Here we are, minus three. It really is a bit of a miracle that I managed to get everyone in and looking in the same direction. (Click any of these to enlarge) (if you dare)
This is my mom and her sisters and most of the cousins. We are missing the oldest, Michael and the youngest, Robin and her older brother Chris. Robin would be in the front row sticking out her butt with me in the front.
These are all of the babies of us cousins. Our DNA improves with every generation.
This is my immediate family, minus my sweet dad. 
This is my crew. We really dressed up for this one!
When I get together with this group, memories of old times come flooding back. Memories, some good, bad and ugly. Some of my favorite include the year the famous kid table got moved outside. It was downright freezing, and we took drastic measure to stay warm. We went inside in intervals and swiped all of the brown and serve rolls and stuffed our jackets for warmth. On the rare occasion that we had Thanksgiving at my grandparents house, we spent most of our time in trouble for kicking and retrieving the ball from the forbidden garden. There were also the many Thanksgivings at Cottonwood Park. Our parents had no earthly idea what we were doing for about 7 hours every Thanksgiving. Most of our adventures included spinning someone on the merry-go-round until the involuntary vomit emerged. We threw stuff, and occasionally each other, into the creek. We also passed time by blaming everything on Chris and making Casey cry. We went way too far past our boundary's and did countless acts that we would never admit to. Than of course, there was the Thanksgiving that we lost April and Robin all together. They went "exploring" out in the woods behind our house. Several hours later the girls were found and all was well.
Today, there is a whole new generation of mischiefs. They seem like seasoned vets already. It's so neat to see a family grow and change. There also seemed to be a huge hole in our celebration. There was someone missing. My dad was sorely missed. He always kicked the dinner off with a prayer. I dare to say that some did not even notice that he did that every year and maybe no one noticed that he was not the one that did it this year, but I did. I love that he always wanted to take time to thank God for our crazy family and our over abundant lunch and dinner. I am so thankful that he walks with angels this year, and he is no longer in a silent pain, but he is desperately missed.
When I get together with this group, memories of old times come flooding back. Memories, some good, bad and ugly. Some of my favorite include the year the famous kid table got moved outside. It was downright freezing, and we took drastic measure to stay warm. We went inside in intervals and swiped all of the brown and serve rolls and stuffed our jackets for warmth. On the rare occasion that we had Thanksgiving at my grandparents house, we spent most of our time in trouble for kicking and retrieving the ball from the forbidden garden. There were also the many Thanksgivings at Cottonwood Park. Our parents had no earthly idea what we were doing for about 7 hours every Thanksgiving. Most of our adventures included spinning someone on the merry-go-round until the involuntary vomit emerged. We threw stuff, and occasionally each other, into the creek. We also passed time by blaming everything on Chris and making Casey cry. We went way too far past our boundary's and did countless acts that we would never admit to. Than of course, there was the Thanksgiving that we lost April and Robin all together. They went "exploring" out in the woods behind our house. Several hours later the girls were found and all was well.Today, there is a whole new generation of mischiefs. They seem like seasoned vets already. It's so neat to see a family grow and change. There also seemed to be a huge hole in our celebration. There was someone missing. My dad was sorely missed. He always kicked the dinner off with a prayer. I dare to say that some did not even notice that he did that every year and maybe no one noticed that he was not the one that did it this year, but I did. I love that he always wanted to take time to thank God for our crazy family and our over abundant lunch and dinner. I am so thankful that he walks with angels this year, and he is no longer in a silent pain, but he is desperately missed.
No comments:
Post a Comment