Thanksgiving Celebrations

We celebrated Thanksgiving three different times, which was a treat.  :)

First, we went to Grandma Allen's care center, then Grandma Rose's, and finally to Promontory with all the Rose extended family.

We drove the motorhome to Promontory and it was wonderful.  Charlie came along and loved that he got to be with the family.  Poor guy - he's really taken second fiddle to Henry.

It was so nice to kick off the holiday season with so much extended family around.  I love them all so much - both sides.

 Grandma looked so pretty with her hair fixed and her pearls on.  Henry was a little charmer, as usual.

 Ah, these Grandma pictures are so precious to me.  They're all aging so much and I want to capture and enjoy every single moment with them.  I hope my kids always know how very blessed they are to have their great-grandmas so present in their lives.

 Chloe looked so pretty perched up on that horse.
Uncle Scott took the kids on a Rhino ride, horseback riding, you name it, they did it.  It was a lot of fun for the kids.
Brigham and Uncle B became fast friends this time, too.  B was asking him about his (very, very, embarrassingly awful) beat up sneakers.  He eventually gave Brigham a dollar to buy new ones.  They had a great time together.  Brigham went home and wrote him a thank you note and sent it off.  B wrote back and they're pen pals now.  :)
On the way out, I helped the kids make bonnets and head dresses.  It was a fun little time killer.  You can see the head dresses in the pictures above.  I didn't grab one of Lily's bonnet, but it turned out pretty clever and cute.

I actually made this for Caroline's blessing luncheon, but it's Thanksgiving themed, so into this post it goes.  Turned out pretty darn cute!

Thanksgiving

Well, I really got behind on my Thankful posts...gee howdy.  Life went into hyper speed and it really hasn't slowed down. 
The Thanksgiving season was just glorious.  We had quiet days, busy evenings, great talks about gratitude, love, and a warm happy home.  (You know, in between the fighting, the yelling, the chores, the daily grind.....hehe).  It was wonderful and the perfect way to ease into the busy holiday season.

So, the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving, all the Allens (minus the SingaWebbs), gathered at our home for our now traditional Appetizer Night.  Everyone brings the fun appetizers that you don't have room for on the actual Thanksgiving day and we have them for dinner.  It was so great to have everyone at our house.  The kids enjoyed every second together and the food was amazing (of course).  I didn't take any pictures.  I'm ashamed of myself!  The kids were SO good to help with chores to get the house ready for our guests.  I wish I had something like that to motivate them every day. 

Thanksgiving Day was spent with the Macy's parade all morning, as well as getting my side dishes ready (I did fruit plates, stuffing, and a veggie tray this year).  I love that parade.  It reminds me of Thanksgivings at my Grandma & Grandpa J's house.  I'd go back in Grandpa's office and read the B.C. comics he had pinned to his bulletin board and watch the parade on the little TV in there.  It was great.  The kids really enjoyed the parade this year, too.  It was fun to share it with them. 

We went to Dave & Judy's around noon and enjoyed an amazing meal - smoked turkey (that Jimmy smoked), potatoes, salad, rolls (oh, Judy's rolls.....), roast beef, fruit, jell-o salad, veggies, etc.  And then there was the PIE.  I don't really love pie...not at all, but wowza, Rachel and  Emily came through this year with some that were mouthwatering.  We enjoyed every bite. 

After dinner, we had an impromptu talent show and the kids shared what they knew about Thanksgiving.  They sang songs, recited poems, did tricks, etc.  It was really fun.  The adults napped, visited and checked the ads.  It was relaxed and so so great.  What a fun day!  I love these excuses to get together.