Thanksgiving 2010

Last year we had a fun Thanksgiving (although I was feeling a bit nauseated with the pregnancy) with family and our good friends the Browns.  Mr. Brown was in Afghanistan for the year so we had Jessica and her four boys over...a change from all the girls we usually have around!  Angelica and Emma had a blast helping me make everyone turkey place cards, a tradition that we like to keep going of creating a place card every year.  Although I do think they ate as much candy corn as they glued on the paper.  Another Thanksgiving Day tradition is trying to take an automatic family picture by putting the camera up on a shelf in my parents family room.  To our surprise, we usually always get a good one each year, which is a miracle with kids in general!  My mom always has a beautiful table, we ate delicious food and had so many blessings to be thankful for!  Looking forward to another one next week!

Last Thanksgiving with just the girls (didn't know I was having a boy yet)

The Sullivans (my sister Caitlin & family)

With Cousin Taylor

The Traditional Automatic Picture - NOT BAD!

The Adult Table

The Kids Table

Always time for Dress UP with Aunt Alli

Turkey Candy

Marmee came back from NYC with two big candy Turkey Lollipops for the girls....they were in heaven....and Angelica thoroughly enjoyed eating all of hers last night!

Thanksgiving Tidbits

Happy Thanksgiving. This year we celebrated with just our family at home....nice and quiet and much needed. The above picture is our annual try-to-take-an-automatic Thanksgiving picture. Not bad....we used Emma's monkey by the camera as the focal point. We had never cooked a turkey before....and my hubby got a 23 pounder!! He loves the leftovers and turkey sandwiches. So I used my mom's brine recipe and it soaked all night....it turned out delicious as did the stuffing and gravy and sides! We were quite pleased with ourselves and definitely stuffed!!! The girls enjoyed watching some of the Macys Day Parade and then we had some fun art projects. This year I thought of making turkey puppets for them to play with out of paper plates. So we each did our hand and the girls colored them....I cut out and attached Popsicle sticks to. They love them and we have a book they love called the Five Silly Turkeys...and since we are now a family of five we used our names in the story...see video below!! Then I had them color leafs I printed and we did our annual Thankful Tree...although a bit differently this year. We made a tree on the wall and attached the leaves. Angel was thankful for School (so sweet) and Emma!! Then Emma said she was thankful for Angelica and Blues Clues...made us laugh so hard!!! I save the thankful leaves for each year so we can look back on them later. The girls were not to sure about the whole stuffing the turkey experience and did not really like the big turkey either....Emma kept saying "stinky". Silly girls. Caitlin had made us some place cards this year so THANK YOU...we didn't have to make those. Hard to believe Michaela's "first" holiday has already come and gone!!! We enjoyed looking through pictures of this past year and making our annual Thankful poster which we hang up with the others to look at all year long......Hope you and yours had a great Turkey Day!!

Truly Thankful

I was thinking today how much I truly have to be thankful for. Not just the obvious with a new baby and this time of year...but these past couple of weeks have shown me how blessed I am and how much I do indeed have to be thankful for.
I am blessed and want to say thanks to all the extended family members and friends who have sent cards and gifts for me and new baby, have called to offer congratulations and support, have kept us all in your prayers and shared in our joy with us. We cherish each and every one of year and remember you especially today. Thank you.
To my fellow Martha Ministry members and local friends that have provided us with many many meals. This is such a huge help with a new baby (and also when hubby is working 12 hour shifts) to not even have to think about it, shop for it and cook it! We are enjoying the leftovers and getting some new recipes too!! Thank you!
To all those friends who have stopped by, brought goodies, came over to help in any way (especially the Grays who helped me with watching the big girls and taking me and Michaela to her appointment!) and kept us in your prayers during this time of healing and transition. We are truly blessed with generous, caring and loving friends! Thank you.

Now to some people to whom there are truly no words to express my thanks:

First, to my hubby. Not only are you an amazing support to me and take such concern to make sure I am ok and needs are met during this time...but you are an amazing father. You spent so many days when we first came home taking the big girls out to do special things. Whether it was to the mall to play and get treats...to Toys R Us (or We R Toys as Angel called it) to play with the toys there....or to the zoo for a fun day...you did it to help me out so I could relax and heal and be with Michaela...but also because you knew the girls needed that special fun time and how they loved and cherished it. You give more than 100% and amaze me with your patience and willingness to take such a leading role and helping hand in our family! Also, thank you for how hard you have been working at your job. After 9 days of 12 hour shift work with barely any sleep....I am glad you get a break. You were barely awake and home this past week which was hard but you still managed in the time you were to do the girls baths, take out the trash and try to leave me as comfortable and at ease as you could. I am so honored and proud of you and love you so very much! I promise I will one day soon be back to managing our home and daily duties!!! (maybe....:) )

To my sister Caitlin....not only have you been experiencing morning sickness and such with the little one you are expecting...but you have been such a huge support and help to me and the family these past couple of weeks. From staying by my side all through labor and delivery and coaching me just as I had asked....to staying with the other girls when I was still in the hospital....to coming over almost every day to help with the big girls, change diapers, and just be with me. The girls loved going out with you the other day and I have enjoyed your company and help so much. Thank you for helping me with my vendor show too! I am so blessed to have a sister living so close and one who is willing to help out in such a generous way. I only hope that I can contribute and be there for you as much as I can when it is your turn!!! I love you and am so thankful for our friendship.

And to my mama. Mom.....it seems we have come full circle in a way. You started out taking care of me when I was born and unable to do so...and here you have been again, holding my hand and helping me get through these times. You have been here for every step of this pregnancy and birth. From sleeping over to help, making so many meals, making sure I took my meds and kept drinking, helping me with the aches and pains and hormones....helping with my vendor show...doing the shopping, the cleaning etc. You took the big girls every day to your house and they had a blast...they miss you so much. That time alone to rest and spend with Michaela was very needed and special, so thank you. I am so blessed to have you so close and so eager to be here for me and the girls. I hope I don't ever take you and all you do for granted and can be there for you when needed like you have been for me. I love you so much and feel so blessed that my girls get to see so much of you and build that special relationship. I have missed you this week and can't wait to see you again. So on this Thanksgiving, I just want to say thank you for all you always do, have done this past couple of weeks and know that I feel honored and blessed to have you as my mom and friend.

Thank you Lord for my family and friends and each and all the daily blessings you continue to shower upon me, may I never take them for granted.

Thanksgiving Recap

We had a very nice and low-key Thanksgiving this year. It started off first with Mass in our newly renovated GORGEOUS church....will have to post about that later and hopefully have some pics to show. Then we gathered up all the fixins I was in charge of and headed over to my parents house. We spent the day getting food together, doing arts and craft Thanksgiving projects and traditions and enjoying each other's company especially since my sister Caitlin was home from college and my PopPop was there. Of course we had to try and get some pictures...last year we got a great one of the whole family by setting the automatic camera up...so we tried it again....and got a pretty good one after many attempts of trying to get a very confused Emma to look at the camera and the dolly we put behind it...she did not know what was going on. I have some hilarious shots of Jason and Caitlin while I was setting the camera up being silly in the slide show...take a look. Also when we went outside, Emma was fascinated with the birds and Angel was terrified of a dog...so it made for some very entertaining and draining picture taking and some candid shots...also in the slide show. The girls were in heaven coloring and eating and playing all day...yes, they missed their naps and after the delicious dinner....they crashed!! Well, first Angel decided to literally crash and burn over her feet and busted her bottom lip open. So with ice on lip, she fell asleep and Emma decided she was tired as well....and she didn't even eat a lot of turkey!! I made a new dessert recipe called Chocolate Caramel Slice (thanks to my friend Kate for the recipe) and a new potato recipe,Mustard Roasted Potatoes. All the other foods were family favorites and as always delicious. We went around the table that night saying what we were thankful for and for the most part it was the faces sitting around the table....nothing like the love of family and friends, we are truly blessed with that!! Hope your Thanksgiving was just as wonderful....(I posted our crafts in another post below....quite fun..thinking I enjoy it just as much as the kids!)

Thanksgiving Crafts

We enjoyed some arts and crafts for Thanksgiving this year...continuing old traditions and starting new ones. My mom started this first one and Jason and I have done one every year since we got married...it is the We Are Thanksful Poster. You get some of your favorites pictures of the last year and put them on a poster. We do this Thanksgiving Day and it is lots of fun to look through all of them and put it together. Then we have it laminated to protect it. I have found a way for now (until there are too many) to hang them. I punch two holes at the top and connect with a metal ring and hang on a small dowel rod.....We love looking at all the pics hanging up throughout the year and amazing to look through the past ones as well!!

Ever since I got married I have enjoyed making place cards for each person at the dinner table. This year, Angel helped!! We used her little hand to paint turkeys and it was lots of fun....especially putting the googly eyes on them!

This year I made the girls some Indian feather hats....although had trouble keeping Angel's feathers straight and Emma just wanted to pull hers off!I also started a new tradition we hope to do every year. I printed out templates of leaves and we all enjoyed coloring our own sheet....ok we helped with Emma's. Then we all (again we helped Emma this year) thought of things we were thankful for and wrote one on each leaf. Then I put together our "Thankful Tree" on Thanksgiving and it has been our table centerpiece since....yes I know, now I need out the Advent decorations...I am just behind schedule!! Anyways....I hope to keep the leaves in an envelope labeled with the year and look back at them as time goes by!!
Any fun and neat crafts you do for the holiday??

Making our Thanksgiving Place Cards

For the past several years, I have always liked making personal place cards for our Thanksgiving table. This year, Angel helped and did a fabulous job making hand and finger turkeys...the perfect size hand for this project. She wasn't too sure about getting her hands dirty at first....my little clean queen!