnap pumpkin dessert. Can't have just one!

The evening was then just spent playing and enjoying one another. Here Ihbeleg is getting to know Odie. I think they made friends.

Captain, on the other hand, would rather leave the animals completely to themselves.

And Levi, our youngest, just needed to find a place to sleep!

Papa really wanted a picture with all ten grandchildren. I think we waited too long. Couldn't get them all smiling and looking at the camera at the same time. But, here he is with his pride and joy's!