Thanksgiving 2013

Thanksgiving Day: a time to count our blessings, indulge in a festive meal, and enjoy time with family (or friends who are like family).

John's parents and grandmother came over for Thanksgiving fun and feasting on Thursday afternoon. Grandma Janice brought out the old hand-crank egg beaters so the children could whip the cream, a Roberts family tradition.

Yum!

Genia and I worked together on what turned out to be a gorgeous 20-pound turkey, if I do say so myself. It wasn't very thawed out on Wednesday morning, despite several days in the fridge, so we opened it up and soaked it in a saltwater brine overnight. That did the trick, along with an herb butter, to produce a moist, tasty bird.

We also enjoyed mashed potatoes, roasties, broccoli casserole, stuffing, butternut squash, cranberry sauce and pumpkin cake for dessert.

Here's the children's table during the pre-meal prayer time. Violet had just announced that she is thankful this year for underwear. Classy girl!

Speaking of prayer, our little Owen has grown quite devout over the last few months. He always wanted to pray - at length - before each meal, and often stated that he is "thankful for God and Jesus."

After dinner, Janice played guitar for a family singing session. She later lead us in a game in which she paired us up, handed out paper and pencils, and had us draw our partner. We then came together to view each drawing and identify the person.

It was certainly a fun and memorable Thanksgiving, and we're grateful to have been welcomed so warmly by all the Roberts.