Thanksgiving Memories... Part 1 of 2

We had a wonderful time this Thanksgiving! Told in 2 parts...

Bo took some extra time off work (I'm laid off, remember) and we did a full circut of my family's homes for the holiday. We even managed to include some of his family on the outbound portion of our journey. It was truely wonderful to see everyone!

With my tummy popping out all over the place I found out what it is like to really be the center of attention in a LARGE family. It was sweet, scary, fun, and frustrating all at once. :) More than one time I entered a room of happily cozy people, only to have a matron of the group shuffle the troops to make a seat for me. I DIDN'T WANT TO SIT DOWN!!! How embarrassing... LOL ... and yet how sweet that they care so much for our wellbeing. Family, gotta love them! :)

We started off the jaunt at my parents' home in TN, just outside Nashville. My brother was in from Boise, ID and I was so very glad to see him. It has been way, way too long. I miss him terribly... Everyone oooh'd and aaaah'd over my belly, except for brother, because he's a Grinch, and yet I could tell he was secretly very, very proud of me. :)

On Thursday, we went to our family farm on the other side of Nashville. Our farm is still in use, for raising cattle, and my cousin is raising her family there along with chickens, dogs, cats, and sometimes bunnies. We always enjoy the ruckus the "city kids" cause by messing with the animals - what a hoot. I found out I do a mean rooster impression... Don't ask.

As usual, we ran the gauntlet of hugs and well wishes as we entered. Only this year I got "tummy rubs" too! Everyone was so terribly excited about the baby. :) When we entered the kitchen/dining area you could have bowled me over with a feather. There were baby presents stacked to the ceiling folks! Literally! They had piled them all on a sideboard, and one of them was grazing the ceiling tile! Oh My!

After an AMAZING dinner, which I must say was the best in recent memory, we all trundled off to the back porch for desserts. Oh how wonderful - party pink salad, my favorite!!!!! Oh, and home made pumpkin cheesecake!

Folks, a back porch on a farm house is NOTHING more than pure genius. This room is quite large (maybe 20x20), and serves as a catch all for the implements of keeping a farm house running. It is sort-of a glorified mudroom. However, it has one distinct advantage - it has a concrete floor and screened windows, so stays very cold. Perfect for housing desserts and hosting leftovers between the day's meals (we eat early, and then graze again at about 7 PM). Built in large-scale refrigeration... you gotta love it!

After the meal had settled, but before sleep had set in, my mother" distracted me while the "shower" was setup. We received so many nice things - a video monitor, blankets, bibs, gowns, onesies, a high chair, and the list goes on! It was so wonderful to have such an outpouring of love for our little one. It was also Bo's first baby shower ever - he seemed lost at first, but I kept handing him things to open. He really seemed to enjoy it - mostly though I think he was grateful there were no party games! LOL

On our way back from the farm we swung by Bo's brother's home, where they were hosting dinner for 11 - 8 of the guests being children. Sue's sister has 8 kids, all under 12. We didn't stay long, as our hosts were exhausted from the day's trials, and we were coming back on our way home for a night, so we made it short.

To be continued...