My Grandma Green came on Wednesday afternoon and spent the night with us. I had asked to her to come early to show me how to make her famous homemade stuffing (a simple copy of the recipe wouldn't suffice; I am primarily a tactile, and secondarily a visual learner), and was thrilled when she complied. We all got in on the action, except for Will, who was zoned out on the Wii. Sigh. Tara chopped the onions, Leah chopped the celery; Luke, Leah, and Grandma pinched the bread, and I took pictures of the whole thing. Oh, and I did chop a little onion and celery too. Honestly!! It was so heartwarming to see my children making special memories with their Great-Grandma Green.
On Thanksgiving Day, my Aunt Gloria arrived mid-morning and was immediately accosted by Luke, who wanted to play board games with her. Being the fabulous great-aunt that she is, she played several with him. My parents were the next to arrive (my sweet mom brought my exhausted hubby an entire pecan pie just for himself), and by that point I was about to burst with the secret I (and all of my kids) were trying to keep...my brother Brent and his family were going to be joining us all the way from Mississippi!! I didn't have my camera handy when they walked in the door, but word has it that the look on Grandma's face was priceless.
My brother Brent wasted no time in pestering my girls. Tara quickly caught on to what was happening and high-tailed herself out of reach as soon as the opportunity presented itself, but Leah got caught in mayhem of Uncle Brent's lovey-dovey-ness (don't tell anyone, but I think she secretly liked it!). And yes, I'm still making up words. Try it, it's great fun!
I'm not gonna lie; I was pretty nervous about cooking for my family. I've never been very good at timing everything out to where the food is all done at the same time, I'm a slow, messy cook, I'm extremely forgetful, and I get easily overwhelmed in the kitchen. Sounds pitiful, but I'm just being real. I did make myself a little cheat-sheet so I could look at it and gather my thoughts when they started wondering. My brother made fun of me for it, but my sister-in-law Robin and I are kindred spirits, so she understood.
Even with this list, my grandma had to remind me to put the ham in at 11. *blush* It's very embarrassing to be so forgetful that you forget to look at your reminder list. And I just have to say that due to my ever so slight OCD-ish tendencies, it took all I had not to write 'Robin: sweet potato casserole' on that list when I was making it out the night before. She also brought yummy choco-chip cookies and choco-chip pumpkin bread. Mmmmm.
In spite of me, and because of everyone's contributions, the meal was a success, and I was so full from it that I didn't have room for a piece of my mom's delicious pumpkin pie (I had 2 slices for lunch the next day to make up for it) afterward. The whole day was very enjoyable, and it was a real treat to be able to spend time with family that we don't get to see very often. And, I'm not braggin' or anything, but I know you all wish you had a grandma cool (and limber!) enough to get in the floor for a picture with her great-grandchildren while wearing her ultra-fly Will's Warriors shirt. Just sayin'. On a side note, pay no attention to the boy who is giving his cousin rabbit ears with great vigor and enjoyment.
On another side note, pay no attention to all of the parentheses in this post (I shamefully overused them).
I hope all of you had a happy Thanksgiving, spent with the ones you love.
Melissa
It's a shame the picture of Grandma from the yonder side wasn't a motion shot. ;o) We had a great time sis and you were maaaavelous as a hostess.
ReplyDeleteTeeheehee! Yes, it's quite a shame indeed.
ReplyDeleteAwww shucks...thanks. I loved having you all here.