Thanksgiving 2016

So grateful for family!

We had a great time together and cooked/ate lots of great food. Family came from all over to visit with the kids (and to see us too, we like to think haha) and we got to show off the new home and even went on a kid-free dinner with P and S, courtesy of my in-laws. Quijote made that cheesy lasagna soup from pinterest as a welcome meal for the first round of family and I made lamb on Thursday. Our official Thanksgiving dinner was on Friday, and my in-laws made the turkey, Uncle R made the potatoes, S&P made dessert, and I believe Q made side dishes? We tried to help around as much as possible. I could not help myself and had fun tablescaping and such. My mother in law also brought her famous chocolate cake and some delicious bread, all of which disappeared before I could take a picture! I should have known that would happen.

I certainly worried about lots of things before family came. I had a fun fun diagnosis that I'm still in denial about, my grandmother passed away the week before, and I have of late had conflicting feelings about the history of the holiday, plus the house wasn't quite as ready as I wanted it to be. However, once our family was here it was so easy to enjoy the holiday, and I was so grateful for their company and the opportunity to celebrate. The kids were super excited to have them here as well (maybe a little bit too excited, they drive me coo coo sometimes) but I am also very surprised that they gave us adults some time to do things, that they did well with quiet time and sleep time, and that they are themselves so grown up these days. They know their family well by now and are getting to really enjoy the company, the conversations, and the play time. And of course they got gifts. Birthday gifts for Mr E from P&S, a family heirloom, and Christmas gifts for both from everyone. Because Thanksgiving is the winter holiday that we spend with Q's side of the family each year, I am so glad that we have been able to preserve it, and that we even got to host this year. It is very much a Winter Holiday, and feels like it really isn't Thanksgiving alone but a sort of Christmas-TDay mix, and well... I very very much love that about it. Perhaps the necessary revisionism to this wonderful holiday is happening quite organically in real life while my mind agonizes about the abstract issues around its objectionable origin. There is beauty in the imperfection (of a home, of a holiday, of parenting, of a dish you've never made before) and the grace that is required by it. And that beauty was so very obvious and perceivable to me this year. I am grateful for beauty and grace. This world needs it. It was wonderful to experience it and celebrate it. 

And now, as per usual, an egregious amount of pictures ;)