Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving!  The beginning of the whirlwind that is the holiday season.  This is when things get exciting!  This year was a Call Thanksgiving year, which means a very large gathering at the church, lots of food, and hours of visiting.  Pretty much the perfect recipe for Thanksgiving. 

Because of all the great grandkids these days, a special activity area was set up so the kids could color and make fun holiday crafts.  My kids were all about the coloring...oh, and the cousins. 

I'm pretty sure Luke was practicing his flirting skills with Lucy..who is obviously saying to herself, "Does he know we're cousins?" :)

We're still reveling in the fact that Luke can be such a normal part of the family, and I think he's reveling in it too!  And he's just so handsome, sitting there coloring in his collared shirt.

While we were all enjoying visiting, we took some pictures...of course!  We got some pretty cute ones!  It's just amazing to me how everyone changes so much in a year.  

And a special thanks to Uncle Brad, for being the quintessential weird uncle at family gatherings  No, really...thank you! :)  

Finally, the time had come.  The food was out, and we were starving!  It was quite the feast, of course.  Great Grandma Call provided the meat and rolls, so it was up to us to provide the sides and desserts.  Danny and I went out on a limb and made Roasted Garlic Chipotle Sweet Potatoes from Our Best Bites.  Danny and I like to switch up the traditional sometimes and make it a little exciting.  Apparently, we are alone in that club. :)  While no one complained that they were gross, everyone else agreed they'd rather have the traditional American Thanksgiving Fare.  Woosies. :)  

After we had enjoy our dinner, and seconds and thirds of our favorites (like Roasted Garlic Chipotle Sweet Potatoes...just sayin'), we all let our food digest a bit before dessert.  The kids played on the stage of the cultural hall like it was the coolest place in the world!  I remember being a kid and thinking the same thing. :)

But it doesn't take long on a special day like Thanksgiving to be ready for dessert.  While the adults enjoyed the pies and such, there were ice cream cones for the kids.  Luke was all about that!  I think this was his first ice cream cone ever.  He's a fan.

When did these girls grow up?  Somehow, I think we're getting a little peak into the future here.  

And with that, our Call Thanksgiving came to an end.  We said goodbye, and brought our kids home for naps before heading to Grandma Candy's for buffet.  When I was growing up, Thanksgiving dinner was a formality.  It was the buffet after dinner that we all looked forward to!  That was when the expensive finger foods came out, and we'd fill our plates and settle into playing games.  It was awesome!  And Grandma Candy didn't disappoint this year.  The buffet was epic!

The veggie turkey was a new addition, but it was the rock star of the whole table!  How cool is this guy?!

For the first hour or so, we all just stuffed ourselves until we couldn't take anymore.  Even little Emma Jane got in on the action.  She found someone's abandoned food on the kids' table and thought that was just shameful.  So she finished it off for them.  My kind of girl. :)

Eventually, we all found places to sit and digest.  We talked about how we'd never, EVER eat another bite of anything again.  We vowed!  And we were all ready to hold each other to these vows...

...and then Grandma Candy brought out the pies, and we all went crazy!

Yes, this is how we do it at Grandma Candy's.  Skip the pie and put the whipped cream right in the baby's mouths.  That's just how we roll...

After pie, we brought out the ping pong table for a ping pong tournament!  I can't remember who won, but I know Danny did very well.  Just FYI for posterity. :) 

What a wonderful Thanksgiving!  We have so much to be grateful for.  We have so many temporal blessings.  We enjoy so much of the luxuries of the world, and we want for nothing we need.  This year has taught us how to be grateful.  How to see our blessings amidst our trials.  We are so grateful to have all our children with us for Thanksgiving!  Last Thanksgiving, Luke was just a couple weeks into treatment.  It was such a hard day without him.  And just a few months ago, we never would have dreamed to have him with us...healthy and happy.  How grateful we are for the miracles in our life!!

But more than any of that, we are so grateful for the blessings that come to us through the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.  We are so grateful to know where we came from, where we're going, and why we're here.  It makes all the difference!  We are grateful for the covenants we are privileged to make in the temple, that bind us together as a family for eternity as well as teach us of the nature of our Heavenly Father.  Our hearts are full of gratitude, and hopefully not just on Thanksgiving, but every day of our lives.  

Happy Thanksgiving!