There's Something about Thanksgiving

Christmas is coming; and excitement is running high as we choose gifts for each other, wrap them, pile them under the tree, listen to Christmas music, plan menus, attend Christmas concerts, and participate in all the joys of this wonderful season.  I really, really love Christmas.

But I really, really love Thanksgiving, too.

Maybe it's because there's less pressure connected with Thanksgiving.  Maybe it's because the to-do list is shorter.  Maybe it's because the focus is on something that is already so meaningful to me--gratitude--and the things that accompany that, like family and food.  :)

As we have in years past, we drove to my brother David's home in Pennsylvania to celebrate Thanksgiving, and we were grateful for a beautiful day, albeit cold, in which to travel.

I was also grateful for my camera...

...which entertained Tobin part of the way as he snapped pictures out the window.  :)

I snapped pictures inside the van...

...to remember who went along on this day and what we all looked like.  :)

It was very special to have, for the first time, Jeff's mom here to spend Thanksgiving with us!

We took the usual car entertainment items along: travel bingo, books to read or look at, small toys...

...and part of the time, I read aloud from Across Five Aprils, a Civil War book.  And then I cried (I always do!).  And Josiah and David rolled their eyes (they always do!).  But when I wasn't crying, I let Tobin take this picture of David and I.  :)

As in years past, the food was outstanding.  My only regret is that I have but one stomach to fill.  ;-)

Moriah found this little chair...

...and proceeded to have fun with it.

It's special for little ones to have something just their size.  :)

One of the big hits of the day for my boys was Twister.

Uncle David patiently called out the directions, and we laughed as the boys tried to contort themselves to reach the right spots.

Shav was Uncle David's little buddy.  Numerous times throughout the day, I spotted these two together.  :)

I do believe Jeff and his mom were having more fun than this picture shows.  Maybe it was a tense moment in the dog show on TV.  Who would win Best of Show??  :)

Looking into the kitchen at the faithful helpers in there...  :)

My sister-in-law Lori is amazing.  She's always amazing, for sure; but on this particular day she was even more amazing because she had a migraine, but she pushed through, cooked, served, smiled, talked, laughed.  I didn't even know what was the matter until I couldn't find her after lunch and asked her sister Lisa where Lori was.  When she told me she had a really bad headache and was upstairs lying down, I felt so bad for her.  I've had headaches so bad that I KNOW I wouldn't have wanted to have a houseful of guests at that time!  Like I said, she's amazing.  :)  This was right after Moriah woke up from her nap.  She looks thrilled, right?  :)

 The game of Spoons is guaranteed to produce laughs, and so it did on this day.  :)

 Meanwhile, Moriah was checking out Buddy, the dog.  She had a ton of fun following him and Frankie, my sister-in-law's sister's dog, around; and the dogs were so gentle with her.

 Smiling in spite of the pain...  (I told you she's amazing.)  :)

Some years it's warm enough for the kids to play outside, but not this year.  It was C-O-L-D.  But before the sun slipped too far down the sky, we headed outside to take a group picture.

 Straggled out, I should say.  Those of us who went out first were getting PRETTY chilly before the rest of the group arrived.  ;-)

 Finally in formation.  I'm SO grateful for each of these people!

 More twister, with a BIG boy playing this time.  ;-)

 My niece Elizabeth played the piano for us and did beautifully.  :)

 And last but not at all least, the can't-be-missed David picture, right before we left.  :)

Our Thanksgiving made it easy to give thanks!  :)

Here is a peek back at 2012...2011...2010...2009...2008.