Turkey Day

We left home early Wednesday morning (5:15 to be exact) with the boys still in their pajamas thinking that getting them in their car seats before they usually wake up would give us a couple of hours in the car with them sleeping. Wishful thinking. Sam fell asleep after about 20 minutes and slept for about an hour and a half but Ben stayed awake the entire trip! After just over five hours in the car we arrived in time for some visiting/play time before lunch at Gram and Pop's house in Yreka. We were all happy to be able to stretch our legs and have the rest of the day to relax. Grandma and Grandpa arrived later in the afternoon while Ben was resting and we all enjoyed an evening together.
The boys woke early Thursday morning after a relatively good night's sleep (Ben called out twice and woke Sam at one point). We all worked together to get the turkey into the oven and get all the side dishes organized. Ben helped with the stuffing of the bird and was decked out in an apron made long ago by my great aunt Patsy. My sister, Pauline along with Howie and Olivia, arrived mid-morning. Ben was thrilled to have his “crazy cousin” to play with. He probably said, “Olivia, come with me,” about a thousand times that day. Together they helped make the centerpiece and set the table. The other big attraction was watching all the birds on the bird feeder. At one point a Cooper's hawk swooped into the yard and had his own Thanksgiving feast on one of the little finches. The kids loved watching nature in action.
All together there were fourteen of us for the meal including: Gram and Pop (the boy's maternal great grandparents), Grandma Norma and Grandpa Bob (my parents), Auntie Pauline and Uncle Howie with cousin Olivia, Uncle Ray (my dad's brother) and Aunt Annie, cousin Mike, and Brian, Ben, Sam and I.
The menu included: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, butternut squash, green beans, red cabbage, cranberry sauce, green salad, fruit salad, and rolls. Dessert included pumpkin pie, apple pie, mincemeat pie, and peach pie. Wow! It was all amazing but definitely A LOT of food!
Ben was reluctant to try any of the food so he ate cheese and crackers with avocado instead. Sam actually napped right through his very first Thanksgiving since we had dinner at 3:00 P.M. He tried most of the food but seemed most impressed with the red cabbage and pumpkin pie. Go figure. For anyone not familiar with my family's red cabbage recipe it's basically a sweet and sour type dish. The shredded cabbage is cooked in a little sugar, water, butter, and vinegar until it's tender and then is finished off with a little red currant jelly before serving. It sounds unusual to some but it's amazing with all the other turkey day dishes. I actually had the honor of making not only the red cabbage this year but also the cranberry sauce.
We were so happy to be with everyone for such a family-focused day.