Thanksgiving 2007 and Thankful Post 22

This year's West Coast Thanksgiving was at the Arizona Murphys, with Michael and Terri coming to visit us Wednesday evening and staying all weekend. Several Thanksgiving traditions have been started over the last five years, many of which I am grateful to share and a few that we would rather not have made a tradition. Here is breakfast on Thursday morning with a ham, egg and cheese "braid" that was more of a "X" style (sorry, Sheila-recipe interpretation isn't a strong point. I could not figure out the measuring of strips, even WITH Terri, then braiding them, so I just put them on haphazardly).

A new tradition started this year with my son Ian helping make the apple pie. We picked out the apples together earlier in the week and he helped put the apples in the shell and pinched the crusts together. When it came time to actually eat the apple pie, he ignored it in favor of the chocolate pie and ice cream. The apple pie came out pretty well! I also made a lemon icebox pie, which Michael definitely turned into an ice block when he turned down the freezer temps. Another Thanksgiving tradition for him.
Terri posted an appetizer recipe on her blog, one that she was planning to make for all of us. I quickly put her in charge of appetizers, a role I don't think she was bargaining for, but she is the appetizer queen. But, since we are a reciprocal little bunch, I will be happy to make appetizers on the next visit.
Another tradition is taking a picture of the sunny, balmy temperature of the day. It was a chilly 76 degrees on Friday, which many Arizonans were dressed in long sleeves and jackets and flip-flops.
We ate Thanksgiving Dinner around 6pm, with lots of coercion to get Ian to eat something. Connor ate all of his corn and passed his olives and stuffing to Terri, since he wasn't interested.
Normally, Thomas is the one teaching our boys questionable table manners, yet here is Cool Uncle Mike giving Ian something new to try.

Giving thanks. Ian was especially thankful this year for his pillow and his blanket.
And Uncle Mike proudly looks on as Ian tries the spoon to nose trick.
Ian has been watching the Backyardigans "Super Spy" episode (this is a brilliant little show, my thanks to all of the creators!) and participation in the dance sequences. Uncle Mike was allowed to help when it required two dancers.
Daddy was recruited when they needed three dancers. See, Aunt Soooz, we are grooming your little dance partner!
I just had to include this pose because it was too funny.

Michael and Terri also helped us rearrange furniture and rooms in our house, organizing us in a much better way. I didn't take any photos because we were all busy moving furniture around.

The biggest highlight of our weekend was a huge milestone for Connor. This little guy surprised us in his OT appointment by signing and saying "more" while Thomas was squeezing and rolling him on the floor. Later that evening, Thomas was rolling and hugging him on the floor and stopped to ask if Connor wanted more.
And he did! Here is our little guy doing the sign for "more"!!!!!! He has been doing this sign several times this weekend and we are incredibly proud and thankful for this!

On Friday, we took our holiday decorations and put up the tree. Ian was so excited, saying, "This is a beautiful tree! This is going to be great!" He was an excellent helper too. His reward: hot cocoa!
Here's the other reason for picking this photo of Ian above. He looks like a boy. Not a little boy, not a toddler. Just a regular boy without the all of the littleness. Like I can almost see more than I want to right now.

Finally, the boys went on a hike with Ian, while Terri and I shopped for our cookie decorating supplies. During that time, I was feeling a little funky, not too hungry, so I had a peppermint mocha frap, which hit me like a ton of bricks, I felt pretty shaky from all the caffeine.

The 5th Annual Cookie Bake began. We came home, made the dough and rolled and baked the cookies. Ian was a terrific little helper, in fact, he lasted until the last few cookies before getting bored. Following the cookie baking, I had to rest as I was beginning to feel feverish and achy. This is NOT a tradition we care to repeat-as Terri posted in her blog-last year's aftermath was horrendous.

I ended up with a lot of pain in my abdomen, which I was willing to stay home and sleep off. As it turns out, my husband took me to the ER, where we stayed from 6pm-1:15am. The pain was worsening on my left side (I have no appendix, although one nurse told me it can regenerate!). After a CAT scan and ultrasound, turns out they didn't even figure it out! So I am on mega doses of antibiotics and painkillers and I have to follow up tomorrow with one of my regular docs. Today I am feeling achy and nauseated from all of the meds, but I am functional. Hopefully, we can quash this unpleasant tradition after this year!! Yikes!

So, we didn't get to decorate the cookies together. They will just go in the freezer for now. Thankfully, everyone else is feeling better-oh, yes, there were some moments where Michael, Thomas and Connor were not feeling so great this weekend.

Michael and Terri-thank you for coming to spend the holiday with us and we enjoyed our time with you, as we always do. Thank you for being pinch-hit babysitters and interior decorators.
We love you both.

I am so grateful for traditions, new and old and my son Connor's precious word "MORE!"