Thanksgiving Weekend Shenanigans

The day before Thanksgiving, while Andrew took the boys to their school for a few hours (it was an open house type of situation where family was welcome to drop in), I struggled through the motions of getting ready for a big dinner and party. It still didn’t feel like a happy time of year after all the events of Ferguson and emotions still running hot in this city. But sometimes going through the motions gets you somewhere. Sometimes you fake it ’til you make it, and then you happen to look out the window to see big fluffy snowflakes suspended in the air, floating slowly to the ground like magic, and despite what’s going on in the world it feels like the holidays for that moment. So while I chopped and prepped and rolled out pie crusts, beat eggs and whipped potatoes with cream and butter and the smells of baking goods filled the house, I forgot I was faking it and Thanksgiving crept into my soul.

The next day, with a dusting of snow on the ground, it still felt bittersweet, but we rallied and made it welcoming and cheerful in our house. We had a few friends over and ate and ate, and sat by the fire watching five little boys run laps around the house in various stages of undress (mostly Emil) and costumes from the dress-up box.

There were a few sweet quiet moments, but mostly those boys were so amped up all afternoon it was hard for any of us to hear each other above the roar of their shouts and thunderous hoofbeats! I fear our poor friends left feeling a bit frazzled, but I do think the boys all enjoyed it immensely. And I know Andrew and I felt grateful for good friends with whom to celebrate.

We did a lot over the next few days, too. There was the holiday picture ordeal, going out for pizza, yard work and playgrounds and a bit of Christmas shopping (mostly online). I was able to slip out for a drink with my good friend Elisha one night, and on Saturday afternoon we met up with our wonderful friends Maggie and Alex and their two boys for a grand time in Forest Park. The weather was gorgeous and perfect for tree climbing, exploring, walking, and stone-skipping. It’s such a treat to live close by!

  Can you spot Andrew above?

Maggie and Alex are so lovely, it’s just such a treat to be around them — easy and always full of laughter. 

And the above picture really sums up how I feel about little boys — the essence of them, fully engaged in nature and mischief and adventure. I wonder what would have happened if we had left them to their own devices for a few hours…And as if all this fun wasn’t enough, we got to top off the weekend with our friends Drew and Christine at their house for marshmallow roasting last night. Feeling really lucky to have all these great people in our lives! Hope you had a wonderful holiday, and Happy first day of December!