Southwest Southworths': Thanksgiving... oh, just bag it!

I was tempted for a nanosecond to not cook Thanksgiving dinner, but that was a silly thought. I have been sick since Saturday, fully lost my voice on Wednesday and somewhat have it today, plus my body just wants to sleep and get better. Speaking of sleep, Ryan worked last night, so he slept all through the morning/ afternoon, was up a few hours today and then back to bed. Even though these things are inconvenient, I still have to have my turkey... it's a favorite tradition for us.

Last year we missed out on Thanksgiving, we were flying to Michigan and got in about 10pm. Only a quickie mart was open so I think we had a hot dog and some nachos. Through all of that, we still couldn't miss our Thanksgiving dinner, so I made it a week later. Needless to say, the show must go on.

So Thanksgiving is never bagged, just the turkey. We cook it in a bag every year. It comes out tender and juicy without any basting. I don't even try to carve it. I just pick up a bone and the meat falls right off. Mmmm turkey.

This year we added a new tradition. Since we are so close to New York City, we saw the Macy's Parade on tv. Weird because I'm use to New Year's day Rose Parade, but hey I'm willing to try something new. Jonathan watched about half the parade and then disappeared into the man hole... aka basement. He did stay to see a few balloons like Dora, a pirate but when the Pokemon ball came followed by Pikachu boy he could not contain the excitement. Ella was excited also but when we said Pikachu she would say achoo. Almost there but not quite. Still, very cute. With Dora she was more interested in backpack and kept saying it over and over. Ella loves a good backpack. Anyway, it is a goal of mine to see the parade up close at least once during the next four years. That would be awesome!

Eventually I started to cook the dinner and we ended up eating around 3:30. Ella started her nap late, but we wanted to wake her for the meal so we did and she had a hard time waking up. Before eating, each of us said something we are thankful for. I remember doing this in a circle at my Grandma's house and miss it, even though when I was little it seemed like I was standing FOREVER. But the memory has stuck with me. We then had a prayer and started eating.

After a bit if grouchy from Ella, she had some mashed potatoes and then some more... and more, until we had her try the cranberry sauce. She tried one bite and made a face but as we mentioned I was the only one who liked the stuff, she gobbled it up and kept asking for more. Yay, someone else likes it. We eventually had to hide it from view because she wouldn't stop saying more until we gave more to her.

After dinner we all ate too much and were a bit groggy and bloated... and I still wanted to eat more. We hardly made a dent in the food. Eventually we pealed ourselves away from the table and enjoyed each other's company. Then we had desert and that was that. Clean up and then Ryan went off to bed. I played with Ella while the boy went back to the man cave. But I had some extra special time with him while getting ready for bed. He reads me a story every night and I tuck him in. So Jonathan is not neglected.

It was a nice day. I love Thanksgiving and not just the food. A lot of the commercials during the parade showed people talking about what they are thankful for. It's nice to see so many people enjoying life and the memories that go along with Thanksgiving. Life is great and I'm glad to have these moments with my family because one day my kids will be all grown up and gone ... ok, gotta stop thinking about that... I'm getting teary eyed.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!