Thanksgiving

This year, we were blessed with a bucket full of family for Thanksgiving! My brother and his family came - Ela, Ana, Emma, Colin and Aunt Nuta. My sister and family came - John, Jack, James, Grace, Kaylinn, Justus, Liberty, Josiah...I think I got them all. And us Holdgates.

Scott and Ela arrive Wednesday, the day before, just in time for dinner. Then John and Jamey arrived the next morning. After the first 20 minutes of the cousins meeting and greeting each other, things settled down, for about 10 minutes. With 13 kids ranging from 11 or 12 down to 6 months, anything could happen. Thank goodness, nothing happened this season. This is the only picture I managed to take due to overwelming cooking demands, but you can see 8 of the cousins, less the 4 who were hopefully napping.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love the food, the fellowship, the naps and the beginning of the holiday season. Also, James' birthday is around and sometimes on Thanksgiving and our anniversary is right around there also. So, there's always a lot to be thankful for.

Here are some of my thanks-givings:

1. 4 years ago I gave birth to our little butterball, James

2. 5 years ago. Alex and I were in Annapolis, preparing to start a life together

3. My siblings and in-laws and nieces and nephews

4. Even though we didn't get to see my other brother Jimmy or my parents, We remembered them and missed them terribly

5. I'm thankful for new recipes...some good and some bad

6. I'm thankful for 5 years of adventures with my husband, Alex. Hopefully the next 5 won't be so adventurous :)

All in all, I'm just thankful. Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Holidays!