Thanksgiving Day Continued . . . .

After we finished bowling, the Gertsons and the Cutlers came over to the house.  We changed things up just a bit and decided to not have dinner right after bowling.  Instead we had everyone bring snacks to piece on while we visited and played games.  Lynda Ann made up a family fued game that was really fun.

 This was a hand game that Tucker taught the group and they had a lot of fun with it.

About 3:00 I started getting the potatoes cooking along with the carrots and corn.  We planned on eating about 5:00.  The turkey was put in the oven at 8:30 a.m. I think that is one of the things I love most about Thanksgiving, is the smell of turkey cooking.  While I was getting the turkey out of the oven and carved, Annie was working on mashing the potatoes and making the gravy.  Neal and the rest of the family were getting the tables set and ready for a delicious meal.  The Hintze family arrived right on time with CJ and Domanie.  It was so fun to have them with us and hope they will come often!  It was especially nice to have everyone in the family have a chance to meet CJ's wife and get to know her a little better.  She is darling and we all love her.

We visited for a couple hours and then the Hintze's headed home.  More games ensued until about 10:30 p.m. when the day began to catch up with all of us.  We said our 'goodbyes' and 'thank yous' for a wonderful day.  Tucker, Jamie, Neal and I stayed up until 1:00 just talking and catching up on events in their lives.

I have to add this here.  I was watching a show on TV and they made a toast that went like this:
"Here's to disfunctional families and to the holidays that force us to spend time with them."
So with that toast in mind, I will say that we had a fabulous Thanksgiving Day and that as disfunctional as our family appears, we are probably no different than every other family around us.  I love all my children and grandchildren and love having them gather at our home.  I hope there will be many, many more gatherings in the years to come.  I have much to be thankful for!