On Thanksgiving, We Always...

...go to Pennsylvania to celebrate with my brother David and his family.

Well, maybe I shouldn't say we always do that.  I know the year I was pregnant with Tobin, we didn't make the trek north for Thanksgiving.  But almost every year since we moved back from Israel, we've gone up to their house for the holiday.

We always have a feast of delicious food, the kind of meal that makes me wish I had two or three stomachs so I could eat more...because even though my hunger has been satiated, it all tastes so good that I really don't want to quit eating!  :)

The ladies always spend time together in the kitchen.

The men always congregate in the living room, watching something on TV (the parade? the dog show? a football game? all of the above?).

Even though it might seem like the women get the short end of the stick when it comes to roles on Thanksgiving, I don't think we mind a bit.  If someone told us we had to leave the kitchen and go sit on the couches, it would drive us nuts, I think.  ;-)

On Thanksgiving, my sister-in-law Lori (she's the one on the right in the picture below, and her sister Lisa is on the left) always does a fantastic job of hosting those of us who gather there (this year, there were 20).

The kids always go downstairs to the basement to play games on the Wii.

Since we don't have one, it's a special treat for my boys; and they look forward to this with great excitement!  :)

I don't always have a baby at Thanksgiving, but this year I sure had a sweet one.  Little Moriah peacefully took her afternoon nap on the floor.  :)

The kids always (weather permitting) go outside to play.  This year the weather was delightfully warm for November, and the boys took a break from the Wii to go out and jump on the trampoline.

As the afternoon passes by, there is always more relaxation in the living room.  The pictures don't show it, but there is a fireplace in that room that makes it SO warm and cozy.  Jeff usually falls asleep at some point in the afternoon.  ;-)  (Which is a good thing, because he's the one who does all the driving, and I'm always glad when he gets some rest before we get started on the drive home.)  :)

This year Moriah got to meet some relatives that she'd never seen before.  This picture shows Keith (who is the husband of the sister of the wife of my brother...so what does that make him?)  ;-)  playing with Moriah who rewarded him with some great smiles and giggles.

Moriah was actually pretty clingy that day, however, so most of the time she was with me.  In this picture though, my sister-in-law's mother was holding Moriah for me and trying to distract her by pointing to the lights on the ceiling.  It reminded me of a few years ago when she held Shav at Thanksgiving when he was just a few months old.  :)  (And, by the way, she's the one who made the absolutely delicious mashed potatoes for our feast.  It was the first time Moriah had eaten mashed potatoes, and she gobbled them up.  She knows what's good.)  ;-)

One of the things I love about this Thanksgiving gathering is the opportunity it gives us to spend time with my sister-in-law's family.  I wish we got to see them more often, but I'm grateful that our Thanksgivings together are such happy days with so much laughter and good will present.

This year Josiah had taken his piano books along, so he and my mom played some duets for us.

And the Davids had their picture taken together.  Like always.  :)

One thing was different about this Thanksgiving however: it was likely the last time we'll get to see Belle, my brother's pug.

She's been a part of their family for a very long time and is about 98 years old (well, the equivalent of it anyway).  Her health is failing, and it's really only a matter of time for her.  I don't think she'll make it another year.

But I hope and pray that all the rest of us will be there again next year.  Eating turkey with all the trimmings, chatting in the kitchen, lazing in the living room, watching the cousins play together, catching up on the year gone by, smiling and laughing, making memories.

Most of all, giving thanks.  We have so much for which to be grateful!