mmm......Thanksgiving!

I'm still full as I type this. We celebrated Thanksgiving at Uncle Greg and Aunt Susan's house and it was de-lish!
The boys made these darling place tags for everyone, but I forgot to take them with us! (bad mom) Luckily, Greg and Susan had pens and construction paper so Chris, Nate, and Catie were able to make another round of them.

The bird...all 26 pounds of him. Perfectly browned with good drippins'.
The food was amazing, and all made very lovingly and from scratch by Susan. Mashed potatoes, scalloped cheese/chive potatoes, green salad, stuffing, homemade rolls, carrots, gravy, fresh green beans w/ bacon, onions, mushrooms, sweet potato something or other that was amazing....you get the picture. Lest we forget desserts. Pie, cheesecakes, and a pecan tart. mmmm

The tradition has been set. Greg and Susan officially claimed Thanksgiving as their holiday to host each year. What a treat! Along with hosting means coming up with the annual scavenger hunt around the house. Chris and Nate just love this event, probably because it's like a Survivor challenge.

Gathering around the 16' long table.

The boys were great eaters! Chris loved the green beans, and Nate was really fond of the stuffing and the 'chewy' meat. I think that Chris experienced his first food coma, as he laid on Dan after dinner and didn't move.

For some reason, this picture will not load in the right direction. Oh well. It's Uncle Mark's plate. Being a homicide detective does not guarantee a 9-5 job or holidays off, and he had been working a new case pretty much non-stop for the past 24+ hours. We were all thankful that he was able to join us after we got started! He was good and hungry, too.

I couldn't resist. This wiener dog has been a part of every holiday/special event since I can remember. It's old....about 50 years.....my mom bought it for my grandma back in about 1958. The amazing thing is that all 3 segments of the dog are still intact. Greg inherited the dog, and it is a prized possession to say the least. I can only imagine how many olives I have eaten out of this fellow over the years.

After dinner, a few rounds of connect four. What a delightful day! Thanks so much for hosting, Greg and Susan.