Thanksgiving Together

We are feeling refreshed after a nice week off from routine!  It was a little rocky at first, because Noah had to continue quarantining due to a Covid exposure at school.  Matt got creative and built a Jacob's Ladder toy with him, played model trains, and we played a bunch of board games.  

Once the quarantine was lifted, Matt took the kids climbing at Metro Rock.  I was recovering from my Covid booster, and while it was easier than my 2nd dose, I was pretty tired and didn't feel like doing much.  Thankfully, I was able to nap and have a lazy day!  

Post-booster scene

Someone kept a close eye on Mommy...and guarded all the pillows, too!

Evie got to have a fun movie date with her friend Carlee, which also saved us from complete cabin fever meltdown!

Finally, Thanksgiving Day arrived, and we were excited to be able to gather with family!  We started the day with a 1-mile Turkey Trot in our neighborhood (no pic, because moods were not cooperating, ha ha!), followed by a Family Turkey Bowl game.  As you can imagine, after Noah has played so many football "games" by himself in the yard, he was thrilled to have actual teams (Green Mountain Gobblers vs. The Gravy Train), a big field, and friendly competition.  There was plenty of mud to go around, too!  Everyone ended with a smile...and the Green Mountain Gobblers were the Turkey Bowl Champs for 2021!

Evie had cold feet, so she and Grandma "shared" boots (yes, they wear the same size)

The Gravy Train

The Green Mountain Gobblers

After the big game, everyone went home to work on preparing some food, and then we joined back together for a cozy evening and an amazing feast!

It was SO nice to be together around the big table!

Feeling lazy

So much delicious food!

The celebration continued on Friday, and we shared a meal and played some games with Grandma Karen!

Mother Nature brought a big surprise for the final weekend of vacation...SNOW!  It was only about 4 inches, but still exciting.  I don't know if Frankie or the kids were more excited about this, but it was like Christmas morning.  The novelty of playing in the snow was invigorating, and they were outside by 7:15am on Saturday morning in full snow gear.  We went sledding and did some shoveling, and it was like magic, because the kids were completely entertained.

Everyone was tired and happy by the evening, and the kids built a quasi-gingerbread house.  It's actually a "cookie house" with Sour Patch Kids, but it came together pretty easily and was fun to decorate.  Lots more festive Christmas preparations to come soon!

Funny moment of the week...courtesy of Evie!  After nagging reminding her to refill the toilet paper when it's gone, she left me this little surprise in the bathroom.  All I could do was laugh!

Frankie got her holiday haircut and is looking extra festive with her new bandana!  Or maybe she's just smiling because of the snow! :-)