Turkey Day Recap

Last year for Thanksgiving we had a house full of guests. With help from my mom, sister, and father-in-law, we made the turkey and all of the trimmings and had a wonderful time around the table.

This year was a little different. Again my father-in-law was in town, but our other 2009 guests all had other places to be. Knowing that we don't live near family, a sweet couple from our church invited us to gather around the table with their family. Their three boys are all around our age and would be home for the holiday.

What I will say is that the definition of family should not be "someone related to you by blood relation." We sat around that table and laughed, shared what we were thankful for, and ate an equally delicious spread to last year with folks we have only known for a year and a half. Sure it was lacking my mom's famous baked corn and some of the traditional dishes that I grew up with, but it was not lacking in family. After dinner we played games in the family room, the boys all went outside and played their annual game of football, and I perused black Friday ads and searched for holiday movies on TV with the girls. In terms of what Thanksgiving should be, a holiday where you truly focus on your relationships and count your blessings, this year was just like any other. It was perfect.

As for Jake? He was perfect, too. After a few bites of turkey, corn, and a roll (man that kid loves bread!) he showed signs of needing a nap. Mommy was thankful for a baby boy who decided to take a nap about a fourth of the way through dinner so that she could really enjoy the company and not worry about her tornado of a son breaking something... which he almost did about three times. But I digress. Oh, and the kid really loves pumpkin pie!

A big thanks to the Vanderlaan family for being such a big part of our family. We love you all so much.