Thanks!

Our family tradition of the Thankful Tree -- where everyone traces their hands and adds things they are thankful for through-out November. This year I was happy that the older two kids started tracing and cutting and writing things they were thankful for on their own initiative. Dietrich, who needs help writing, had the great idea of drawing pictures of things he was thankful for.

We also like making something holiday-ish to put up in the windows. Here are the turkeys we made together.

Dietrich wanted these colors and gave the Turkey super-goggles and breastplate armor.

We went down to my in-laws in Des Moines for 5 days over Thanksgiving. My sister-in-law Kara had a neat "craft" for all the cousins to do together -- a candy turkey to put at each child's place setting for the Thanksgiving feast.

Kara making it happen (-:

(Kara is pregnant with Baby Cousin #3 on Brad's side, in case you didn't know...(-:)

Cousin Max!

Cousin Ivy -- You can't tell her and Thea Belle are related, right?! -- Ha!

Doing the Turkey -- as demonstrated and spurred on by Brad -- awesome-ness!

Cooking with Grandma Nancy before the Thanksgiving Celebration

Playing with He-Man Guys!!

They were very insistent that I get photos of this. Very serious.

Great Aunt Caryl is a Zumba instructor and enthusiast and came with a short, fun routine to try with the kids including special t-shirts for them. My boys were pretty lame-o about it except for Dietrich who was very good and really enjoyed it.

Brad, my brother-in-law Brian, my father-in-law Tom, Brad's cousin John

Watching a football game with cousin Jason who came by for an afternoon

With Grandma Nancy

The boys wrestling with Jason at half-time

Cousin Sarah who rocked Lincoln to sleep by the end of the game...

Grandpa Tom had the hot tub set up -- Attempts at a family photo...hmmm...