Thanksgiving 2008
This year for Thanksgiving we were missing our two oldest. Jordan was back in Kansas City having dinner with his good friends Adam and Christina, Matt-Alexia's boyfriend and Austin. Alexia went to Texas with her good friend Sarah how is also a student at IHOP.
My mom, dad, Mema (my grandma) and my Aunt Vicki came in on Thanksgiving Day.
Aunt Vicki Mema Mom
Dad
I set the table the night before.
I always roast the turkey in my NESCO Roaster Oven which frees up my other oven for my side dishes. This year the bird weighed in at 20 3/4 lbs :-)
The menu is pretty much the same every year. Corn Casserole, Spinach Casserole, Sweet Potato Casserole, Swiss Bean Casserole, Homemade Dressing which we baked this year in a muffin pans instead of 9 x 13, mashed potatoes, Orange Jello Salad, Marinated Salad and Cranberry Jellied Sauce plus a loaf of my homemade bread! 
The only thing I didn't cook this year was the dressing which my mom and grandma always do and the pies. My mom got busy right away on the pies.
Sierra was so excited to have them all here.
Mom and Dad live about 2 1/2 hours away so we don't get to see them as much as we'd like.
Carlos spent most of the day at his parents house and then came back in time to eat with us.
It was fun spending time in the kitchen with mom and mema.
We took time to call Jordan and Alexia. We also called Jordan's girlfriend Jessica who was home in Michigan and Alexia's boyfriend Matt.
Sierra wrote a poem which she read before we prayed for our Thanksgiving Meal.
Here is what she wrote:
The turky comes out of the oven. The steam fills my nose. It's Thanksgiving! I love Thanksgiving because it is the holiday when we give thanks. One thing I am thankful for is my family. I am thankful for my family because some people don't have a family.
Another reason why I am thankful is for my home. I am so grateful for my home because some people do not have a home and they are homeless.
I am also blessed for my freedom. My freedom is great because I can say and do what I want to do. In South America they do not have the same freedoms.
I am so blessed to be who I want to be because in some countries people cannot be what they want to be.
The last thing I am thankful for is God. God created the whole Earth. If it wasn't for God we would not be here. Most all we are fortunate to have each other and for our love.
By Sierra - 8 years old in the third grade
After dinner we did the dishes and then relaxed.
Molly found her favorite spot on the couch. She was also happy to have two of her family members come to dinner too!
Yankee which is her brother and my parents dog.
And Motley who is my aunts dog.
Then it was time for the pies. 2 pumpkins, an apple and a cherry! YUM!
We made coffee, hot tea and everyone had pie.
Then Sierra gave us a concert on the piano. She played and sang Marcus Meier's song PLEDGE.
I taught her a few chords last spring and she has self taught herself the rest.
I then got in on the act. I sang and played "All Who Are Thirsty".
And for my MEMA - "The Old Rugged Cross" and "In The Garden" her two favorite songs.
Then everything got crazy - I don't know if it was because we were all so full, or the caffiene hit all at once or we were just plain crazy but the next few pictures will show you . . . . . .
Even the mayor got into the action :-)
Like I told Matt on the phone - we are one crazy family LOL!!!!!!!!!!
As the day came to a close I reflected on all the things I was thankful for. My wonderful family who I adore, my husband and my healthy five children, Jessica and Matt, our close friends and our "other children" and our wonderful beautiful radiant Lord.
Molly found her favorite spot on the couch. She was also happy to have two of her family members come to dinner too!Yankee which is her brother and my parents dog.And Motley who is my aunts dog.Then it was time for the pies. 2 pumpkins, an apple and a cherry! YUM! We made coffee, hot tea and everyone had pie.Then Sierra gave us a concert on the piano. She played and sang Marcus Meier's song PLEDGE.I taught her a few chords last spring and she has self taught herself the rest.I then got in on the act. I sang and played "All Who Are Thirsty".And for my MEMA - "The Old Rugged Cross" and "In The Garden" her two favorite songs.Then everything got crazy - I don't know if it was because we were all so full, or the caffiene hit all at once or we were just plain crazy but the next few pictures will show you . . . . . .Even the mayor got into the action :-)Like I told Matt on the phone - we are one crazy family LOL!!!!!!!!!!As the day came to a close I reflected on all the things I was thankful for. My wonderful family who I adore, my husband and my healthy five children, Jessica and Matt, our close friends and our "other children" and our wonderful beautiful radiant Lord. I am also thankful that my horse is home safe and sound behind our house. We had a scare last week when some young kids opened our pasture gate and let him out. I didn't know he was gone until later that night and by then he was long gone. For four days we looked for him but no sign of him. Then on the fourth day I found out that Animal Services had picked him up at another farm. My friend Angela hooked up her trailer, picked me up and then we were off to bring him home.
Thank you Lord for a wonderful Thanksgiving Day. You are such an awesome God!
After the meal we had mom's wonderful pies. She made two pumpkins and 2 apple crisps! Yum!
Here is dad and our dog Molly and their dog Yankee. Yankee was so tired from all the days festivities - he had conked out. Dad is the mayor of a particular city (not mentioned for safety reasons). He does such a great job!
