Thanksgiving

We managed to pull off a traditional Howland Thanksgiving (minus a house full of soldiers) with very little stress. I think I was most stressed about packing, prepping for this move, and trying to pull off a fantastic holiday for the kids (and Liam’s first Thanksgiving). I’m pleasantly surprised how well I was able to keep my cool. We woke up at a reasonable hour (which was a nice change), and Justin baked some fresh cinnamon rolls for the kids and I. Since we opted to do a small turkey this year, we had more than enough time to relax in the earlier hours of the morning and prep for the turkey around 10am. We ended up putting our ham in the crock pot for a second year in a row (DELISH) and that was a time saver as well. It was so fun being able to utilize my handy helpers this year. Ava has her heart set on being a professional baker when she grows up and she absolutely loves helping us in the kitchen anytime we will let her.

Olivia is following in her big sister’s footsteps. They love to help, season, and pour just about everything. Speaking of the kids, this year we incorporated a week long list of games/activities for the girls to do leading up to the special holiday. We decorated pilgrim hats, we colored turkeys, we extended our thankful tree, we made art crafted three-dimensional turkeys, and we even played Thanksgiving bingo! I know we will definitely carry this with us each year moving forward. This year I decided not to take a full family photo (the kids were TROOPERS at our family photo session this past weekend), so I snapped a few of the kids in their “Thankful 2018” pajamas instead. I was shockingly okay with sunny 60 degree weather in November.

We finished cooking at around 130pm and took in a football game while we ate. We listened to Christmas jams pretty much all day, and we watched the kids chow down on some of their favorite holiday meals. Justin made nana’s famous graham cracker crust chocolate pie and per usual, it was a hit. Liam got to eat some of mama’s favorites too - he didn’t know what to do with all the food on his tray. The holiday season is a constant reminder to be grateful for what you have and who you are able to celebrate these times with. This year was no exception. Our first Thanksgiving as a family of five was beautiful and quaint. Full bellies and our love tanks are completely overflowing.

Happy Thanksgiving, all!