Thanksgiving

We were all so excited to head to Thomasville for the long weekend and see the fam! Unfortunately everyone else was also on the road at the same time so the drive was much longer than normal. The kids were very anxious to be out of the car by the time we got to Mema and Pepa's. Erik and Faith were already there by the time we got there so we all went out to dinner together at Beef O'Brady's. After stuffing ourselves full we headed back to the house to visit and hang out some before the busyness of the next day. Thursday morning we got up and headed to Tallahassee to Auntie Jo's for Thanksgiving Dinner. There is always a lot more food than anyone can eat and the leftovers are just as wonderful! Before dinner we snack on veggie trays, Erik's famous deviled eggs, and a relish tray. We had a great time catching up with family members that we only see on holidays. The kids were busy as well. Auntie Jo has a wagon with hay for the kids to go on hayrides up and down the long driveway and the kids always love feeding the geese in the backyard by the lake. I brought some activities to occupy them: pin the feather on the turkey, Thanksgiving bingo, coloring pages, and a Thanksgiving matching game. They kept themselves occupied with the activities while the adults kept themselves occupied with the talking! When dinner was ready the real fun started! We piled those plates up high with all the good stuff: turkey and dressing, ham, sweet potato casserole, green beans, Mema's mashed potatoes, Aunt Cindy's baked ziti, rolls, and salad. The only decision to be made is whether to eat too much of the real stuff or wait for dessert time to eat too much! Aunt Cindy's cheesecake is the best! But we also have pecan pie and cookies. About half of us eat in the den in front of the football games and the other half eat out on the lanai. There is always a lot of talking and laughter throughout the day. For all our faults we love each other and when push comes to shove no one else messes with our family! By the time we headed home the kids were exhausted. Mema and I looked at the sale papers to decide when we were going to head out in the morning. There weren't any door buster items we just had to get so we decided to sleep in and go shopping a little later. We still managed to get everything we wanted to get and everyone was in much better moods! We had a lot of fun at the mall and finished up our shopping, what a relief! We headed home a little early to meet up with Erik, Faith and Anna. This was the first time we met Erik's girlfriend since she is in school in Texas and hasn't been home for an extended amount of time since summer. We got the picture albums out so Anna could see pictures and hear stories of Erik when he was younger. That was hilarious! As is our tradition, we went to supper at Crawdaddy's in Thomasville so the guys could have all-you-can-eat crab legs. I think the waitress was surprised by how much they can eat! Mema's friends Ricky and Ann came to so we had a full table or two or three! We always love eating at that restaurant, it's the best seafood in T'ville! After dinner Mema had the waitresses sing to Roy since my family didn't get to celebrate his birthday with him last week. He was quite red and I can't believe we didn't get a picture! He was very excited that they had gotten his watch fixed for him. We wore ourselves out for a second day in a row so we headed home after we finished eating his dessert. Saturday morning dawned bittersweet, we were sad to leave but anxious to get home. We planned a family breakfast in Tallahassee at Cracker Barrel so everyone could meet Erik's girlfriend Anna and Will's girlfriend Chelsea. Fitzgerald party of 20, your table is now available. It was a mad house but we had so much fun. The cousins all sat together and visited. I never know just how many stories we are gonna tell or who will be picked on this time but it is always a lot of laughs. It was so great to spend more time together! As if we hadn't packed enough into this weekend, we also decided to let the kids open some Christmas presents before we headed home. It was a whirlwind! We had so much fun and were sad to leave everyone but I have to admit I was glad to be home too!