Giving Thanks

Disclaimer: For some reason, I can't move my pictures around, so they are not in the order I wish they were in. Sorry about that. Feel free to skip this post if that bugs you.

I know this is a bit late, but here it is:

Things I am Thankful For this Thanksgiving

1. Damon's exceptionally large bladder. I don't think I have ever realized how great it was until Allie started using the toilet. While we were at SeaWorld, I took her to the bathroom four times (Damon went once). And she had to go 10 minutes after we got on the road back home. I so wish I could fast forward the potty training phase with her. Until then, I will give thanks for Damon's ability to hold it. And hold it and hold it.

2. Lots of good food, most of which I didn't have to cook. Jeff's parents and only sister, Laurie, visited us for Thanksgiving. This was the first "real" Thanksgiving dinner we have had in the past six years (by real, I mean a home cooked meal shared with the majority of one of our families). It was so nice. Here's Russ sampling the amazing ham.

3. Rainbow Jell-o. This was one of my main contributions to the dinner, and I think it turned out quite nice. My mom is the master rainbow jell-o maker, and here are here directions if you are interested in trying it yourself:

• Start with Black Cherry because it is the least pretty (I didn't use this one, and I also forgot orance. I still have some work to do to get it right). Dissolve one small package of jell-o in one cup hot water. Divide the jell-o into two bowls. Add 1/3 c. sour cream to one and 3T water to the other. Start with the "creamy" Black Cherry layer on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Let chill approximately 35-40 minutes in the fridge while the "clear" Black Cherry sits on the counter. When creamy layer has set up enough, pour clear layer on.


• Repeat for all 14 layers in any order you like, but if you want to be correct, go red, orange, yellow, green, blue and then purple.


• It takes a good portion of the day, but it's not hard to make. You can see that it was a big hit, even with Laurie, Greg and Noel.

4. Grandparents. My kids were so excited to see their grandma and grandpa, and it was fun to introduce Ky Ky to them.

5. Camping weather in November. We had a great time camping at the Osceoloa National Forest, about an hour from here, despite the many LARGE spiders we shared a campsite with. I am especially thankful for the kind "helpers" (Damon's term) that cut our wood, split it for us, and got our fire going. Apparently an Eagle Scout from the west does not necessarily know the tricks of firemaking in the soggy south. The kids are already asking when we can go back, and Allie is hoping we can have cookies for breakfast again (we had Pop Tarts). I was worried we would be too cold (it was supposed to get down to 30 degrees), but we were fine, even Kyla.