This year Thanksgiving was held in Tulsa, at the home of Aunt Linda and Uncle Steve. One of Aunt Linda's neighbors was gracious enough to let us stay in their house. It is a second home that they only use when they come to visit their children/grandchildren. It was perfect---only a couple of houses away, had 4 bedrooms, a large playroom, and TONS of toys. The family only had one request, and that was for all of us to make a donation to our local Salvation Army. I think that can be done (I have 5 bags of stuff I have been meaning to take). What a great way to spend the holiday.
Thanksgiving can be a double edged sword for those of us in the coaching world. The Rebels have had a great season, and we were in the semi-finals for the state playoffs. This meant that Justin had to stay in Fort Smith during the holiday (only driving over for a few hours of family time on Thursday). I took the boys over on Tuesday evening so we could have lots of time with the family. We arrived without any major issues and found that Aunt Linda had a corn chowder and pizza soup waiting. The kids were so excited to be out of the car and playing with the girls. After dinner we played a rousing game of "Catch Phrase". I think this is my new favorite game. Britni claims the one we played was an older version and better than the new. I just know that it was really fun!
Wednesday was relaxing and fun. We hung out, the kids played, and one of Megan's childhood friends came over with her two kids. Russell was really happy about having a new guy to hang out with. The kids took full advantage of the clear weather and played in the bouncy house/yard for a long time. We picked up a tasty lunch at Zio's (or as Chester calls it "Z-10") and then down for naps. That evening we were supposed to go to Megan's surprise 30th brithday party, but the location was moved at the last minute, and kids weren't allowed in the new location. Instead, we ate at a neat little place called "Joe Momma". It had specialty pizza and other delectible dishes. I had some of the best bruschetta I have ever tasted. The others had a variety of things from Chicken nachos to hot and spicy pizza to PB&J (on "hard" bread). Uncle Steve took over entertaining Russell. He taught R some new tricks like wet willies, blowing the paper off your straw, and spit balls. I had to pull out my "teacher face" on the last one, but it was all in the name of survival.
Turkey Day came, and we celebrated at Steve and Linda's house. It was also Grandmother's birthday. We tried to get her to sit and relax, but she insisted on fixing a few of her signature dishes. There were already lots of cooks in the kitchen so I took the role that I know best--teacher. I helped the kids make Thanksgiving place mats. We traced their hands for the turkeys, and they colored them. Then we wrote what they were thankful for on little pieces of paper and glued it to the mat. We covered them with sheet protectors (couldn't find contact paper), and voila--instant place mat. It was pretty cute to hear what the kids were thankful for: Addison:"that I can go shopping", Delaney:"Butterflies and Ladybugs", Russell:"outside", Wilson:"Football", Cayman: "my whole family".
Like I mentioned earlier, Justin was able to stop over for a few hours of eating and visiting. Everyone was happy that he made it for lunch, and football, even if he couldn't stay for all of the games. After all of the eating, the guys took the kiddos back to our house for naps and football, while the girls stayed at Aunt Linda's house for naps and Ellen. That evening we drove thru 2 million Christmas lights at one of the area churches. It was pretty amazing, and it really inspired Justin to decorate big this year--JUST KIDDING. It was neat, though, and the kids really seemed to enjoy it. When we drove by the Nativity scene, Wilson saw the camels and said "Yee haw". Yep, I bet that is what the wise men said while riding to see the new born king "Yee Haw"!
Unfortunately, Friday brought a closeing to all the festivities. The Archer family flew out kind of early, and the rest of us left right before lunch time. We stopped by the Bass Pro shop so the boys could check out the largest carps I have ever seen. We also saw lots of "stuffed" animals, and I tricked Wilson into thinking I was going to feed him to a bear. It was hilarious (at least it was to me and the older gentleman sitting there watching us). After the quick drive home, naps, and some playtime, we listened to the Rebels pull out another great win. In the last few seconds of the game we scored a touchdown and extra point, putting us in the lead 24-23. For the 3rd time in 4 years we are heading to LR for the State Playoffs. We will be playing Harber--which in my opinion is a good thing since we know them. I am so proud of the Rebel players and coaches. It is such a good feeling to know that all of the hard work of the season is paying off. We will be making the trek to War Memorial stadium on Saturday to watch the game. GO REBS!!!!
