pie day and thanksgiving

We came home from our camping trip and jumped right into Pie Day (the day before Thanksgiving). The kids have loved this tradition the last few years and take a lot of pride in making the pies, start to finish.

Cutting up the shortening for the crust...

While the dough chilled in the freezer, the kids worked on setting the tables.

Then it was time to roll out the crusts and bake them...

While the crusts baked, the kids cooked the pudding for the pies...

As Colby was licking the spatula, Auntie Mel Mel reached over and "helped" Colby get a big taste all over his face.  He was laughing so hard and just embraced the mess. 

We thought chocolate pudding pie was the favorite, so we made four of those! On Thanksgiving morning, Colby commented to me that banana pudding was actually his favorite!  Grandma had banana pudding, but since nobody mentioned that, we went for four chocolates.  There's always next year, buddy!

Kevin and Colby played in a Turkey Bowl on Thanksgiving morning while Brooke and I enjoyed sleeping in...

They were stinky and tired by the time they arrived back home, but they had a great time with ward friends. 

Grandma and Papa requested an updated family picture, so we arrived ready for pictures :)  For not coordinating our outfits at all, I was quite impressed with how well the colors all worked together. 

It was a beautiful Fall day in Texas, so we enjoyed most of the day outside.  My favorite was watching the kids play volleyball and hearing their volleyball team cheers.

Colby spent time coaching Kinley on how to correctly throw a football :)

We had a yummy meal, as usual!  Grandma and Papa cooked the turkey and Kevin was the master carver.

We also had ham, rolls, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, salad, a veggie tray, and grapes.

The infamous turkey hat (from Auntie Mel Mel) made its' annual appearance.

We ended the night writing down all the things we're thankful for and adding them to the turkey box Brooke made for Activity Days.  (Shawna was in charge of this one and it was a great way to shift our focus to feelings of gratitude for what we have.)

We are so grateful that we live near family so we can celebrate holidays together.  It was such a beautiful day full of great food and family memories.