Thanksgiving in Green Bay

we were invited by our family and friends in green bay to come and join them for thanksgiving dinner. we'd been so busy with school and such that we hadn't had any time to make a trip up for a while. our good friend's mother hosted us while we were there. she was wonderful to stay with! she had a crib and two beds for us to sleep on, and the kids' eyes lit up when they saw all the toys she had! they all were calling her grandma sandy by the end of it all.

during our stay at grandma sandy's, her son and sam helped her move a huge t.v. to make way for her new one. i really wish i had pictures and video footage of that. you'd think it be easy with two huge guys. ;) and i helped make apple pies.

in the wee hours of the morning on thanksgiving day, sam accompanied a couple of his friends as they went hunting. he only watched and hung out but, i think he looked darn cute decked out in his borrowed hunting gear!

after the hunting escapade, we headed over to our first thanksgiving feast with our friends, the "p" family. our kids had been asking nonstop when they'd get to see their friends. they watched movies with them, ran around the house, ran around the backyard. i wish i had photos of that too, but my phone had died and sam and i were too busy catching up to be lugging around our ginormous cameras - we wanted to have fun too! 

the food and company was fantastic. we stuffed ourselves silly. rested. had some pie, and then were off to our next thanksgiving meal with sam's aunt and great aunt (and family). sam's aunt is a professional baker. she makes the most extravagant cakes and cookies. it's always a treat coming to her house. and of course, we were not disappointed. we stuffed ourselves again, and i think the kids ate for the first time since they were too busy playing to bother the first time. we laughed and ate, and ate even more. 

 these are aunt "m's" cookies. she taught us how to properly ice these babies last christmas. aunt "m" is the best. and so are these cookies!

mimzy was fussy until she discovered how enjoyable it is to chow down on a turkey leg. the crying and fuss miraculously ended...abruptly, i might add.

sam was asking everyone to accompany him on his black friday shopping adventure, and aunt "m" was all for it. i'm glad they were able to go together. i was a little worried about him going out all by himself.

they had a great time standing in line for target...and then rushing off to the mall.

where was i during all this hustle and bustle? tucking the kids into bed, that's what. we were absolutely exhausted from all the delicious food we had, from all the running around with friends, from all the laughing and chatting...we were all down for the count. we had a quick chat with my parents who had called (my phone only had a few minutes of power left), which was a challenge for them since they had so much to say. anyway, some how they all fell asleep, and i was out by 10pm. there's no way i would've lasted out there in all that craziness. better sam than me.

one of my good friends has a blog and everyday she writes down three things she is grateful for. i thought it was such a perfect idea, and i've been wanting to do it for some time now. seeing as this is thanksgiving day, i think it's a good time to start writing my gratitudes. and not just today, but every time i enter a post. 

but before i begin my gratitudes, i saw THIS link today. i read it. and yes, i think there are many misconceptions that need to be corrected and more people educated on the real history of the first thanksgiving. i'm not a fan of paper bag "indian" clothes and cheap feathers stuck in someone's hair. but, this is never what i've celebrated, ever. and yes, i guess after reading this, i am one of the few native americans who celebrate thanksgiving. i always have and most of my friends and family do, too. i don't think it's a time to carry a chip on one's shoulder. i do think it's a great time to give thanks, love, and if need be, to forgive. i do think it's a great time to properly educate others - especially if they are including some kind of first thanksgiving presentation/lesson as part of the holiday. 

i was very touched by isaiah and makayah's preschool teacher who had asked me to come in and give a special presentation on native americans. i thought it was very inclusive, enlightening, and uniting. besides the fact that my kids and i love sharing our heritage and culture with others, it opened the door for questions and sharing of other cultures within the classroom and their similarities and differences. i loved it.

this is why i celebrate thanksgiving. i have friends from all walks of life, from all over the world. to make thanksgiving just about the wrongs that have been done to my forbearers would be a little more than selfish. yes, it's important to remember and give thanks to who they were and all they did. but, even more so, for the sake of our own happiness, it's also important to forgive and embrace.

today i am thankful for:

* kind and caring friends and family in green bay who are willing to feed us, laugh with us, give us a warm bed to sleep in, and stand in lines with us on black friday. we are so very grateful for your love and acceptance.

*the unbelievable amounts of delicious food we were able to partake of.

*a husband willing to take one for the team and be the one to sacrifice his sleep on black friday so the kids and i could rest peacefully in our cozy beds.