Thanksgiving chez Rogers

If you follow along, you know that we spend Thanksgiving with the Bryner family each year.  It's one of our very favorite traditions that we lucked into.

 Have you met the Bryners??

This year, however, Rickie was less than a week away from giving birth and I had a whole flock of family flying in, so we offered to host everyone here.  Now, it was nowhere near as amazing as anything Rickie puts together, but it was wonderful nonetheless.

So we've got 10 extra family members coming into town, a race, hosting Thanksgiving, baptizing my son the next day, hosting another food fest and celebrating a birthday all in about a 36 hour time span.  Plus I'm a horrible cook, so we played it safe and ordered Thanksgiving dinner.  Which was a fantastic idea because our dinner numbers kept growing every day that last week.

My mom and I picked up Thanksgiving dinner on Wednesday and stuck it in the fridge at my girlfriend Brenda's house because there was not an empty spot in my kitchen and our fridge in the garage died just in time to become the hiding place for all of my Christmas gifts.

All we had to do was borrow a spare oven, reheat everything and serve!

Well we did make some things from scratch.  Dustin made some extra mashed potatoes with our fresh from Idaho potatoes, my mom made jello salad and green bean casserole and I put together a salad, lemon bars and pumpkin bars.  Mike and Rickie brought a spread for appetizers andLion House rolls with honey butter.  I was so worried there wouldn't be enough food, but as always there was plenty.  We actually had 2 turkeys.  And I'm not talking about Mike and Dustin.  We really had 2 turkeys.

We ate outside because the weather has been gorgeous here.  Ellie and Kristine had a wonderful time decorating everything. Please see their work below on the children's pavilion:

 I wish I had a picture of the adult tables, because they were actually really pretty.  And now I have all these Fall place settings and napkins.  I'll have to host something again soon.

Some more friends came over for dessert -- pumpkin pie, cherry pie, banana cream pie, chocolate mousse pie, pecan pie, ice cream, lemon bars and pumpkin bars.  I'm sick just typing it all out. I have decided that I am only making lemon bars for Thanksgiving dinner from now on since they were the only thing that were completely gone when the night was over.

Too bad none of us like ASU, that would have made a great picture in our gold and maroon (are those even the colors??  I seriously need to start liking them in case my kids go there -- shiver).

After dessert the kids put on a talent show for us.

They started off using the "littlest kiddie table" as a stage, but as more and more performers and helpers appeared, they moved to standing behind the firepit and telling spooky stories.

I think this is Luke telling us about the monsters that ate Nate and Sadie.  Obviously they kept the audience's attention. 

 

I am so grateful for everyone we ended up having around our tables -- my sister and family, Dustin's brother and family, both sets of parents, a fabulous aunt and uncle and friends who feel like family.  A house full of people is always such a blessing.  We are so lucky to have so many people to love.

I can't believe I almost forgot the best part of the night -- BLACK FRIDAY!  I have never gone Black Friday shopping so I was a little stressed out with Kathleen and Kyle offered to take Ellie and her friend to Wal-Mart with them Thursday night for the toy sale.  I believe Kathleen's exact words were, "What do *you people* think happens on Black Friday?  I'm taking my BABY!  All it is, is a lot of waiting in line." 

Ellie loved it and now I'm worried that she is hooked and I am going to be stuck taking her for the rest of her life (also super proud that she didn't give into the thrill and waster her money on stuff just because it was cheap).