In Thanks

With heavy hearts and at the Mister's insistence, the children and I left our ever-laboring provider in DC, knee-deep in trial prep, and hopped a plane for Alabama to celebrate Thanksgiving with family.  We had planned that, in between stints at the office, the Mister would hit up the smoked turkey all-you-can-eat buffet at the fabulous BBQ restaurant in our neighborhood.  It was sad to think of him feasting alone, but I at least had the consolation that he would be feasting well.

Until he came down with a cold and ate spaghetti at home.  Alone.  On Thanksgiving.

As my Mama said, it's a good thing he's not prone to self-pity.  I know I would have been wallowing in it.

At least we have some good memories to make up for the Mister's pitiful holiday:

Watching Buddy Boy run off with his cousins to the country club bar in search of his first-ever Shirley Temple on Thanksgiving Day.

Swapping greek system gossip with two aunts and three cousins who are also my sorority sisters.

Twin cousins walking hand in hand through the Zoo, while the other twin cousins had escaped in pursuit of the zebra-feeding zookeeper.

Mama calling out, 'Chicken nuggets!' from the kitchen on Thanksgiving night and eight cousiny voices echoing 'CHICKEN NUGGETS!!!!' and stampeding down the hall in glee.

Watching the Iron Bowl.  Roll Tide!

Hearing 'Now, children, I sent four silver cups out into the yard and only one came back.  Where are those silver cups?'

Baby Girl being passed from cousin to cousin {of my generation}, so I could serve up three plates of Thanksgiving dinner and gobble one down myself.

Lunch with dear old friends, each of whom I realized I met because of school locker assignments.

The boys circling Christmas tree prospects for their uncle's house.  {We were aiming for the smallest we could find.}

Buddy Boy finding me at the family after party on Thanksgiving afternoon and plopping a quite soggy Pull-Up at the base of his inattentive mother's wine glass.

The boys working up the nerve to talk to Santa at the mall.

My brother cutting down a Christmas tree while keeping forty little fingers clear of the saw blade.

 My Daddy playing with his Baby Girl's Baby Girl.

Seeing in person the baby bump holding my newest nephew or niece!

An impromptu housewarming at my cousins' new house.

A birthday lunch for my aunt, where the boys slurped down their second-ever Shirley Temples.

Hours upon hours of happy outdoor play.

A hay ride at the Christmas tree farm on a 70 degree day.

My niece's declarations that, despite Little Guy's best efforts to turn any activity into a competition {he's a Snodgrass!}, she was 'not playing the winner game.'

Lots of time spent with all these munchkins!