Thanksgiving 2015

I think we were all still in shock on Thanksgiving. It was less than a week from the funeral and I don't think any of us knew what we were supposed to do. We had so many people provide us with food and we received so many blessings. Thank you!

We made dinner for 35 people. We cooked 2 turkeys and a ham. We made all the sides and set the tables and got everything ready. We ate and cleaned it all up. We marveled at how mom did it every year and how she made it all look so easy. We didn't burn anything and we had enough food, so I would say it was a success. But who knows. We were all just there. Just being. Just trying to fathom how we are ever going to go on without her. We miss you so much mamma.

My cousin Hanna and her family came to say Hi to us that evening!

We made it. We did the first holiday without her. We all survived. Some of us better than others. But we did it. I can't even imagine how we are going to do the next one, and how we are going to do them for many years, but right now were just taking little baby steps forward, and we made it through this one. Happy Thanksgiving! We really do have so  much to be grateful for!!

Thanksgiving 5k and Feasting

Really the festivities started the night before when I baked pies and made my rolls for Thanksgiving dinner. {I really like to make the rolls the morning of because I like them fresh out of the oven, but I knew that because of the 5k I better make them the night before}. I have LOVED learning how to make pies...and my boys really LOVE that they have to "taste test" them all! ;)

Thanksgiving morning dawned bright and early {and COLD}, but Jason and I braved the cold and ran a 5k. We dropped Tanner off at the Johnson's house {to help watch the boys} and we walked over to the race. There were about 6,200 runners on a COLD morning {it was 20 degrees with a wind chill of about 5}, not ideal running conditions, but we layered up and had a really great time.

At first I stayed with Jason for about 1/2 a mile, but he just wasn't fast enough...so eventually I pulled ahead....I finished in 38:43 minutes and Jason finished in 43:40. We both felt AWESOME about the race, especially in such cold conditions! We loved doing it and hope to make it a family tradition!

After we showered and got cleaned up we went to Janet's house for Thanksgiving Dinner. I made my usual green beans with bacon {which are SO yummy}, rolls and pumpkin bars {made into cupcakes this year}, I also made this delicious toffee with saltine crackers!

We had a great time at dinner. Janet had found her blessings container with the strips of paper we had written down in 2002 {yes, we were there for dinner that year too} and it was so funny to read what we had written 11 years ago. Jason said his job, I said that I could beat up Jason and Tanner said that his grandma and grandpa could come for Christmas that year. It was fun to read them! The boys had a great time playing video games, Jason carved the turkey and we feasted until we couldn't eat any more. It was a wonderful Thanksgiving day!

Christine Kairies, Barbara Saatkamp, Janet Solis and Liberty Cameron