One night at dinner, it was my turn to ask the question. I asked everyone to do their best turkey impersonation. I went around flapping my "wings" and gobble gobbling in everyones face. The kids had some pretty good impersonations! We had some friends over, the McCally's and Ames, who helped us so much with moving this year. I made a pot pie and included a turkey on it. We are thankful for good friends! We also did some other turkey snacks.
The kids made some very neat turkey art at school and we did some art at home. Turkeys turkeys, everywhere!
We were able to go to Bountiful to see family this Thanksgiving and what a blessing that was! Thursday, we started off Turkey day watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. It was windy and cold in NY and we were glad we could watch it on the couch. Then Emma and I made green bean casserole and finished making the sour cream apple pies and rolls/orange rolls. Of course, I got doing too many things at once and the top crust of the pie burnt. Doh/dough! But the inside tasted okay! :) We went to my parents first, and Keith, Lois & family were also there. None of the siblings were able to make it, which was kind of sad, but we get it. We had a delicious dinner, including amazing homemade stuffing and cranberry sauce and sweet potato casserole, a tender turkey, Mom's famous rolls, and Lois' tasty ham with pineapple and cherries. We talked and ate and thought a lot about what we are thankful for. Then, we ate some pies, and mom's are always so delicious and festive! Then we played some minute-to-win-it games. We played a few games with "turkey" feathers, like a straw blowing race and a keep it off the ground by blowing on the feathers. Then we sucked up candy corn with a straw from one dish to another and moved other round candies with chop sticks too. We tried to stack cereal o's on pipe cleaners as fast as we could. It was a hoot! My mom also had a thankful tree where we could write the things we were thankful for on leaves and clip them to a branch she had. It was such a nice lunch! Also, Sydnie was able to wear an outfit my mom crocheted and entered into the fair - and it won a blue ribbon. She looked so cute in it and I loved how the pom poms bounced as she moved around. Second Thanksgiving meal was at Dave's parents. We helped get last minute preparations together, and put the kids to work making turkey tissues to take to the elderly. They had a fun time doing them, and it was fun to see how they all decorated them. We ate next, it was delicious with the usual spread of Ryerse food fare. Mashed potatoes and all of the fruit salads are my favorite there. We go easy at both, but always eat more turkey than we should. ;) Then, we played "Would You Rather" Thanksgiving edition and tried to guess what each person would say. Lucy and Brody read the questions and were so cute. We laughed a lot and it was fun. Then it was Disney Scene It time. One of the kids' favorites. We are thankful for food, games and mostly family!
Friday, we went to the Meadows, where Dan & Sue serve as Branch President/wife. We delivered the turkey tissues we made. We got to meet some of the residents there and they were pretty cool. Several were working on Christmas gifts or sewing. They loved the turkey tissues and thought they were so cute. Then we got to go with Grandpa Scott to visit Margie Jenkins and Herb Schroeter. We had a great time! Margie is so sweet and kind and she even is in Randy & Erin's ward. I recently read Herb's book, it was amazing. He was one of the first members of the Church in Germany and had an amazing story of being a Hitler Youth, joining the German army, surviving several close calls, living as a prisoner of war in Siberia and being 20 out of 2,000 to make it out alive after two years. And then his story post war - meeting his sweetheart Rosie, kids coming along, and immigrating to the United States and making a life. He has such faith, optimism, fortitude, genuineness, humor...I just love this man! He still calls me Emily after all these years and reminisced about me playing my flute, got to know the kids, and talked to Dave about how he remembers when we fell in love and he was crazy about me. Dave commented "I'm still crazy about her and madly in love more each day." Aw! Both Sister Jenkins and Brother Schoreter both still look the same as how I remembered them. They both are sharp as a tack and just amazing people. We are thankful for all of the good examples around us!
That afternoon, Emma and Tayla went to the temple to do baptisms for the dead with Jerry & Stacy. They had a great experience (but Tayla thought wearing underwear that someone else has worn was wierd) and Emma even got to do 5 family names. We are thankful for the temple! I took all of the cousins to the park to play for the afternoon. Cute, energetic kiddos made up some fun games to play. And it was beautiful. The trees, plants, sky, water...it was a nice afternoon! We are thankful for nature!
That evening, we went to Temple Square to see the lights with Brian, Randy & Erin, and my parents. We got to park in special parking since Brian has a second job (third if you count school) working for the church now in the custodial department. He showed us special tunnels and ways to get places, sweet! It wasn't too crowded, wasn't too cold, it was just right. We got to see the nativity and and an exhibit on missionaries. We got to see the millions of twinkling, colorful lights. We picked up some cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory and two of the Pie's giant pizzas and had that for dinner. Yummm, amazing! Then we watched the Apple Cup football game, WSU got beat out, darn! We are thankful for cars to take us places and family traditions!
Saturday, we had a lazy morning. Emma and I spent two hours in Target. Then we went over to my parents to hang out for a while with Amber, Mayela and my parents. Then, Dave took the older kids to see "Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald" at the theater, Lucy & Covey got to hang out with Grandma Sue - going shopping and picking out toys, having their own movie theater at home watching "Minions", and Mom, Dad, Mayela, the baby and I went shopping and met Marko where he was getting an oil change. We had fun browsing and chatting. That night, we went back to the Ryerses and hung out. Amber and Emma made their first YouTube video - a channel they call Slime Blobs where they will make slime and buy slime and test it all out. They were so excited and I had fun teasing them about it. The rest of us just talked and watched the BYU/Utah game. BYU came out strong, but ended up blowing it and losing. Darn again! We are thankful for money to buy things, entertainment, and football!
Sunday, we were able to go to church with my parents. It was fun to see some of my old teachers and leaders and friends. My dad spoke on "small and simple things" in sacrament meeting. Truly, it is the small and simple things that are so important. We are thankful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and all else we've been blessed with!
