Surprise.... Surprise.... Surprise....!!!

Well!


We had an absolutely marvelous time here this Thanksgiving week! My parents drove down from Colorado with my three youngest siblings who live at home. They arrived Wednesday afternoon.

But! Portia had arrived Tuesday evening to be "installment #1" on the surprise-o-meter...and to help bake pies and clean up. So, when Mom and Dad and younger siblings rolled in, she was there to welcome them!

And then! We sat around chatting, whilst I was sneaking around on the phone co-ordinating the arrival of Sephora, whose plane got in that afternoon. Suddenly, in she walks through the side door, after being dropped off behind the house by DH who picked her up at the airport on his way home from work. Hence the arrival of "installment #2" on the surprise-o-meter.

We had a lovely dinner and dessert with much chatting and joking (and presents!) and retired to bed to rest up for the festivities in the morning.

Next morning, DH stayed home with DS#1 (up coughing all night) and DD#3 (maniac in mass) while I took the rest of the crew to mass with my family. It was so wonderful to introduce them to our parish priest, and to go to mass all together.

When we arrived home, a huge Dallas Cowboys blow-up football player had been planted right in front of our house to greet my Bronco-maniac Father and brother. (good ol' DH!) My father rushed out of the car and promptly tackled it. And so, much ribbing was done throughout the game as the Broncos defeated the Cowboys in overtime....

Meanwhile, Mom was amazing in the kitchen. She co-ordinated the whole dinner, working deftly around my severe lack of pots, pans and serving dishes. (I'm not used to cooking for so many!) After a last-minute run to the store (a must on Thanksgiving Day!), we were rolling. Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potato pie, beans and corn, and rolls, all systematically cooked and prepared at just the right time....and it was all delicious!

But! Surprise #3! We had a guest for dinner, an M. Austin, a college friend of Sephora's, along with his girlfriend....or so we told Portia. Mr. Austin picked up Portia's LH at the airport and arrived just in time for the game...and so, our family was complete! (installment #3 on the surprise-o-meter) It was the first time we had thanksgiving all together since I left to go to That Amazing College some 14 years ago! Very awesome.

After Sephora's arrival, Mom kept asking if that was "it"...or was there still a chance she might have a heart-attack?? It was so fun to do all the surprises...family means a lot to us, and to be together is a wonderful thing!

Friday morning, we all got up and pulled on our sweats and t-shirts to have a rousing post-Thanksgiving soccer game with some very good friends of ours down here! I thought it was great....I haven't moved around like that in a loooonnnnggg time......and am very sore today because of it! But it was fantastic to play with my younger siblings, and show my kiddos that I can do more than wash dishes and do laundry! (well, for a little while, anyway...)


We crashed when we got home and had leftover turkey/stuffing/cranberry sauce sandwiches and watched a movie.

One more amazing dinner and leftover desserts and then....they were gone! Portia and LH had to fly (literally) after dinner, so Sephora and I drove them to the airport...and then Mom and Dad and younger siblings left to sleep at their hotel and then left early this a.m. to hike it back home! (they are still on the road...I'm praing for safe travel!) Ditto for Sephora, who left later this a.m. but is still flying....so we are still praying!

It went by so quickly! But it was so wonderful.....we were very grateful for the huge effort it took for everyone to come to us. We love going up to the Rockies for our vacations....so much for the kids to do and see! But we also like it when the kids can be on their own turf and show Grandma and Grandpa and Aunts and Uncle all their little treasures and favorites down here in the balmy south. But, don't worry...we'll be heading up north for some skiing sometime in the New Year.


And we can't wait!





*many thanks to Portia and her LH for bringing some truly delectable wines for our enjoyment.....

**now re-read Sephora's "Family Traditions" post....she is very proud that she did not tell a single un-truth! Heh heh heh