Thanksgiving 25

What a wonderful Thanksgiving. The days of getting this group together are becoming rare and will be even harder to do in the near future. We are so thankful we got to spend the holiday with our sister's and their families, and have so much to celebrate: the boys being home for the holiday (our first time together in our home since Christmas!), Hudson starting a new job soon, Maia + Caleb's engagement, Mackenzie + Patricyk getting married, buying a house and expecting twins all in a year, Cole's stellar soccer season, Jacob + Darcy moving to California in January. Such exciting stuff. I felt a little off my game this year, but the food was decent and the company was fantastic. What a perfect day.

Thanksgiving 21

Some scenes from this year's Thanksgiving. Another one that was different from past years -- but we all had such a great time. We headed down to Oak Park and spent it with our friends. Being together felt so awesome. It's been a long time, especially since our kids are all older! Two have graduated college. Three are in college now - Minneapolis, St. Louis & New Orleans - two are in high school and one in middle school. We figured it had been two years since we last saw Finn! It happens. But that's what made this day and being together even more special. Dinner was amazing, of course. The company fantastic. The boys crashed at the Elsmos. We stayed with Chris & Penny. And we even got to enjoy a couple hours of annual Leftover Day. Such a great couple of days. 

Thanksgiving 2020

Happy Thanksgiving from the four of us, plus Gretel of course! 

We started our day with a long family walk. The boys loved it! Just look at C's face. Ha! Afterwards, we had the whole day to finish cooking. I prepped a bunch yesterday, and it all came together really well today. My parents typically host, so this was the first year in a long time that we've actually cooked Thanksgiving dinner. It's actually my favorite meal to cook, but it was still strange not being with everyone. We tried to make it special, and hopefully things will be back to normal next year. Plus, we have SO much to be thankful for, even during this weird year. 

P4 COVID Thanksgiving Menu:

Sparkling Spiced Pear + Ginger Cocktail (and mocktails)

Cheese & Crackers (Jasper Hill Harbinson & Carr Valley Mobay)

Fried Turkey

Mashed Potatoes

Gravy

Oyster Stuffing

Apple Cider Brussels Sprouts

Pull-Apart Sour Cream & Chive Rolls

Cranberry Sauce

Pumpkin Pie with Rum Whipped Cream

Thanksgiving '19

Per tradition, my parents got back from Florida in time to host Thanksgiving. It's one of my favorites. A chance to reflect, spend time with family and friends, and kick off the holiday season. This year's gathering included us, my parents, my mother-in-law, and my niece and nephew. We were missing a few of the standard crew, so it was quieter and low key, but still really wonderful.

Thanksgiving

Can't believe Thanksgiving is already here! It's one of my absolute favorite holidays. We had such a great time at my Mom & Dad's house this year. They are in their new house, so that was different, but it was a blast. We always have so many laughs and so much fun together. (By the way, don't my niece and C look alike? It's kind of crazy.)

Thanksgiving 2017

When I take time to really think about how great my life it, it's crazy. Seriously, I just have so much to be thankful for. It's easy to take it for granted sometimes, so a good reminder to take the time to pause and appreciate it. Despite the world being a crazy place, this year has been really good to me. My family is doing well. I've really focused on health and fitness and feel better than ever. I decided to start my own business. It's good! I'm excited to see what next year brings. Thanksgiving Day started with our annual Thanksgiving workout at the gym. Loved that Brian works out there too now, so we got to spend the morning together. In the afternoon, we went over to my parent's. They are moving in a few weeks, so this is the last holiday being spent in this house. I'm excited for their next adventure (building a new house) but it's bittersweet. There have been lot of really great memories made under this roof. Such a great day.