A family Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving happened already and then...wait!  December??  I guess I vaguely recognize you.

For once I am over-run with pictures and things to blog about, but have had little time and much procrastination.  Well, Thanksgiving is already a week into the past, but it feels like much longer ago.  Last year at this time I was on the other side of the country with aunts, uncles, and cousins.  This year I stayed closer to home, and I was the aunt.  Even though I've been an aunt for 10 years, it sometimes still comes as a strange feeling.

Most of my family--brothers, sisters, in-laws, nieces, and nephews--got to be in the same place for the day, cooking, playing games, and laughing at the way kids say and do.

Most people think I'm crazy, but washing and stuffing the turkey is my absolute favorite thing about Thanksgiving...every. single. year.  Some of you may be thinking "are her Thanksgiving holidays really that pathetic?"  But, really.  I just love this part because raw meat is the best.  Is there anyone else out there?........

Some of us spent a lot of the afternoon playing Pit, which always gets pretty loud and exciting.  The Smalls are competitive people, and we can all yell numbers just fine.

Some of the younger kids played under the table while we gamed away above.  I wonder if it was sound proof under there?

I love that Thanksgiving is an extra day to set aside to remember all the big and little things about the past year that made the year what it was.  Some things were mentioned that I forgot even happened this year!  It's been a quick, long year.