Thanksgiving

We had a really nice Thanksgiving this year. My mom came to town for a few days, which was so nice and helpful. She came a few days early so that I could grocery shop and get ready without all three girls in tow. 

On Thanksgiving morning, we went for a walk along a path by our house. The sun was out and the scenery was beautiful. I am grateful everyday that we live in such a beautiful place. Cate was not jazzed about going on our walk but once we got moving she decided it was going to be fun. Such is life with this 3 yr old of ours. While we were on our walk, the girls collected some treasures and Jane spelled out the word thankful on a bench. She is doing a lot of spelling and reading lately, which is so fun. Her T-K class has been so good for her and it's so fun to watch her learn.

Cate did not want Lizzie in the picture, oh well.

Before we left for our walk, we watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Cate was most comfortable in Buddie's bed (my mom's dog). I think she spent most of the week in this bed.

The night before Thanksgiving, I made cranberry chutney. It was my first time and I think it was a success. It was a lot of chopping but fairly easy to do.

Mimi brought the materials for these adorable turkeys to make with the girls. They traced their hands to make the feathers and then glued them to these toilet paper rolls. Such  cute idea!

We also set out these cute decorations that Jane made at school. They learned all about Thanksgiving and it was fun to hear her retell the story of the pilgrims and the indians. 

Our Thanksgiving dinner was a success and very delicious. The kids were melting by the time we were ready but they settled in and were able to enjoy plenty of rolls and a little turkey. I was feeling a little exhausted by the time we ate but am glad we pulled it off. We had leftovers to eat for several days, which meant minimal cooking for me. 

In addition to my mom, we also hosted our friend Graham. We know Graham and his family from Illinois and he just started college in San Diego. We were so fortunate to have him with us. He kept our girls entertained with his ukulele, french horn, endless piggy back rides and much more. On the last night of his visit, Cate asked him to read their bedtime stories, which is HUGE. 

The day after Thanksgiving, Trever and Graham went to Muir Woods and San Francisco with Jane and Cate. They battled the crowds and parking was impossible but they considered the trip a success. Jane, Cate and Graham rode their first cable car and LOVED it. 

Lastly, here is a picture of our gratitude tree. At the beginning of the month we talked about gratitude and wrote down a few things we were grateful for on the leaves of the tree. We then repeated this activity several nights leading up to Thanksgiving. I loved to hear what the girls came up with: lovies, scooters, snacks, sandboxes, umbrellas, family, sisters (sigh). I definitely plan to do this again next year.

I am so grateful for Thanksgiving and the extra chance we had to focus on all of our many blessings. I am also grateful that we were able to have my mom and Graham join us this year. We truly have the best friends and family!