Sisters - they did so well all the busy day long!
Let us feast!
Our lovable aunties
Claire-bear and the other beloved auntie
This sticker book was perfect for a little quiet time in the middle of the big day.
Sampling the silverware
Her uncles get this look a lot...
Yum, more spoon
The main dinner table (The Micah Clan, aka those with small children, had a special card table set up across the room).
The carving of the bird
Grandmother, the woman who made it all happen.
Charli had lots of fun with "Grandpa Toe-toe"
After dinner snuggles and football with Aunt Gracie
My man and his mom.
Claire's Thanksgiving Day feastOn this, our first Thanksgiving away from "home" as a family, we were excited about our hour and a half (two hours with potty stops) trip to Louisville to spend the day with our Kentuckian family members. We were out the door by 7:30am on Thanksgiving morn; our early riser's wakeups actually worked in our favor that day! I must note here that Charlotte has been potty training and Thanksgiving was the first time she's gone all day without a wet diaper, even with all the time spent riding in the car. That's my big girl!
By mid-morning we reached our destination: Micah's Grandparent Perkins home. It was so good to see our Perkins family there - the lovely aunties, Uncles Phil and Steve, and of course mom and dad Perkins. I especially loved getting a "mom hug" - missing those! Uncle Daryl and Aunt Terry were also there as well as some family friends. It was a crowded and love-filled home to be sure.
And the food. The Food! My first experience with a southern Thanksgiving spread was phenomenal. Turkey, ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes, broccoli casserole, ambrosia, green beans, homemade noodles, crescent rolls, pink cloud salad, lettuce salad, red velvet cake, pumpkin pie, chocolate pie, oodles of cookies. Yum, my stomach rumbles now in simple remembrance of the scent that filled the house and how the food tickled everyone's taste buds. It was all lovingly prepared - and thoroughly homemade - by grandmother and Aunt Terry. A feast with planning going back several weeks.
Charli and Claire did wonderful all day. We visited with everyone for the morning and then had to head back to our hotel for a nap before our mid-afternoon feast. All 4 of us crashed out as soon as our heads hit the pillows.
The afternoon was spent partaking in all things Thanksgiving. Food, football, eating, Macy's parade, snacking, card games, "just one more" piece of pie, checking out Black Friday ads, and "the last" slice of cake. The girls had a blast playing with their aunts and uncles and getting "horsey rides" from Grandpa Toe-toe.
As evening rolled around, our little ladies started to get tired so we packed up some leftovers and headed back to the Drury. A swim in the pool was just the thing we needed to get perked up and burn off a small fraction of the day's calories. Charli and I suited up and headed down first while Micah and Claire took a short rest. Charlotte is a maniac in the pool. She even asked me to leave so she could "swim by yourself". Up the ladder and off the edge she went over and over again. Cold pool and hot pool. Tosses in the air, chasing the "big girls" in the pool. She couldn't get enough! Claire (who arrived half and hour later) has no fear either. She is all about splashing with all four limbs. It was such a fun family time!
Not surprisingly, Charli was exhausted after that full day and so ready for bed. However, we (naturally) left a couple of things behind at grandmother's house - including the bottle she uses to fall asleep at night. Micah made the trip back to retrieve them while the girls and I watched Cars (the movie) and took baths. A nice night all around. And then, then it came time to lay Claire down for the night. We tried putting her down in the hotel-provided crib but she was much to big and wiggly for it. So she was on a small mattress wedged between our bed and an armchair. She missed her crib, to say the least. She was up every couple of hours, but fortunately Charli slept through the cries for the most part. And fortunately for me, Claire was on Micah's side of the bed so he got up with her when needed. :) Love that man!
The morning came too soon, but we had a hot homemade breakfast waiting for us back at grandmother's house. We enjoyed a sausage breakfast casserole, leftover ambrosia, and crescent rolls with them before our uneventful trip home. Granddad used our time with them to pass along the family history to his oldest grandson and Micah took notes dutifully.
I've never before had the opportunity to "go home for the holidays", and even though this wasn't truly MY home, I now understand it's nostalgic appeal. The trip overall felt like a warm embrace. Now I cannot wait to be home for Christmas!
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