Thanksgiving Weekend -- Josh Birthday No. 6

We are so lucky!  Jen and family are coming to spend Thanksgiving with us.  I wish I could have all my children home for this holiday, but I know that is not meant to be.  Once upon a time I let them know that I understand that Christmas and Easter sometimes need to be spent with spouses families or just in their own homes.  If I could have people for Thanksgiving I would be in heaven.  Well, this year I have a house full.  There are 11 of us and my little house is loving it.  People are everywhere.  Here's a little look into our visit together.

When Jen arrived in Dallas, we met downtown for a trip to the Perot Museum.  It had been awhile since they visited there and were not able to see it all at that time.  Since then, Mister and I had discovered many cool areas there and now the kids wanted a return trip.

First stop is on the bottom floor where there is a children's museum and a sports activity center.  The children's area is more for 6 and under, but that doesn't stop Bekah and Jake.  They are soon making creations and smiling the entire time.  I think they are drawing each other??

Across the hall in the sports area, racing is about to take place.

No, I am not going to participate as this is where I biffed it big time by trying to be a kid when Elena was here.  I have learned my lesson.  I love that it looks like Josh is saying, "Come on Jared."  I can't remember who does it, perhaps Bekah, but in one of the races, they actually beat the person on the screen.  Very cool.  Pay attention here Jon -- the countdown is in place.  It doesn't matter what I am doing, lol.

There is also an activity where you can test your form on different athletic tasks.  Here, we catch Bekah throwing a soccer ball.  She is then  able to see on a screen the slow motion repeat and compare it to professional athletes doing the same thing.  Kinda fun.

As we move upstairs and wander around, I find a table game that is just oh so much fun.  Jen, Josh and I play for quite awhile until a cranky lady rudely asks us to leave.  Ugh.  I go find the rest of the kids and share with them about this game.  Soon they are all playing away and laughing and smiling more than I have seen in quite awhile.  Score Gammy!  (Ask me sometime and I will tell you how it worked -- or better yet, ask them.)

Just before we go, I spot Jared hard at work building.  He is so proud and sets it up to work again for me, but someone else really wants a turn making it hard for him to do.  I think they have all had a great time but as with all things, the museum is closing and we must start home.  We get back to the main entrance and Josh wants to go into the children's area one more time.  Well, of course -- we will stay until they kick us out.

At 5:00 we start home.  That means traffic.  Jen looks at Mister and suggests that perhaps he can find us a back way home.  Ah, a challenge.  He loves those.  He also delivers.  Within 20 minutes we are in the driveway and ready to make some dinner and relax.  What a fun day.  Bekah and I sneak out to the studio as she wants to work on a quilt while she is here.  We work with her precut squares for about an hour or so and soon the design wall holds her creation.  I love it and am impressed with the fabrics she chose and the way she laid them out.  I wish I had her eye and hope that she realizes what a gift she has.

Now to get all the beds put together and people arranged in this house.  There will not be an empty flat space when we finish.  And I LOVE it.  This is what holidays are all about.  Noise, family, games, food, and love.  I know what I am thankful for.

Day 2 - Happy Thanksgiving!

It is a bustling house this morning.  Breakfast is made, cleaned up, and now we are working on dinner.  What to do with the kids in the meantime?  I know, I have turkeys they can make.

All four boys come out and make little turkeys to place on the table.  These are pretty easy and only require a bit of hot glue.  Watch those fingers -- it can burn.  And it does.  Seems like there is always at least on casualty in any given activity.

Mister has the turkey ready for the oven and calls me out to grab a picture.  He always does the main meat on the holidays.  I have truly loved turning this task over to him.  Another thing to be thankful for.

Now for it to cook.  Games and books come out.  Aunt Cassie gets a game going at the table and soon wacky six can be heard throughout the house.

I love the visiting and catching up that we get to do.  Jen and Cass go out on the hunt for a newspaper to check the Black Friday sales and return home laughing and carrying bottles of sparkling cider.  Yay!

Now, the table is devoted to reading the ads and seeing if things that are on lists happen to be on sale.  And the big question -- is it enough of a sale to warrant going out at 5 in the morning and fighting crowds.  For most items, the answer is no.  Then it becomes, can I order it online at the sale price.  In many cases, yes and that is what is done.  Right then and there.  We do decide to go to JoAnn's first thing in the morning though.  We will brave Black Friday as many of Jen's gifts are homemade this year and some of those sales are just too good to beat.

It is dinner time.  Mister declares the turkey is done.  Now the mad dash to get the side dishes finished and everything on the table.

The table is beautifully set by the girls and I love it.  It goes ways out into the living room, but we are all at one table.  No kiddy spot this time.















The food is oh so yummy.  There is turkey, stuffing, snappy green beans, sweet potatoes, bread, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce.  The house smells divine and I am starving.  We take the time to share what we are each thankful for and that warms my heart.  I am so thankful for family, but we are not allowed to use something that has already been said by someone else and many people have gone before me.  I share that I am thankful for the stage of life I am in that allows me to do something I absolutely love on a daily basis.  QUILT!

After dinner has been thoroughly enjoyed and the mess cleaned up, it is time for games again.   Bekah heads out to the studio and I get her started putting her rows together for her quilt.  People separate into groups and play for awhile before we all come together for a long and wonderful session of the name game.  We play about 8 rounds and have such a good time.  Josh is the only one who has to play with a partner -- we are close to everyone being able to read and write.  Perhaps next year.

The giggles are everywhere as the names are read.  Where do they get some of these?  So fun.

After most of the kids have gone to bed, we sit and visit for awhile and make decisions about tomorrow morning.  We start reminiscing and the laughs that come from that are so much fun.  At one point we are talking and laughing about a toy that Bekah had as a child.  It was a soft/stuffed musical pull toy.  It looked like an alien although I think it was supposed to be a caterpillar of sorts.  She called it E-No and it meant a great deal to her.  She still has it but it no longer works and we talk about locating another one.  My mom calls during this and we even ask her about it since she gave it to Bekah 14 years ago.  She thinks we are nuts but does remember it although not the place she got it.  Bekah then causes all of us to dissolve into laughter when she suggests that we just google "e-no".  Seriously Bekah?  Waay too funny.  Mister does get online though and starts searching for one.  If anyone can find one, it will be him.  Perhaps we will surprise her someday.

It is midnight and the decision has been made to indeed go out in the morning for some fabric.  Time for five hours of sleep.  What a great day!

Black Friday - Today is also Josh's birthday but we are going to go down to Temple tomorrow to celebrate.  This morning we are off to JoAnn's bright and early.  It is Louis, Jen, and me.  I score on the clearance fabric -- love getting good quality quilt fabric for a buck a yard.  Jen fills her basket to the brim with supplies for gifts and two hours later, we are heading home.  That is our Black Friday.

Now, to the studio.  We have a ton to do.  Jen gets busy on the design board putting together the pattern for the Minecraft quilts she is making the boys.  Her squares are all precut and soon she has figured out the pattern and is putting all her stacks in order.  Then she moves on to the quilt block that we are doing together and learns how to applique.  What fun.  Bekah is working away on her quilt rows -- also loves me taking her picture.

Cassie comes out and works on her table runner before switching and ironing fabrics for me to cut strips for the new mystery quilt that came out today.  I am so excited to get going on it.  How cool is this?  I get to sew with two daughters and a granddaughter.  Sometimes the best gifts in the world are simple moments like this that I can treasure.

Bekah keeps at it and soon all her strips are sewn together and she has a quilt top.  I LOVE it.  Now for borders, batting, backing, and to tie it.  She is getting there.

While sewing, Jen makes a decision about Josh's birthday.  All he really wants to do is go to Chuck E Cheese and we have one of those nearby.  We are going to go there for dinner and let him do his birthday.  Yikes!  I need to get a gift now.  We had planned on getting him a little tent, but I guess a gift card will do and he can pick one out himself.  So after a quick stop for the card, we meet everyone at the pizza parlor.  Yay Josh!  It is now your time.

Everyone is given tokens and are soon off to play.  Even the big kids.

Jen has a system to keep track of how many games each child has been able to play and the prize tickets are building up on the table while the tokens are depleting.  I guess that means they are having fun.

After dinner, a cake is delivered and we sing Happy Birthday while Chuck E Cheese is nearby.

Picture time!  I love how Jacob wanted to be in the picture too.  Simply love it.

It is time to go and redeem those tickets.  What to get, what to get.  Thanks to the really big kids contributing tickets, he is able to get a webkins and is one happy little boy.

Before everyone departs for the evening, Mister and I give Josh his card and let him know he gets to go and get his tent.  He is all smiles for a fun evening as they say their good-byes and turn their van toward Temple once again.  Thanks Josh, for letting us be a part of your fun day!