Our Thanksgiving began with a time of family Bible reading this morning. We then sang a couple of hymns. With twenty of us in the house this Thanksgiving we nearly qualify as a choir.
As soon as worship time was over, an intense strategy game started at the kitchen table.
By eleven, the meal preps for the holiday feast were fully underway. Many hands helped peel the potatoes...
...but the special touch that turns them into world's best mashed potatoes is Kirsten's. When we adopted her from Russia four years ago this month, she brought with her this special skill that has blessed our family many times.
However, when Kirsten's cousin, Amanda, wandered into the kitchen, Kirsten paused in her stirring and asked if I would take a picture of the two of them.
Meanwhile, Grandpa's preparation of the stuffing was happily interrupted by a visit from Brielle and Eliana.
As much as Brielle normally likes being kissed by her grandpa, this time the two-year-old was far more interested in what Grandpa was doing than in his show of affection.
The dilemma was easily solved when we found a way to position Brielle as Grandpa's helper. She became the keeper of the key ingredient for our family's stuffing recipe: SAGE.
Soon it was time to open the bottle...
...and shake!!! We learned years ago that great stuffing takes a great deal of sage. This year we started passing down that learning to the next generation.
Brielle watched eagerly as Grandpa stirred in the sage she had added.
Then she added another round of the all-important seasoning as Amanda prepared chicken broth to add to the mixture to moisten it.
Next, Brielle was eager to help Grandpa stir the massive mound.
She watched intently as he got out the foil pan in which the stuffing would be baked.
Finally, she helped Grandpa transfer the stuffing into the baking pan.
They scraped and scraped to get every last bit.
Finally, the holiday masterpiece was ready for the oven.
Since she was already in position, Brielle then wanted to help Amanda by drying the dishes.
Our big girl was such a big help!
Just as I was ready to put my camera away, I saw Kirsten slide over to give her daddy a hug as he turned his attention from the stuffing to the preparations necessary before getting the turkeys out of the oven. I didn't capture the special moment in focus, but I couldn't resist posting the photo anyway.
Our family has countless reasons to give thanks to God! The Lord has been so good to us. He abounds in lovingkindness!
2 comments:
That looks so cozy and fun. One suggestion, whether or not you have everyone there, get a group family picture. Times like that will be harder and harder to come by as kids get bigger and have schedules that don't cooperate. Enjoy your Thanksgiving and thanks for sharing a little with us.
The pictures of grandpa, Brielle and Amanda are so precious!!
Miss y'all so much!
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