Thanksgiving in Memphis Part Two

Thanksgiving day turned out to be a beautiful day in Memphis.  We had such a fun time of enjoying each other's company, cooking, playing, eating, and eating some more!  I'm thankful for such a lovely family (both inside and out).  It's so comforting to be with the people we love as we celebrate how the Lord is working in our lives.  Soooo much to be thankful for!

Dinner preparations start early in the day on Thanksgiving morning.  

I kept the kiddos occupied while my mom, sisters, and aunt were busy in the kitchen.

sweet baby Reese!  

I can't get enough of that precious smile!

We were also planning to have an early Christmas celebration in a couple of days, so my dad and Josh brought in the big Christmas tree...

looks like Josh may be getting swallowed up by the giant tree!  haha!  "hold on, josh!  we'll save you!!!"

Josh keeps Oscar safe while the kids love on him  ;)

sweet little oscar...

he is so patient with all the little ones!

my kids adore him!!!

mario's task of the day was to build my dad some shelving units for his store room

he was hard at work most of the day, but he turned a chaotic storage room into...

this!

ahhhhh, much better!

well done, my hubby!

he earned the "master carpenter of the day" award!  :)

i love this picture--

all the cars lined up show there is lots of family nearby, and the trikes mean little ones are underfoot

it's a busy stage of life, but i wouldn't trade it for anything!

grandad keeps the kiddos occupied while we put the finishing touches on the meal

ta-da!!!  yum...

ham & turkey, delle's dressing, sweet potato casserole, scallped potatoes (a labor of love), homemade rolls, veggies, and fruit salad--all the traditional foods that make this meal feel like "home".

i love it!

these guys had a blast hanging out some more

i think grandad rather enjoyed being so close to the kids' table!  haha!

he loves these little boys, silly faces and all!

the best part of the day--enjoying the results of our hard work

my dad leads the family in prayer, then we go fill our plates--buffet style

love this pic of my sweet sis michelle and her hubby josh...

don't they make an adorable couple?!?

Our time in Memphis isn't over yet!  We'll squeeze some more events in--just you wait and see!  ;)