Thanksgiving Part II - Family, Food and Fun

I know you've been waiting with baited breath for what happened after all that cooking! Around 10:30, my Grandma Blakley and Uncle David arrived for brunch. I was somewhat blown away that my mom braved to big meals on this day of food, but it was great. There was a potato, egg, sausage casserole, my blackberry cobbler, fruit, muffins and more. In good news, B was much better with my Grandma this time. He even invited her to go play with his toy tractor with him which was adorable to watch. Particularly as my not yet two year old helped my 93+ years old Grandma walk from the table to the couch. So cute, he had a great time driving the tractor over everyone and by the time they headed home it was just about nap time.

B slept for awhile, but not quite his full complement. Meanwhile, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and my Grandpa began to trickle in. I think there ended up around 20 overall. During the preparation phases there was much chatting, watching B and football watching. Some people braved the cold outdoors with my cousin Allison's daughter Anna who had just turned 9 and loves the kittens. The traditional Dotter cheese ball had to come out as the space between brunch and dinner was a bit long. Meanwhile, I spent some time expounding on the virtues and vices of law school with my cousin Michelle, and probably got more than a bit carried away. My apologies to all.

Finally, it was dinner time. It took three tables to fit everyone, but each was fun in its own way. It was great to hear my Grandpa chatting more than usual and everyone sharing the stories of their food or their family. After dinner some of the grandkids did the dishes, while the rest of the crew pondered dessert. As mentioned earlier there were lots of choices. We managed to push on even though quite full. My little family headed out around 9pm. By then the only people left were my family and the Colorado Dotters who decided to camp out at the Blakley ranch for the night. It was a wonderful feeling to spend a long relaxed day with our family. We did miss Brent's family, but know we'll see them soon. Thanks to everyone for a great holiday!