Happy Thanksgiving!

Tradition

Thankgiving past:

The holidays are filled with traditions in our family. One thing that makes it so hard to be so far away from our families is that we aren't there to share in our normal traditions. There is comfort in knowing that the same things will happen year after year, no matter what else is going on. We have had to adjust quite a few things. This last July was the first time that we have not been with my family in the Teton Valley at the Victor Parade. And this was our first ever Thanksgiving holiday that I have not been with my family. Even on the years that we go to Maris' mom's home for Thanksgiving dinner, we head up to Idaho to my mom's the next day. Anyway, I want my kids to continue to have certain traditions, even if we are in Texas...most of our regular routines are food related. Aliza came downstairs this afternoon and said, "Mmmm, it smells like grandma's house." She could not have paid me a higher compliment.

So, without further ado, here is what we did to make us feel like we were with our families, if only in spirit!

1. Pies

My mom always makes everyone's favorite pies for Thanksgiving. For our family, this means that we always have a lemon meringue pie for me, a banana cream pie for Maris, and pumpkin pie for the kids. I also had to make an apple pie because Thanksgiving needs an apple pie.

They don't look as yummy as my mom's, but as Shrek says, that'll do,
2. Parker House Rolls

My first ever attempt at duplicating the world famous rolls that we enjoy every year. Mine are a little odd sized and shaped, but it took me several tries to get them on the pan just right. Dipping a circle in butter and folding it in half is harder than it looks!

3. Homemade Stuffing
No Stove-top here. One Thanksgiving treat I thoroughly enjoy is homemade stuffing. Here is the bread drying out before I made it. It turned out pretty darn good! 4. People we Love.
One tradition I hope we never have to forgo is spending the day with people we love. Thanks to our great ward family, we weren't alone today. We spent the day with some other families who are "alone" here, realizing that we are never truly alone. Most especially, we can't let Thanksgiving go by without pondering how blessed we are. I am so grateful for so many things: family, friends, freedom, the gospel, and even our trials and the growth that comes from them. We hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving day!