This Thanksgiving we had a lot to be thankful for. All of Josh's family came to be together at our house. There were twelve adults, two "big" kids, four two year olds, and three babies.
How does a pregnant mother of twins prepare for this? Well in advance! I started in August. I dedicated a section of my notebook to the event and began planning where everyone would sleep, how many pack n' plays, towels and pillows we needed, and what we would all eat for the 10 nights we would have guests. Two families had to stay in hotels.
Here was our menu:
Saturday: pasta with chicken and asparagus.
Sunday: meatloaf
Monday: chicken enchiladas
Tuesday: shredded beef tacos
Wednesday: lasagna
Thursday: turkey, potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry salad, rolls, stuffing, peas and carrots, and pies - apple, banana cream, cherry, and pumpkin
Friday: picnic of sandwiches for lunch, dinner out
Saturday: three batches of waffles, fried mashed potatoes and bacon for breakfast; beef brisket for dinner
Sunday: leftovers
All had sides, salads and desserts. Are you stuffed yet? Here are the varieties of milk we had: whole, 2%, skim, Lac*taid whole, and rice milk.
To budget my money at energy, I began buying for this event in August. One red curtain panel a month at Bed, Bath & Beyond with their 20% off coupon, roasts from Costco (did you know you can buy bigger quantities of meat for cheaper if you talk to the butcher?), crisco, butter, three ten-pound bags of flour, cereal, toilet paper, paper towels, laundry and dishwasher detergent, Thanksgiving stickers for the kids, dessert plates from the dollar bins at Target. The boys and I shopped all over town, all the time to find the different deals on things we needed. I borrowed an extra gravy boat, cookie sheet, serving bowls and spoons, and pack n' play. I counted how many matching goblets I had and figured out how many adults and kids would need to sit at each table to make all of the dishes match. I checked my list of supplies, groceries, and scheduled food purchases and cooking each night before I went to bed and each morning before I got out of bed. Josh took me out on his birthday and forbade me from speaking about Thanksgiving! It was hard! I was admittedly obsessed.
Then, the cooking began. I did a little each day, for a long time. I made two lasagnas, two ice cream pies, two enchilada casseroles, four dozen crescent dinner rolls, a double recipe of mint-frosted brownies ahead of time and froze them in my friend's garage freezer with the brisket and two pot-roasts we never ate. I also made Lucia buns because I knew I would be too tired to make them after Thanksgiving with the boys' birthday the day before Lucia day.
The family trickled in. First Ben and Kristy arrived from Idaho with their two kids. Noah is just Sam and Michael's age. They played well together until the house got a little crazy, then it was each man for himself. Here they are all looking at the garbage truck outside! Little boy bonding at its best.
The next group was John and Brittany from Philadelphia, and Sarah and Shawn with their girls from Seattle. My boys were in heaven playing all kinds of imaginary games with these girls! I wish I had pictures of the roaring princess lion and the hunters, but you'll just have to imagine it for yourself! Lots of running and screaming was involved. Fortunately, the weather was mild and they were all able to play outside until the very last day.
On Tuesday morning we took the kids to
"Fairytale Town" which was sadly closed. The kids didn't mind, though, and chased squirrels up trees for a good hour before we went to a playground where Michael soiled his pants near a restroom with running water, but mud on the floor and no soap. Gross.
Next up, lunch at In-N-Out. I actually ate one and a half cheeseburgers which may help account for the stomach trouble I had that night after our too spicy shredded beef tacos at home.
On Wednesday, Josh took the day off work and led an expedition to San Francisco. I stayed at home to bake the fruit pies and make the cranberry salad and sweet potatoes, and to rest because I had been up for two hours with tummy troubles in the night! The gang went to the Golden Gate Bridge park, a beach where the two year olds all ran into the water and got wet, sandy and cold, and then got stuck in traffic making their 90 minute drive home something more like three hours. Mary and Eddie arrived that evening in time for dinner with their adorable baby.
I called my gourmet brother that night and got some advice on the turkey. The next morning I woke up at 6:45 to start chopping celery, carrot, and red onion. I sauteed this in a stick of butter, added salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary, and sage and put it in and around our 19 pound turkey. Then I brushed the turkey with another stick of butter and rubbed it with a mix of salt, pepper, marjoram, and paprika. The final step was to stick a bunch of chopped fresh parsley onto the butter, cover the ends of the drumsticks with aluminum foil, put it in the oven until the thigh meat registered 180 degrees on a meat thermometer and hope for the best! It was done about an hour before we wanted to eat, but that turned out to be for the best. It sat while everyone helped me set the tables (one in the kitchen, and one in the family room), peel 15 pounds of potatoes, keep up with the dishes, and keep the kids busy doing Thanksgiving crafts.
Josh's parents arrived at the airport an hour before dinner. They walked into the house full of family and food and sat down to our feast. I was so happy looking at my family enjoying their meal. It was all worth it!
Even the youngest member of the family enjoyed the turkey. Just kidding.
It was a real Thanksgiving Day. Getting up early and smelling like sauteed celery and onion, I really felt like my mom. The food was good and all hot and ready at the same time. The men-folk did the dishes, we had a nice family meeting around the fireplace (with the windows open because it was WAY too hot inside!), and then pie before everyone started to put kids down. The younger couples (I can't believe that doesn't include me on his side of the family) stayed up playing games by the fireplace so we made some hot chocolate late that night before going to bed. It was all so festive and cozy and it all worked out! Here's a little flavor of the dinner:
I went to bed that night feeling a huge weight off my shoulders and a huge accomplishment under my belt.
Friday we tried Fairytale Town again with the kids, with success. That night Grandma and Pepaw babysat all nine kids while the rest of us went out to dinner. Then everyone had a big breakfast/ brunch here Saturday morning before some of them began leaving for home. Mary and Eddie left Sunday morning and Josh's parents left Monday at noon.
It was a full week and I expected to and did get sick afterward, but with tons of leftovers in the fridge and very tired boys, we were able to just hang out at home for a long time.
We were so thankful every one could come. It was wonderful to hear the cousins all playing together and to strengthen relationships with each one.
I had a lesson in event planning and felt very blessed it was all a success. So, "Come, Ye Thankful People, Come!" to Sacramento anytime!
Guess who turned three years old this month? 
We had a small family party at home because Josh had the flu. They each picked out their birthday cake mixes at the grocery store; Michael chose chocolate and Sam chose fun-fetti. They were sooo excited about the cakes! I don't think they understood that they would be getting presents until the moment came and then they were absolutely besides themselves with excitement! It was so fun to watch them open each package and squeal and shout! They have been in love the the movie "Cars" since they got it for potty training achievements this summer but haven't had any toys to go along with it. We decided to make it a "Cars" birthday and gave them models of the characters from the movie and a couple of action toys. 
Our favorite part is when Michael squeals upon opening the present. The joy was tangible. We were sad to see that he fell off of the bench while we were singing to Sam. We didn't even notice it until we watched the video! Michael didn't understand the "How old are you" question and kept telling us he was "good" instead of "three." It cracked us up. 
They share the toys and play with them together, all day long. In the morning they skip coming to find me and head straight for their new toys. They ask me once a day if they get to keep them forever! 
