Thanksgiving 2010

It's Saturday night and we just said goodbye to the last of our Thanksgiving guests. I am so sad to see it all come to an end. It was so much fun to plan and put everything together for our family, and it was even more wonderful when everyone finally arrived. Lorraine and Al arrived on Tuesday night so that we could cook all day Wednesday. The Vanhorne kids and families arrived Wed. night, John and Cassie and Debbie and Tom arrived Thanksgiving morning. It was so great to be with everyone. We hardly get together anymore and it was so special to spend some real time with everyone. We even got to celebrate Dan's 30th birthday with him. What a great holiday!

Jameson and Alex all snugly

Hannah, Ben and Connor

Tofu was such a good pup

Okay, I know this is a terrible picture of me...but look at this cutie on my lap!This is Dave and Erin's daughter Ava. She pulled out my Martha Stewart magazines and wanted to look through them with me. Love it!

The kids decorated the tablecloth for their table

Connor, Ava, Dave and Tara

Grandma helping Jameson

They did a great job!

Silly boy

Playing games and waiting for dinner

Tara and I set the table

It looked so pretty

Jim carving the turkey and Kate right along side helping him

Giving thanks.

Finally....time to eat

John and Danny

Rainy making Danny's birthday dinner. Yum!

The happy birthday boy

Little cousin buddies

Big cousin buddies

All set to go home...exhausted

The goodbye shot. The entire Vanhorne family!

Just Like Old Times

Today was Kate's alumni volleyball game at NHS. There were so many girls anxious to come back and play, they had to turn people away. They had seven teams that began playing at 1:00 and finished around 5:00. It was so much fun to see the girls from Kate's old team out on the court again and you know what? They picked up right where they left off and were so good! They tied for first place. Of course I was routing for Kate's "we still got it" team, but I also secretly routed for the "90's" team. I have to give those girls credit. They were there with their kids (most of them were mommies), not in the best shape, and they were hustling. Kate's team tied for first place. It was such a fun afternoon!

The team. Lauren, Kate, Alicia, Michelle, Ali, and Tricia

Old friends

Halloween Move

2 Sundays ago Jack and Cassie moved into their new place in Arlington, Ma. Since they had been storing some of their things in our basement, and because we all wanted to pitch in with the move...we packed up the truck and headed for Massachusetts. It was a beautiful day for moving. Sunny skies and just cool enough to make things comfortable. We got all of their things in and there was even time to help clean and unpack a bit. They are settled in now and really enjoying their new place.

So happy to be up early on a Saturday

There is Jim, coming out of their door. It is a 2 family house and they have the first floor.

It is such a nice street. Old homes, sidewalks, quiet...but close enough to stores and restuarants.

Almost done. These strong guys had this truck unloaded quickly.

We had all of their things in before lunch.

Lunchtime. This is the living room. There is a window seat under this bank of windows. I wish I took more pictures to show the beautiful woodwork and built-in cabinets in the dining room. They have a beautiful sunny entryway and even a butlers pantry! It is such a great place!

Cassies birthday had been that week and Kate's the week before, so they had some gifts to unwrap.

Cuties! Before we knew it, it was time to go. Trick or treaters had already begun to dot the streets. What a great day!

Random Prep

Jim and I are getting ready to host our first Thanksgiving that will actually have more than 10 people attending, more than 20, maybe even more than 25! So excited about that. Have I mentioned that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It's all about being with the ones that you love a big bunch and being grateful to our Father in Heaven for all of our countless blessings. Also, the anticipation of Christmas in the air is a bonus that cannot be denied. It is also so much fun for me to plan everything...the menu, the place settings, the sleeping arrangements.
Yesterday we began the house prep. Nothing major, just general organizing and getting the outside ready for winter. First we organized and cleaned the basement (that is still going on today). We took boxes and bags to the goodwill that should have been donated years ago. I am def not a hoarder, but I do ten to hang on to things...just in case. With all the new space, we are shopping for a used refrigerator. We could use one, and with all of the extra food coming into the house for the big day...it will really come in handy. Anyway, we cleaned all of the outside furniture off of the front porch and today it will find a place in the clean basement. The front porch has been scrubbed clean of all the plant debri, spider webs and general grime from the summer and is ready to welcome our guests.
I was up soooo early this morning, so I cleaned out the coat closet. I have lots of coats to donate or give away and now plenty of room for all of the coats that will be coming in. We are on a roll! If you want to get your house in tip top shape...have a party. There is no better motivation to organize and clean for me.
I hope that you all are getting some contentment in packing it all in for the winter, battening down the hatches and getting ready for the cold winds that have begun to blow.