Thanksgiving, 2008

Thanksgiving, 2008!

We are grateful for a beautiful day.

This is my "Generations" Willow Tree that Grandma gave me last year and I gave her one, too :) Maybe we better get Maya one, too! Someday she will leave my home to make her own. The way the days are flying by and with how fast she is growing, I'm treasuring every moment.



......waiting for Maya to wake up.....

...opening cards from those who couldn't share our day in person...

...opening her "Thanksgiving" present from Uncle Rich and Aunt Karen.

...watching the parades with Mommy. Mommy, can you say, HAIR AND MAKEUP, PLEASE?

...Okay, Mom, no more pictures, please!

...and oh, how I love that strudel. Cheese and apple...

...even Daddy was in a happy dancin' mood...

Grandma "made" Thanksgiving dinner and Mommy "made"...reservations!...

...pretty girl! Wearing the dress Grandma gave her for her birthday...

Daddy and Maya having a toast to a Happy Thanksgiving!

...sleep in heavenly sleep...

...we missed you, Joel! Wayne didn't have a campfire buddy this year - the rest of us are proud to be chickens.

...a few holiday crafts...

...thankful wishes from friends and family...

Here are the replies from my email asking "what are you thankful for?"

Family, friends, a new job

Good health

Family and friends

Happy, healthy family and friends

Giggle time with my kids

A chance to work with Janet and meet Wayne and Maya

Great life, family, basketball season

My faith....with that everything is possible

Dear friends and for people who worked for me and "saved my life"

Family, friends, that my surgery went well....and butterflies

Good health

God's Grace

My children

Family and friends, like you

Each new day the Lord gives me

Grandchildren

Welcome, Katherine Irene!

Congratulations to Greg, Jaime and Jacob!

Maya has a new baby girl cousin :)

Thankful for our US Troops

Xerox is sponsoring a website that provides an easy way for us to say "Thank you" to the servicemen and women stationed overseas. It only takes a minute to send a message of appreciation from home!

http://www.letssaythanks.com

Thanksgiving is almost here!

Thanksgiving is coming!

We need to make plans! My aunt and uncle are going to California to visit family at Thanksgiving this year. My niece just emailed that their family isn't going to come over for Thanksgiving this year and they are more than half our guest list :) so our plans are a bit up for grabs now. The remaining family on the list is quite flexible (just my parents and brother-in-law, Dave). With our potential of 12-15 down to only 6, we're considering going out to dinner. We took our turkey out of the refrigerator and moved it to the freezer for Christmas. Now, I'm wavering though. Hmmmm.....maybe we can do everything else but move dinner to going out?

Hmmmm, Thanksgiving traditions......time to start/renew.

1. Watching Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and then a holiday movie in our pajamas and eating cinammon rolls for breakfast.

2. A Thanksgiving night campfire tradition - Wayne and Joel started it last year.

3. Cooking and carving a BIG turkey. The rest of the goodies are a bit flexible but these are the "usual suspects". We make stuffing and mashed potatoes. Lori brings broccoli bake. Linda brings grean beans. My mom brings sweet potatoes. My aunt brings her delicious vegetable mix. Cranberries and dinner rolls. Then PIES. My aunt brought the mince meat pie - my dad and Wayne's mom are the only ones I know of that we're enthusiastic about that one.

4. The Thanksgiving prayer. Go around the table for "thankfuls".

5. Digesting the huge dinner, watching pro football, planning Black Friday shopping strategies.

6. Tell the story of the first Thanksgiving with Maya's Pilgrim ship.

7. Making a wish with the turkey wishbone.

8. Making turkey cookies? We did some last night for the first time - that would be fun to do every year. Like Easter Egg contests of the past, Grandpa got six votes and his cookie won!

9. Start Christmas cards? Put up Christmas decorations? Decorate the Christmas tree? Go get a Christmas tree? Start the Christmas elves appearances? Maybe these are best left for the weekend. After all, Thanksgiving has lost much of it's public hoopla in the retail rush to Christmas.

Okay, I'm lost......if anybody has any ideas, please leave a comment and help me out! Restaurant vs stay-at-home - thanksgiving tradition ideas ????

Snow Angels

Six inches, kept snowing......we ended up with ten inches of snow :)

Winter Wonderland

Six inches of fresh snow!

Ohhhhhhh, the weather outside is frightful....

......but the fire inside's delightful! Mmmmm, time for hot cocoa!

Thank you, Olivia, Bella, and Alexa!

To hear an ADORABLE birthday song, follow this link: http://fromguatemalawithlove-olivia.blogspot.com/

We have now watched it SEVEN times, LOL.

Thank you J and H families !!!!

Good morning, Birthday Girl!

Mommy and Daddy woke up Maya by singing, "Happy Birthday!" and then we followed the Birthday Fairy's ribbon past the decorated doorway......

.......down the stairs........

......around the corner.......

.......and, WOW!

......the ribbon was tied to......PRESENTS!!!

A Fishing Game !!!!

A Lola doll !!!!!

A lollipop before breakfast !!! Don't tell Dr. Jeanne!


Daddy made his signature, super-duper, Mickey Mouse, BIRTHDAY PANCAKES !!!

Dearest Maya,

It's your day, sweet, sparkly girl!

Hope every minute is a swirl

Of magic, smiles, and fun for you -

a birthday that's a

dream come true,

because that's what we've received in you!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

THREE years old! Maya's Birthday Party.

(Grandma, thank you for the cake design consultation and buying Maya the puppy-cake!)

Before we could communicate the concept of waiting until everyone arrived at the party, and waiting until the right time to open presents, Maya got ahold of a present from the Mauk cousins and had it open in a split second, LOL. We remember the days when she needed help to open a gift - no more, LOL !!

Thank you so much to everyone who sent cards and gifts........awwwwww, hugs to you!!!

This one from Cousins Kevin, Kim, Alex, and Sam is as big as Maya!

Maya's had enough of pictures!

Yummmmmmmm, cake and strawberly ice cream!

Now, it's time for presents!

"Grandma says, pull the yellow ribbon......Wow! It worked!"

"Excuse me, my phone is ringing."

"Uh-oh, another call....."

Outside to test the Walkie Talkies!

"Grandma, don't look now, but there's no little kids playing fishing with you!"