Happy Thanksgiving

Tonight our family sat down to a feast. Our annual, day before Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving. Since we were dating and Jeremy had roommates, we've made a turkey and all the fixins the day before Thanksgiving. On the menu this year:

Oven roasted turkey
Mashed potatoes
broccoli with buttered walnuts
cranberry sauce
Pumpkin Pie with Maple whipped cream and sugared pecans

We have found it's better to fix our favorites rather than going all out since we're  celebrating on Thursday and Friday too.  I could have only made cranberry sauce and Audrey would have been happy. She announced she didn't like turkey, or potatoes or broccoli. She ate her cranberry sauce with a spoon and had a side of pumpkin pie.

Our thanksgiving celebration started back in 2003, when Jeremy and I were dating and Jeremy had roommates. I can't remember why we decided to make a turkey on that Wednesday, other than, why not?  Thus, a tradition was born. The meal has gotten more elaborate over the years and  has been tweeked to be gluten free ( no more dinner rolls and stuffing--there is a way, but it's waaayyyy too complicated for my life right now). It started as four adults,  then after we got married it was just Jeremy and I for a few years. This year was our first year with two young kids and it was by far the most chaotic meal to date. A one point we looked at each other half way through the meal and said, "maybe next year we'll eat once they're in bed!"  I started a story at least five times before I said to Jeremy, "nevermind, I'll tell you in four years." Jeremy kept trying to tell the story of the first Thanksgiving, a history buff that he is, and Audrey, full of imagination, kept telling him to stop talking and to listen to her and her stories of the pilgrims. Her stories were creative, and I'm sure not even a little bit true. I think our first or second Thanksgiving, when we sat down on that Wednesday night to watch TV in a quiet house, our Christmas lights glowing on our perfect tree that had decorations all over, not just the top half, like this year, a glass of wine in one hand and the best pumpkin pie I'd ever made in another. I'm glad we have those memories. Life isn't the same as it was then. It's a lot louder. But we are thankful for the noise. Thankful for little hands that always want to help in the kitchen and little feet that run to help unload the dishwasher (and then steal a piece of silverware and giggle with delight when they get more than a few steps away without being caught).  We are very blessed! Happy Thanksgiving!

Sarah