Thanksgiving with the Hansen's

Thanksgiving, for our family, started on Wednesday night with "Pie Night".  Last year, Becky and I decided that we would get together on a separate day for Thanksgiving.  And, rather than try and recreate a Thanksgiving meal, we decided just to have pies.

We decided to do the same thing this year.  So, Wednesday night we all met at Becky's for dinner, pie night, and of course, Thanksgiving Pudding (which Anna has termed "Thanksgiving Spaghetti").  The kids had so much fun being together, and it was nice to just sit and talk with Becky and Ryan while the kids entertained themselves.

 I tried to help the kids untangle their prizes.  I don't know if I was helpful or just created more problems, but it was kind of fun -- like doing a puzzle.

Kale, Joshua, and Peter all got little finger tattoos, but their fingers were too small, so they gladly displayed them on their arms.  I had Jon go and help Kale, not realizing that he had never done a press on tattoo before (they weren't allowed in his house when he was a kid).  After 3 failed attempts, a tattoo was successfully put on Kale's arm.

 This was our first year doing Thanksgiving with all the Hansen's together (or as Hallie calls it, "The Great Feast").  I felt just like a real grown-up as we got up early to make sure the rolls had enough time to rise and bake before we had to use the ovens for everything else.

I turned on the Thanksgiving Day parade as we were getting things ready, and it made me remember all the years of doing that with Dad while he prepared.  As the marching bands started up, I remembered Dad being so interested in them and how weird I thought that was.  Well, this year, the memories made me have a little cry (due to the pregnancy I'm sure), and it really made me appreciate Dad.  So, thanks Dad for helping me to make a tradition without even realizing it.

It was so fun to have everyone together and just spend time talking and laughing.

Most of the pictures were a little sketchy as most of them were taken by the kids while the grown-ups got things ready.  But, there were a few that were pretty good.