Turkey Day 2009

Was amazing.

Here's how it went:

• slept in until 7:15am! [yea!]
• ran [too far] - which turned out to be a blessing because - I finally remembered to get these [8 spudnuts]:

• yum - yum - yum! My spudnuts from Halloween! Thanks to "buff" they were incredible. 5 layers of foil, 1 layer of wax paper and 2 layers of plastic wrap....they were beautiful.

playing Taboo after too much food. just like the old days. hilarious. Evie & Shar [hands-down] the funnest people to play this with. best moment: happy saying, "you get these at a restaurant with a little paper - they say like conscience says...." i think she means, "Confucius says". Second best . . . anytime anyone starts out, "this is something [insert name] is . ." This game is not for the sensitive at heart. Curious ---- why am I the easy target? [don't answer that]

Peanut had stayed the night T-day Eve to "help Nana". Not only did she make this sweet floral arrangement - she included a sultry PJ pose. hubba-hubba.

She may now make rolls better than me?!! [helping in the kitchen?!] I can't pay this kid to help me cook?!!!

• The "K-Clan" helping me find the best running music --- ever.
• The Pita doing all [yes, all] the dishes.
• 7 pies and one amazing bread pudding [made by yours truly].
• each of us trying to pretend we hadn't already gathered a secret stash of orange rolls in the cupboard when mom asked if we wanted to take some home.
• no one touching the cranberry salad thing.
• Happy making 40lbs of mashed potatoes - no joke.
• Dave walking in with a look like, "I wish this was a joke"
• being [semi-nicely forced] to take 7lbs of mashed potatoes home with us/EACH.
• E & J reporting some serious LB'S lost - yea for you guys!
• The biggest hug ever from Ethan
• E & J's kids are turning into carbon copies of "buff" - good thing I adore him & his unique sense of humor. ;)
• Tiff with the sweetest new "do".
• Dad trying "a little of each dessert"
• Mom finding new ways to incorporate her iPhone into anything we were doing. love it.
• walking to the park with the neighbor's kids & our dogs.

I'm realizing I may love this day even more than I had thought.

I am one blessed woman.

Worth it

Guess I'd have to mark the Pita's crabby mood this afternoon as "worth it", after receiving these upon his return home.

Notice the raisin free carrot cake - it is a Trader Joe's miracle!

Welcome to the good life.

We surprised Peanut with a 3 night stop over in Fiji [on the way back from NZ]. beautiful.

Any one who knows my Peanut knows - she loves to read. Anytime we hop in the car - she reads. In sacrament meeting - reading. In the bath [sorry mesquite library, she'll try harder not to drop them in the suds] - reading.

Now - in Fiji - reading.

Now if I could just learn to follow suit.

That "happy".

She is a funny little tart. So my Mom sent a "here's what each of you ungrateful children [other than EMZ] need to bring to contribute for Thanksgiving dinner" email. First you must know - I come from a family of "reply all's"......why would they just reply to Mom when they can "reply to all" and we can all see how willing they are to make/help/contribute?!

I was thinking just this as I read Happy's email but then I noticed my contributions had been jacked.

I went from Emz: soup, dessert & salad

to this: soup, dessert, salad, 7 homemade pies, more potatoes [Happy may not bring enough], your amazing brownies JIC someone doesn't want pie, green pistachio salad that Dave likes, green bean casserole & olives for our fingers.

Bring on the Holiday's! Can't wait until Happy gets my "reply all" email.

Is it wrong?

Is it wrong to [some days] wish I was a dog?

Seriously. What a rough life.

Is it really that mean to go and wake them up for no reason at all?

taking time to savour the moment

The "bed time" routine in our home . . . well it could use a little improvement. Some days - like when Peanut was severely jet-lagged - go beautifully. She would actually ask if she could go to bed. [twist my arm - okay, go for it]. Other days, she will do anything to postpone the inevitable - even if for only for 1-2 minutes.

It's usually pans out like this:

*Mom, let's just relax and cuddle on the couch for a minute first.
*Mom, tell me a story from your childhood.
*So what was the best thing about your day today?
*What's your favorite food?
*What's your favorite animal?
*{and it goes on & on} . . . .

Most nights [when it's a reasonable [within 30 minutes of bed time] - I "cave" - meaning - I answer my dear sweet daughter's questions. [PLEASE note: she very rarely asks me anything of this nature before 8:30pm - I am not being mean, I just see a pattern here.]

So fast forward to last night. 9:25pm [keep in mind - this is 55 minutes late to bed in our home].

Peanut: Mom - want me to rub your feet?
Me: Yes - tomorrow at 7:30pm - I'll bring the lotion to you.
Peanut: No Mom. Tonight. Well then, tell me another story from your childhood.
Me: Ellie it's so late - ask me in the morning. I'll think of something really good while I'm sleeping.
Peanut: awwwe Mom - come on!!
Me: Get to bed "on-time" - I'll tell you all the stories you want.
Peanut: fine [this is not my favorite reply - but I'll take it tonight]

[kisses all over the face - {routine} - forehead, chin, nose, cheek, cheek, mouth]

Me: See you in the morning. Love you.
Peanut: Mom - come back. Sit down on my bed.
Me: Ellie - it's late. [I'm thinking there was something like an eye roll right here] - I ...
{she interrupts}
Peanut: Mom? Do you know how much I love you?
Me: [can feel the tears forming] Yes, Ellie - you show me how much you love me everyday. I love you.
Peanut: please don't go - I need to read you something......[leans over pulls out, "Mama, do you love me?"]

She proceeds to read the entire book to me - slowly and calmly - hitting each punctuation perfectly - with such meaning. Closes the book - looks at me and says. "Mom, just want you to know, I know how much you love me."

So today - I am thankful. Thankful for my peanut. Thankful for her tenderness. Thankful for her persistence. Thankful she stopped me and had me chill out about "time" and running "late" and enjoy this tender moment with my girl. I will remember it always.

only 7 more days

..... Until my favorite day of the year [other than my birthday, of course].

Turkey Day.

However, I don't even care for turkey. What I do love is most everything else about this day, minus the dishes.

Ours is a simple enough event with all the familiar details - the door left open so we can have the fireplace going, platters of carved meat, Dave's famous "green" jell-o [I think] salad and of course orange rolls - lots of orange rolls. As each family member rolls in, they are all greeted as if they are the only person who will be attending. From Papa, we can Always look forward to a, "how are you honey" to each of us girls & a kiss on the cheek. Nana - lovingly says "hello" from the kitchen as she is elbow high in roll dough. Each person can smell the fresh apple pie - already.

Their house feels bigger than normal on this special day. Every room silently serves it's own unique purpose. Kitchen - expect to jostle a little for "first bites" and a lot of "I had better try that first". Shar wondering if 20 pounds of potatoes is "enough" - she's not joking. She's really concerned. Family room - noise. Good noise. Like the Cowboy's loosing kind of noise. Living room - plans. Shopping plans. Shopping strategies. Coupons. Evie declaring she'll be there for a 4am store opening. The rest of us pretending - we are already "done" with our shopping. Mom's sewing room - Ethan. Nothing is as sweet as seeing Ethan singing and dancing to movie clips. Kids room - jumping. Lots of jumping. Puzzle pieces everywhere but no one puts them together. Enough monopoly money on the floor to solve the health care crisis. Smiles. Lots & lots of smiles. Cousins reunited. Friendships rekindled. Den - a room full of three to six 14-20 year olds texting. Each other. Me. The best feeling ever.

All around - backs are being slapped. Absences - noted. Hands shaken. Hugs given. Love felt. How can this not be the best day ever?