Thanksgiving 2016
The Johnsons 2016
Thanksgiving Eve was a little crazy around here. It was a bake/sweat shop. I was in charge of pies and rolls so I was baking up a storm. It was fun texting pictures back and forth with my mom, sisters, and Reilly that night as we each prepared our items for the Thanksgiving feast the next day. Reilly wasn't able to come home for Thanksgiving this year but she's coming home for 15 days over Christmas break!! We can't wait!! Reilly went home with one of her roommates who is from Salt Lake for Thanksgiving and spent the night at her house. Then the next day my brother and his family had their Thanksgiving dinner and she headed over there for that. She ended up having two fun Thanksgiving dinners! But we really missed having her here.
I made two pecan pies
Two cherry pies
And...a ton of rolls.
We spent Thanksgiving at my Mom's house in Northern Idaho. We drove up on Thanksgiving day. Our family eats our dinner after dark and by candlelight so we had a leisurely morning to enjoy the Macey's Day Parade and the National Dog Show (a family fave) while getting dressed, finishing up any food preparation, and packing the car.
We were the first to arrive and took some quick family pictures before the day got too crazy:
Paper Plate Reilly made yet another appearance! It's just too weird to take holiday family pictures and not include her in some way.
Mom and the kids
Mom and her dogs: Maggie Mae and Finn
My mom's house was decorated beautifully!! She had her tree up but no ornaments on it. I like Thanksgiving to be it's own holiday and don't decorate for Christmas until after Thanksgiving but the tree with just lights on it was really pretty and set a nice mood.
Since we were the first ones there we got to hog her new puppy all that we wanted. He is adorable.
It didn't take long for everyone else to arrive:
The Sykes: Dane, John, River, and Stacey
Kelley and Elle and Kelley's boyfriend, Chris.
Kam and Ty
Dane and John
Mom working on her famous gravy.
That stuff is magic!!
Since my work was done the night before all that I had to do was put my rolls in a serving dish, put my pies in a cool place, and relax. Nice.
The chefs
Our menu:
(I love having a record of this every year!)
Appetizers:
Charcuterie Board (Kelley)
Cream cheese and chipotle dip and crackers (Mom)
Relish Tray (Stacey)
Main Course:
Turkey (Mom)
Vegetarian Stuffing (Mom)
Sausage Stuffing (Stacey)
Homemade Southern Noodles (Mom)
Mashed Potatoes (Mom)
Gravy (Mom)
Homemade Rolls (Kristin)
Roasted Brussel Sprouts (Kelley)
Sauteed Green Beans (Kelley)
Chipotle Cranberry Sauce (Stacey)
Carmelized Shallots (Stacey)
Jello Squares (Stacey)
Dessert:
Pumpkin Pies (Mom)
Pecan Pies (Kristin)
Cherry Pies (Kristin)
Finally it was time to eat!! Cute kids at the kids table: Elle, River, Dane, Ailey, and Bryn. Kameron graduated to the grown-up table this year. Always exciting!! I never did get a picture of all of us around the table. Shoot! Suffice it to say it was beautifully set and a lovely sight surrounded by family.
My very favorite moment came when we were going around the table and saying what we were thankful for... Kameron said that he was thankful for the gospel in his life, for church, and for the priesthood. (He was just ordained a priest.) Whoa. It made my holiday. Especially because we are the only active members of the church in our family. Everyone else has left the faith for various reasons and all have strong opinions about the church. Therefore, I was particularly touched by Kameron's confidence in who he is and what he believes and what is important to him.
Another favorite moment was facetiming with my dad before dinner. That was pretty momentous. It has been years since any of us have seen him. It was pretty special to be crowded around as the kids got to talk and "see" their grandfather. We all had a good chat and even our husbands and my mom said hello and talked to him for awhile. This past year has brought a much closer relationship with him. I have talked to him more this year than I have in years. Facetiming has been a huge blessing. Yay technology. I really credit a lot of this with my Family History Project that I started in January. I only got to week 7...I think...but it still has made a huge difference in our relationship. The promises made in the scriptures about the hearts of the fathers turning to the children and the hearts of the children turning to the fathers is true and powerful. I am going to continue on with that 52 week challenge even if it takes me a couple of years to finish it. (One of the things that Ailey was thankful for this year was that she was finally getting to know her grandpa.) Pretty cool.
Our family and Stacey's family all spent the night at my mom's house. The kids had a great time with their cousins. It was lovely to be able to sleep in the next day and eat pie for breakfast! It doesn't get much better than that!!
Reilly never did send me any pictures of her on actual Thanksgiving Day. Boo. But the next day while she was celebrating at my brother, Kirk's, house I got a steady stream of snapchats. Ha ha!!
Reilly and my nephew Kaiden
My personal favorite: Reilly, Kirk, and Kaiden
I really appreciate Kirk and Meki. They have made Reilly a member of their own family. She is included in every celebration and family event no matter how small. She loves going to their house and spending time with them. To her it is a bit of home away from home. I am so grateful.
It was a splendid Thanksgiving and even though we really missed Reilly, Kirk, Meki, and family, Jordin, Ramon, and family, we enjoyed one another and were grateful to get to spend time together!!
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