Thanksgiving with Grandad & Nana

Grandad and Nana arrived at the beginning of the week and the kids have been loving every minute of their being here.  One benefit of having them visit is that when we go places, everyone gets a partner, so Todd and I are no longer outnumbered.  We're back to playing man-to-man defense.  Grandad & Nana allowed the kids to pick out some toys at the store early on.  The boys picked out new Lego kits and got to work on them right away.


Caroline opted for a bunk bed twin baby set, which has had a lot of staying power.  Caroline has spent a lot of time playing with it.

Nana also brought a Dick & Jane book for Caroline to have since she's starting to read.  They spent a lot of time on it and Caroline was very excited to read quite a few of the first stories.  When Todd came home from work one evening, she sat him right down to show him her accomplishment.  It's always an exciting time to hear a new child read!

Todd prepped our Thanksgiving turkey the night before with a good rubdown.  I'm glad he was willing to do it, because I don't think I could put my hands up under the skin.  Not my thing.

Our Thanksgiving meal was a coordinating effort between Todd, Nana, & Grandad.  I was tasked with opening the can of cranberry sauce and cooking some broccoli.  Someone else opened the cranberry sauce and I didn't even finish cooking the broccoli.  Winning.  It was a very good meal.  I'd like to think that my contributions had something to do it.

After eating, the kids took to chalking up our driveway and sidewalk.  Over the course of this whole week, the kids have continually gone outside to add more artwork.  Caroline drew a girl and then showed me the pose.

The boys did Doc Ock, Garfield, Spiderman, light sabers, & Pikachu (Pokemon).

The kids had also gotten creative and drew Thanksgiving placemats.  Caroline did hers before Thursday, so we used them the few days prior.  They were all lovely and her hand showed her hard work.

Can you tell she traced her hand for all the turkeys?

Each placemat was personalized.  E for Erin. (Although Todd got D for Daddy...)

Josiah also did placemats for Thanksgiving Day.  All his placemats were nearly identical, with the  turkey saying each person's name.  Except mine.  I got the only disrespectful placemat.  "Psst.  Clean up."  "No."  It was a very accurate depiction of my life.

Nana and Grandad bought us a wreath for our front door.  We put it up after Thanksgiving and it has become our new "picture spot."  Caroline is our sparkle girl, so she always encourages me to get more than just the "plain" variety of everything.

The kids have had two weeks off of school at this point.  It has been great to have the down time this week.  Henry beat me at Battleship & NFL Game Day.  We've all played countless games of Guess Who?  We've tossed around footballs, frisbees, basketballs, and baseballs. 

We've watched Christmas movies and TV specials.  It was nice to have a week like this after the busy Disney trip.  The kids are ready to quit school and keep the trend going.  Not-a-one is excited for school to begin again.  But begin it shall.  Winter break is only one month away.