Merry Thanks-Mas!

My Husband and I both worked on Thanksgiving this year, so we never got to have a Turkey dinner. The kids stayed with my Mom, and she had made a chicken dinner, which a couple of the kids expressed as disappointing.
I guess you don't realize how a break in tradition really affects a kid until it's broken.

So, D received a free turkey from his Union this week. We decided that the next time we are all home together in the evening, no soccer practice, no swim lessons, we would make our Turkey Dinner.

When I told the kids this morning at breakfast, Lulu shrieked in absolute glee! And she's the youngest, yet already the tradition is engrained IN her. They were thrilled! Which triggered a question, as well.
..."But if it's not Thanksgiving, or Christmas...then what is it? What do we call it?"
Think quick Mom! Well...."It's Thanks-Mas, ofcourse!"
They giggled.

So, today I made sweet potato casserole, a chocolate cake, mashed potatos with turkey gravy, stuffing, french green beans, rolls, and ofcourse, a Turkey. The kids sipped on sparkling apple cider. We made coffee after dinner, and my Parents & Sister even came.

We made our Turkey Dinner!

My Chocolate Cake

My family recipe...Sweet Potato Casserole (really, it's yams)

Candy House Caper

We finally made our Ginger Bread House.
One thing that always upsets me is the picture on the box of what the gingerbread house is supposed to look like, is never achievable. They never provide you with the proper candies in the kit to make your gingerbread house look like the one on the box. Lulu was upset because she wanted to make the windows the same. It was quickly forgotten once they started putting candies on the roof.

Maybe it was I that was most bothered by the lack of certain supplied candies, preventing me from creating a work of art. But, then it's not about me, it's thier craft and they made it just fine. They applied the candies as Mommy applied the royal icing.
Mommy made a crooked doorway and windows. Oh well.

Lulu's side of roof

The Boys side of roof



Lulu informed me..."I can't wait til you & Dad are gone then I am gonna eat all the candy off!"
Sounds just like something she said a couple year ago as we were making our ginger bread house. Candy Lou!
I WILL know it was her when I come home and find 1/2 of the candy missing off the ginger bread house, and her response is, "Hooooow did you knooooow?"

They woke me this morning exclaiming that they had found candy in thier stockings.
I had received a bag of candies from work, a couple santa shaped chocolates, a couple mints, and I didn't want them so I had dropped them in the kids' stockings last night, thinking, they would never know til Christmas.
I was wrong.
They woke up and found them first thing.
So, I asked how they knew anything was in thier stocking. Both the Boy and Lulu said,

"We check our stockings everyday!"
Well, now why didn't I know that?
Sneaky little Monkeys!

I also realize that I only have one last Lulu that believes in Santa.
The Boy has informed me over & over that Daddy is Santa. Thing is...really, it's Mommy. Daddy never does the shopping!
I'm gonna have to muzzle him if he keeps yelling that there is no Santa, because I will not let him ruin the magic for my Little Lulu.