A Thanksgiving feast

For Thanksgiving this year, we went down to Arroyo Grande and had a feast with my family. I am so grateful for my family and for everything that I have been blessed with. We had a fun weekend going to the beach, the Monarch Butterfly grove, Del's Pizzeria for a joint birthday dinner (James and Kevin), and just hanging out and chatting. This is our last year living in Cali, and we will miss living only 3 hours away from them. We have loved it so much!

James, Grandpa, and JordanKimberly
Jordan mashing the potatoes
Megan
The Thanksgiving beastThe cousins having a blast

My sister wrote a fabulous post on the Pilgrims and the sacrifice that they made. I could never word it so beautifully like she did, so here is the link to her blog: http://livylymanslife.blogspot.com/2011/11/pumpkin-pie-here-i-come.html

Jordan has to write a paper on a family tradition that he loves, and he chose to write about Thanksgiving. Here is what he wrote:

My Tradition: Thanksgiving

A tradition that my family celebrates is Thanksgiving. This is a special time of year when family gets together and gives thanks for the blessings they have been given. A lot of time and effort goes into preparing the food. The turkey is the main part of the dinner and it takes a long time to cook. The cook puts the stuffing into the turkey, and it tastes so yummy! I also love the mashed potatoes and gravy. I enjoy cutting the potatoes, boiling them in water, and mashing them. To make them creamy, I put milk and butter in the potatoes. All of the food is yummy, but my favorite thing to eat is the pumpkin pie with whip cream on top. I have never made the pumpkin puree out of a real pumpkin, but I think it would be hard to make a pie that way. We just use the canned pumpkin puree. Thanksgiving is a fun time to be with family, and I love to play with my cousins Jamie and Annabelle. Being with my family and having so much delicious food to eat on this special day helps remind me of my blessings. The pilgrims gave thanks for the bounteous harvest they had been blessed with in 1621. Thanksgiving is always on the fourth Thursday of November. Abraham Lincoln made it an American holiday in 1863. He did this to help lift the spirits of the American people during the Civil War. Thanksgiving is celebrated at a close friend's house or at a family member's house. Thanksgiving is a great holiday to give thanks for all of the wonderful things that we have been blessed with. This is why it is a great tradition for families to have, and I am so thankful that my family celebrates this special holiday.

We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!