Thanksgiving Memories with Our Family

One of my favorite times during the year is Thanksgiving. I love getting the family together, playing games and watching Christmas movies (and some watching football). Of course there is also the cooking. Lots of cooking! Turkey, stuffing, green beans, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pies and more. When I was a kid, I didn’t really notice this, but it’s amazing how much time you spend cooking and preparing everything and then how quickly it’s eaten. This year, our kids helped cooked the turkey…and they liked it!

This Thanksgiving, we had four of our six kids with us, with our youngest and oldest sons at their dad’s house. My oldest son now lives with his dad the majority of the time and holidays are particularly rough because of that. However, I love the memories I have of past Thanksgivings and the experiences that are yet to come. I hope someday to have all six of our kids together again for Thanksgiving. At our Thanksgiving, we had four of our kids, my parents, my in-laws and my sister and her boyfriend (and baby to be here soon).

This year, we made two turkeys. One was cooked in the rotisserie (aka “set it and forget it”) and the other was cooked in our Nesco Roaster Oven (love this thing!!!). Both turkeys were tender, juicy and delicious, as were all of the sides served along side of them. I also love Thanksgiving because each of the families brought dishes from their homes to the table. For instance, my sister made stuffing, gravy and mac and cheese, as well as brought Hawaiian Rolls. My stepmom brought Green Bean Casserole, Scalloped Potatoes and a Veggie Tray. My mother-in-law brought Sweet Potato Casserole and Pumpkin Pies. We made the turkeys, mashed potatoes and onion dip with chips. It was a yummy meal and we all ate a LOT! This includes the dogs too – ha ha!

Not only was it a night of food, but it was also filled with conversation and games. We particularly enjoy playing Fibbage and Quiplash on our Apple TV (everyone plays using their phones). Another game we like is SketchParty TV, which we play as teams using an iPad and Apple pencil. These games are so much fun and our kids love playing them as a family whenever we get a chance! I have to admit that us adults enjoy playing them as well.

Thanksgiving holds a special place in my heart because 15 years ago, our oldest son, Brian, was born the day after Thanksgiving, and 5 years ago, my husband asked me to be his wife. I love Thanksgiving and look forward to next year!

What did you do this Thanksgiving?