Thanksgiving Old & New

We had our first big holiday without mom this week...  I don't know what I expected, but it went very well under the circumstances.  There was a big piece missing, and the day of preparations was not as full and lively as it was with her, but I believe it's a testament to how well she prepared us for life, and how much of her lives on in us, that we can still carry on and be a family and do a big Thanksgiving dinner like she would have.

It was fun to reminisce with pictures from last year's October Thanksgiving that we had when we didn't know if mom would live until the real Thanksgiving.  She walked us through and taught us how to do the turkey, from removing the innards, to rinsing and patting dry, to making the stuffing and getting it in the turkey, to pinning all the flaps and putting it in the oven.

Here she was teaching us to dry the inside with paper towels before stuffing it.

This is my favorite - me, Hillary and my aunt Laurie all learning how to do this from the pro!

This year, through a collective effort of Hillary, dad and me, we pulled off a pretty good turkey if I do say so myself.  We all collaborated to make the sides as well - I made sweet potato casserole, Hillary made potato rolls and tore the bread for the stuffing, dad hosted and bought peas and sauerkraut, and my aunt Laurie made apple pie and cranberry relish :).

Us with our turkey :)

Golden brown coming out of the oven (even if it was a touch overcooked!)

Ally and Paisley enjoyed their Thanksgiving bones from my dad in the yard all day!