Goodbye 2013 Turkey

Taking this guy down today to make room for our Christmas cards that are already rolling in from the mailbox. I love to see what the kids write on our turkey each year. It reveals their personalities spot on...

CALLAN is thankful for...
Wii
Daddy's sunroof
Uncle Tom (because he plays wii with him when he comes to visit)

KINS is thankful for...
Cupcakes
Mac 'n cheese
My friend, Lily

FINN is thankful for...
Cake
Hotdogs
My friend, Jude

today's snapshot...happy thanksgiving from my turkeys to yours

today's snapshot...pumpkin spice whoopie pies for our neighbors

Kins and Callan had fun delivering these special treats to our neighbors the other night.  They rang each doorbell and shouted, "Happy Thanksgiving!"  It was fun to see them get excited to reach out to our neighbors. 

today's snapshot...how Gene's family spends Thanksgiving break

I'll spare you all the really gross pictures and just leave you with this one.  Each year his extended family kills 4-5 pigs and divides the meat up among everyone.  This was the first year we joined in on the "fun."  Even I helped cut up some pig.  Our freezer is now full of pork tenderloin, ground sausage and the ham and bacon will be sent to us soon. 

Thanksgiving activities

For Thanksgiving Gene did some Native American activities with the kids.  He had just finished a Native American unit with his 4th graders and brought some of his supplies home. 

Gene helped the kids make a "buffalo skin" with Native American symbols on it.

Someone didn't like her headband.

We had some interesting additions to our annual Thanksgiving turkey this year.  Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star was one of them.

 Grover joined in on the Thanksgiving festivities as well.

 Daddy read a Thanksgiving book, too.

 A few weeks prior I helped the kids make a turkey with colorful Popsicle sticks.  Kins wanted to add one big eyeball and one small eyeball to hers.

Here's Callan's...

today's snapshot: our turkey is finished

thank you, jesus

Each morning during breakfast Callan and I read through all the things that we have written on our Thanksgiving turkey and pray for each one of them, thanking Jesus for everything. Yesterday I was getting breakfast ready, and here is the conversation that unfolded:

C: Mommy, pray for turkey.
me: You want to add "turkey" to our list of things that you are thankful for?
C: yes
me: (I added the name "turkey" to a feather on the Thanksgiving turkey and we read through the list of things and prayed for them all.) I ended the prayer by saying...."Thank you for all these things, Jesus."
C: No, Mommy! PEOPLE!
me: Oh, yes! Thank you, Jesus for all these people. Amen.

our "thanks"giving turkey

This year I figured Callan was old enough to help me with a little activity in November. I was going through some of my old school supplies the other day and found this turkey bulletin board set that I used to use with my students. I thought that Callan might really love to help me put the turkey on the kitchen wall and add the name of something/someone that he's thankful for on a feather each day in November leading up to Thanksgiving.

My goal was to add one thing each day, but today he insisted on adding everybody's name in our family (as well as his "green dinosaur" that he carries everywhere with him) today.

Gene's "Family"

Sometimes when Gene tells people just how many "relatives" show up for the holidays at his mom's house, they laugh. This past Thanksgiving weekend, at one informal luncheon that was taking place at my mother-in-law's, Gene and I glanced around and quickly counted about 22 people just waiting to heat up leftovers (and that didn't count those who escaped downstairs at that moment). This picture above shows our try at getting a "family" photo. The reason I say "family" (in quotes) is because basically anyone who walks through the door, be it a true Brannaka blood-relative or not, is immediately referred to as family. Most of the people in the picture are true family members, except about four, but they my as well be. I think I counted about 27 people in the above picture, and that's with some missing. All of them are Gram and Grandpa's kids and grandkids (and spouses). Gene's and my baby will only be the 2nd great-grandchild added to the bunch. The other great-grandchild is now 5 years old, so we'll have the only baby in the family. Needless to say, everyone is already starting a sign-up sheet as to when they get to hold the baby when it arrives. All I have to say is.....you can hold the baby as long as you change it when it poops on you!

What a clan!