We left on Wednesday morning (I got out early by piggybacking a field visit to Montgomery, NY with the trip to my dad’s), and got in at a decent hour Wednesday night. We had Bailey with us, which was nerve-wracking, given our last experience of her darting in and out of a 5-lane highway and managing to emerge unscathed.
We had assumed that we were on our own for dinner on Wednesday night, but it turned out that my dad’s office hours were cut short, and we were all able to have dinner together. Dennis and Aimee pulled into the driveway right as we unpacked some Thai takeout.
Graem and Grandpa are starting to bond more, and she remembered that he showed her some fun things on the computer during the family reunion last August. It was interesting that she said “My aunties all went home,” and remembered that they visited for family reunion. She also asked where her cousin Cobi was, and we had to tell her that he was at home too.
We went out for a late night run to Toys ‘R Us because we didn’t bring any kid entertainment with us, and had to make a run to the grocery for some missing Thanksgiving items. What a nightmare! The grocery was packed, and all we needed was some chicken broth and pumpkin pie.
Thanksgiving day was pretty uneventful. We went to bed late (for us) on Wednesday night, so Graem and I went for an early (10 AM!) nap because we woke up too early. When we finally got up, we decided to go geocaching and to the playground. It was beautiful out–60s and sunny–so I felt we should take advantage of the weather.
When we got back, we decided to start cooking. At first my dad insisted on a dinner time meal, so we put it off as late as possible. Then at 3, he insisted we start cooking. I pulled out the brined & butterflied turkey that we had let dry in the fridge, and Shawna helped me rub it down with some lemon garlicious. I plugged in the thermometer probe and threw it into the oven. Shawna made potatoes, Dennis made creamed spinach, and I made stuffing.
Somehow, the turkey managed to be undone (the limbs were well done, but the breast was still pink–the first turkey I’ve messed up in about 6 or 7 years), so I kept having to put it back in. Meanwhile, everyone started filling up on all the sides–I was pretty bummed. But when the brid finally came out, it was pretty good. Not my best–I always do better when I’m in my own kitchen.
I was a little disappointed that I didn’t get to explain the whole idea of Thanksgiving to Graem. Everyone just dove into the meal without saying anything. I wanted to tell her that we need to be thankful for our health, our family, and that we can live our lives without want. Oh well.
