A Thankful Thanksgiving
November 29, 2008

We had a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving – most of all we were thankful for a house full of family who traveled from far and wide to celebrate the day with us. When we first offered to host Thanksgiving we didn’t expect anyone to take us up on the offer, as we are far off the beaten path. But we were very pleased and honored by the turn-out.  

Jeanne and Alyssa flew from Arizona to Seattle for the occasion, and made their way over the rivers and through the woods with Frances’ folks, Roy and Barbara, a couple of days before Thanksgiving so that the “women folk” could make pies ahead of time. Frances hadn’t seen Jeanne and Alyssa in quite a while so they all had a great time catching up. Alyssa was a great help in the kitchen, too, and enjoyed helping make some delicious family recipes.  

Celeste and John arrived Wednesday evening with Felicity and Haden in tow. The kids were excited to be back at our house, and even more excited to give the grand tour to the rest of our guests. Their arrival certainly added to the overall noise level in the house, but it was a very happy noise so we were glad to hear it. Later in the evening all of the kids helped Frances make a date and walnut cake for Paul’s birthday, which fell on Thanksgiving this year.  

On Thursday morning, we enjoyed a nice breakfast of “Grandma’s sweet rolls” and bagels, which Celeste had made the day before. After a leisurely breakfast it was back to the kitchen for Frances and her mom so that they could get the stuffing started and vegetables prepped. The kids were all eager to assist in the kitchen in between making a Thanksgiving wreath, playing at the park, and walking to the ice cream shop. They were also a big help to Frances and Celeste as they prepared snack foods for the Seahawks game.  

Uncle Mike arrived late afternoon with a nice collection of wine, so we let him stay for dinner. When he queried Frances’ method of mashed potato making, the job was quickly handed to him by a very happy Frances, who will abdicate potato responsibility at the drop of a hat. While the final touches were being made in the kitchen, Haden and Felicity set the table – and then disappeared with Alyssa for “one last practice session” – practice for what, we didn’t yet know.  

At last, dinner was served, and the table looked lovely with a golden turkey and all the trimmings. It was a great way to christen our newly-refinished table, which looked wonderful surrounded by so many happy people. We enjoyed lots of great food and great company and at the end of the meal were given a wonderful performance by Alyssa, Felicity, and Haden. The three of them had written and composed a “Happy Thanksgiving and Birthday” song with Felicity on the trumpet, Haden on the harmonica, and Alyssa performing the vocals.  

After the dinner dishes were cleared away, Haden and Paul noticed that it was snowing, sending an excited Haden through the house shouting with joy and prompting all of the kids, including Frances, outside to check out the falling snow flakes. The evening was capped off with pies and cakes – and a game of Scrabble between Felicity and her grandfather, Roy.  

By Friday morning, we were all in a bit of a food coma. With lots of strong coffee and some left-over sweet rolls, everyone slowly woke up to ready themselves for their long drives home. While it was a bit sad to see everyone leave after having such a wonderful visit, we were very happy and thankful to have had such a great visit with everyone. And now, we can finally start talking about Christmas …

Check out more photos from Thanksgiving here.