thanksgiving

These two started off the day playing football in the annual Turkey Bowl! They came home muddy and wet, but they sure had fun :). 

Brooke and I prepared the sweet potatoes, then we all showered up and headed to Flower Mound. The kids were eager to start playing, but we made sure to first get a family picture.  Normally, Jerry asks one of the kids in his Sunday school class to come take it, but since McKay and Savannah were in town visiting, they did the honors. 

McKay (Kevin's cousin) and Savannah recently moved from Utah to Tulsa, Oklahoma and asked if they could come spend the holiday with us.  It was nice to catch up with McKay and meet Savannah since we weren't able to go to their wedding last Fall. 

The cousins...

We prepped more of the food, then taught everyone (including McKay and Savannah's friends who also joined us) how to play Skull King.  Some people had to be on teams since our group was quite large, but it worked out well for those just learning the game. 

Then it was time to get back in the kitchen to finish all the food...

Colby helped Papa smoke the ham...

Kevin carved the turkey...

Mel and I :)

We had quite the feast...

I loved watching the kids fill their plates with yummy food.  My kids don't eat a lot of the traditional Thanksgiving foods, but they did have mashed potatoes, rolls, veggies + dip, and lots of the apple punch that Kinley made.

Once we were adequately stuffed, we relaxed and played more games...

I think Kevin was the overall champ at Skull King, which made me happy since he was kind of burnt out of the game after our trip to San Diego in the summer. 

And last, but not least, was eating pie and writing words of gratitude on the leaves of Brooke's Thankful Tree.  She made that cute tree at Activity Days, and I have a feeling that this might become a new tradition.  

We have so much to be thankful for, and it's nice to have a holiday to really focus on gratitude for those blessings!!