Gobble, Gobble

We had a nice quiet Thanksgiving dinner with dear friends who are conveniently neighbors. They just had their baby boy last week (aka Anders Best Friend) so we all welcomed a chill evening with enough food to feed the '84 Bears defensive line. Or two nursing mommies. It's probably equivalent.

This year, I was able to stick with the 30 days of gratitude challenge for the month. We wrote our tidbits on leaves and hung them up. Some of them were on the shallow side such as "Mom is grateful for Nick Jr. on grumpy days" and some were core blessings such as "We are thankful for a warm cozy home on cold rainy days." I will save the leaves each year and hope that the boys will carry on the tradition down the road.

The kiddies torturing Anders while we finish up preparing the grub.

Baby George yawns at the antics. Back to sleep. Zzzzz...

...while two feet away we slice into a freshly fried turkey.

"Woah, place settings?" says Emily. Yeah, we can get fancy once in a while.

Erik was thankful that the Redskins won. And so was I; who needs an extra grump around?

Final note: You know what's sort of depressing? Making a full Thanksgiving spread and then having to make peanut butter and jelly for your toddler because he is the pickiest eater on Earth. Gosh I love that kid and respect his vegetarian wishes, but oy vey. Why can't he just eat a huge plate of every type of food and regret it immediately just like the rest of us? And then go back for round two? And then hate yourself even more? I mean, come on. It's tradition.

Hope your hearts were warmed by time with friends and family and your bellies were full!