Thanksgiving Eve

November 27, 2013

It turned quite cold on Tuesday night after our return from Bent Tree, and we actually got a bit of snow. It was enough for the girls to build mini-snowmen.

For supper, Maria fixed special tacos for us. We kept her very busy because everybody liked them and were going back for seconds while she cooked them on the stove.

Thanksgiving Day

November 28, 2013

On Thanksgiving day we look forward to the family gathering. Aunt Sherry arrives and the girls look forward to times of games and face-painting with her.

Uncle Mark arrives and Elyse shows him the face painting she has already gotten from Aunt Sherry.

The kitchen will be a busy place all morning. Marty arrives and he and Darla try out a fancy new coffee. Mark, Jeff and Ashleigh chat with Mark about his work on the current movie set of "Dumb and Dumber 2".

A picture of a hearse may not seem appropriate in the middle of the Thanksgiving pictures, but this was the tale that Mark was telling about one of his jobs for "Dumb and Dumber". The idea was that the hearse got hit by a train, so Mark had mounted the hearse on a cart that would ride the rails, and it was rigged to launch the hearse into the air upon impact, as I recall. Mark is working on the cart that the hearse is mounted on.

Uncle Andy and Alice arrive and they joke with Jordan about being nearly as tall as Andy now.

Elyse is a picture of concentration as she paints Mom's face.

Elyse has an appreciative audience for her artwork as Brenda, Alice, Maria Torres and Andy look on.

It's getting close to Thanksgiving dinner as Rod carves the turkey under the watchful eyes of Stacy, Elyse and Jordan.

Elyse, Jordan and Ashleigh on the right side of the table with Uncle Mark.

The left side of the table with Brenda, Jeff, Darla, Maria Torres and Aunt Sherry. Time to finish this photography and get on with the meal. We did feel very blessed to have the family together.

Elyse finds a convenient way to eat a big slice of turkey! A turkeysicle? After dinner she and Jordan run the maze they have created in the leaves of the back yard.

Ashleigh was the primary architect of the yard maze, again showing her artistic bent. Uncle Mark got out the remote-control helicopters and everybody had fun with them.

Ashleigh keeping the little helicopter suspended in midair.

The family gathering at Thanksgiving. The above photo taken by Maria Torres, who is shown in the photo at left when Rod and Stacy were taking the pictures. The photos also include Marty Dye who is counted as family.

The whole roll-call here, L-R standing, is Marty Dye, Jordan, Darla, Ashleigh, Elyse, Mark, Brenda, Maria Torres, Sherry Dawson. Jeff in front.

It was a joy to have the family together to celebrate the abundance of God's blessings to us all. We look forward to the next time to be together.