Thanksgiving - "The Best Yet"

Since Joyce was due to attend a Thanksgiving Friday wedding in Northern California, it appeared as if their family was not going to be able to come for Thanksgiving this year.  I pulled out the stops in a campaign to change their minds, and in the end, Wade's family came to Columbia for an early (Tuesday, the 23rd) Thanksgiving.

They left Los Angeles Friday evening, the 19th, and didn't arrive here until about 2:00 Saturday morning and immediately hit their assorted beds.  They had only 4 full days here, but they accomplished quite a lot.  Wade helped his dad buy a Toshiba laptop and a wireless modum.  He also helped straighten out various technical problems and replaced the burnt out light bulb above the door on the front porch.  He even took an interest in replenishing our bird feeder on the deck.

Our neighbor had offered us the use of his family's basketball goal and driveway.   Zach and his dad played one on one, and I realized that Zachary was master of the outside shot.  When Cody arrived, Wade and he played against Zachary.

Cody rode our small bike with Joyce while she ran, and Zachary rode my lonely bike (I haven't ridden it since I broke my hip in the kitchen almost 2 years ago.) with Wade when he ran. On Monday the two families, Wade's and Steven's, went swimming at the ARC.



Left to right:  Zanib, Joyce, Zachary and Cody
play Sorry

 Youssef's cousin Zanib, arrived on Sunday - a happy addition to the social milieu.  She brought gingersnaps, glazed walnuts,  a pomegranate, a pumpkin cream cheese cake for Thanksgiving dinner and other good things.

Zanib, Joyce and the kids were soon playing Sorry. Later, I joined the game, and came in LAST.  What a surprise.  However, the game is mostly based on luck so I shouldn't stew.  However, skillful players can even turn luck to their advantage.

Thanksgiving Tuesday found the grand kids getting reacquainted with one another.  Here they're playing Pop Then Hop.

Thanksgiving dinner was a group affair.  I made the 24 pound turkey, getting it in the oven by 8:00 A.M.  Joyce made the sausage stuffing (a wonderful recipe with pecans, sage sausage, celery, and apples), and the sweet potatoes with marshmallows. Zanib was her trusty peeler and chopper.  Marjory brought mashed potatoes, steamed green beans with red pepper slices and pumpkin pie.  Shauna brought pumpkin cake bars that were a godsend, because the 2 kinds of pumpkin pie wouldn't have been quite enough.  Mary Sue brought yummy cranberry relish, a chex mix appetizer, and her daughter lovely daughter Suzanne.  Wade and Steven sliced the turkey, although  Wade served more in the advisory capacity. As we were getting the dinner on the table - the hardest part of any meal - there were 6 women at work in the kitchen.

Once we sat down, twelve of us,  I realized that there were 3 religions represented around the table:  Christian, Muslim and Buddhist.  (There may have been an agnostic or atheist in the group, too, but we won't go into that.)

Left to right: Cody (eating), Sarah, Sidney, and Zachary

The grands had their own table where they didn't have to worry too much about manners.

After dinner, the other five women washed and dried dishes and silverware, while I put things away.  Lovely arrangement!  Thank you, you beautiful ladies.


After dinner it was time for family pictures.  Surely, you know all these people by now, but just in case here they are:
Back row, left to right
Wade, Whitney, Marjory, Steven, Shauna
Middle row, left to right
Joyce, Youssef, Nancy, Mary Sue, Suzanne
Front row (kids):
Cody, Sarah, Sidney, Zachary

Wednesday morning was time to say good by.  This was when I was happy to hear Wade say that it was the 'best Thanksgiving  yet.' He and his family had a grueling few days ahead of them.  They would catch the plane from Kansas City in the afternoon, get into LA Wednesday evening. They would drive to Northern California Friday to arrive an hour or so before the wedding, just in time to change into their good clothes.  The next day (Saturday) they would drive back to Los Angeles.

Joyce knitted two mufflers while she was here, of which I was the lucky recipient. 

 On the right, I am modeling one of them.  The other one is ruffly, made with the same kind of wool. Very chic.  Yes, I know, I was being a bit silly in this picture.

Last photo.  Boo hoo.  Or nearly the last photo.  Believe me, I have more. 

Zanib left soon after Wade and his family.  She had slept 3 nights on the

couch, poor thing.  On the right, she

smiles her wonderful smile with Youssef and makes the best of it. 

Sidney and Sarah

Finally, I dropped in on Whitney and Marge the night before Steven and Shauna left, to take a picture of the only girl grands in the family.  I didn't think I'd taken a picture that had done them justice. I still haven't.  They had just gotten ready for bed. A perfect end to a perfect week.

Bragging Rights

If you can't stand bragging grandmothers skip this blog.

Zachary made the Junior National Honor Society at his middle school.  This was kind of a surprise since one of his best friends with better grades, did not make it.  We decided that Zachary's volunteer work with the Junior Optimists Club and his athletic record must have put him over the top.  I told Zachary he was the first of our family to receive such an honor.
Here you see Zachary and his principal and vice-principal.

When it became apparent that Cody had a talent for math, I began hoping that he would also have a talent for music.  Sure enough, after two months as a 4th grade flute player, he was assigned to Advanced (5th grade) Band. I took a number of pictures of Cody serenading the family, which he agreed to often. Tunes he played included Jingle Bells and Good King Wenceslaus.  No Mozart yet, but he expressed an interest in Mozart which warmed my heart. I took a number of pictures of Cody playing for an admiring mom, an admiring uncle, and an admiring - well at least an amused -  brother.  However, not wanting to upstage his JNHS older brother, I selected a solo photo.

Cody and Mom

Oh, nevermind, here are photos of
Cody and his 'groupies.'

Steven is Whitney son, so he may be Cody's 1st cousin once removed,
rather than his uncle.

Cody and Zachary