Thanksgiving 2022

 This year we had a terrific Thanksgiving with some memorable moments.

But first, we celebrated Michael's birthday! 44 years old. Wow. He just gets more handsome each year. Michael isn't much for gifts, but I gifted him a night at the Homestead (it was leftover from a canceled office trip) to enjoy the spa and have some alone time, which he really enjoyed.

We sure love him! Children may or may not have been bribed with ice cream crunch cake to participate in this photo.

Then on to Thanksgiving. We had such a nice time with the Armstrong and Wright families who made the trek here to visit.

Besides the turkey being roasted upside down (not my doing, but I also didn't notice it in time), the other exciting adventure is that my large Pyrex dish of beautiful, creamy mashed potatoes shattered in the oven. My brother Matt says they don't make them with borosilicate glass like they used to, but I also fault myself for putting a cold Pyrex on a hot rack that had previously held the turkey. My favorite side dish was ruined, but at least we still had dessert!

It seemed a bit puny as we laid it all out, but it was really yummy. Next year I'll remember to do a green salad and some fruit as well.

All the good stuff.

The little kids table--Philip, Benjy, and Frederick (missing).

The medium kids table--William, Emmy, George, Robbie, and Henry.

The big kids table, including Clara, Hannah, and Adam.

Clayton got a table all to himself, the lucky stiff.

Another highlight of the trip was spending Thanksgiving outside by the firepit and the hot tub for the kiddos (and Uncle Michael, bless him). Friday night we were grateful that Adam/Hannah/Clara/Robbie held down the fort while Tabitha and Tommy and Michael and I went out to dinner, which was so fun.

Benjy received his third head wound during this visit--Michael and I are becoming pros at shaving hair and using butterfly bandages and liquid bandaid ointment. 

Not a great pic of Adam, but he was so sweet with Benjy's constant antics to get his attention. I am grateful we have such good cousins for our kids! If only we could see them more often. We have much to be grateful for this beautiful Thanksgiving season.