Thanksgiving 2013

As tradition, we hosted Thanksgiving here at our house for all the Routsong family.  It was also our deadline to finish our basement and home theater room.  Nate had spent hours and hours and working till 3 in the morning this week finishing lights and electrical and flooring.  The fireplace stone was put in the day before thanksgiving as well as all the appliances and the furniture were all delivered.  But it all came together in time for families to arrive Thursday morning.

Grandpa made the turkey and stuffing of course, and everyone else brought dishes to share and it was a marvelous feast!!  Everyone except Nick and Carissa's family came, though they came through face time that evening :). Aunt Marion and Grandma Routsong and Uncle Greg also came.

We began a new family tradition: a Pie Contest.  Everyone was to bring a pie to enter the contest and we would vote to see which pie was the ultimate favorite.  Uncle Greg's fabulous pecan pie won.  The winner of the pie was announced on our new basement theater room stage!!

After the announcement, everyone participated in a number of skits and performances many of which were prepared ahead of time. Some were improvised right then and there by many of the kids.  Jaxton did a magic trick where he turned himself into Cooper.  Nate and I did one where we swore we were so in tune that we could read each others minds by the way we acted.  The audience chose a phrase for Nate to do motions to and I amazingly knew the phrase :).  

After the skits some people headed home and others went off to the movies.  We stayed home with our littles and some of the cousins and just enjoyed the company and the evening.  That night, the Owen family and Mike and Km Routsong family stayed overnight.  The kids all had a blast.  I'm so grateful that we can have so much family nearby and lots of cousins for the kids to love on the Routsong side of the family.  It truly is a remarkable thing to have people that you can love and become closer than friends with because they are extended family.  We cherish the relationships we have in Indiana as well as those in Utah. I'm grateful for those relationships, especially for my kids.  All in all it was a wonderful Thanksgivibg holiday!