thanksgiving

We so enjoyed having Brian off work the whole week of Thanksgiving. He needed the break, and Ammon needed the male-bonding time. Plus, Daddy is the “fun” one. The enabler, if you will. So, Ammon got to do lots of the off-limits things that week: dumping out all the toys from all the baskets; pulling all the books off the shelf; nose-diving off the couch; etc.. Ammon decided that he liked having his dad home so much, that he didn’t need me anymore. In fact, he avoided me like the plague. Like I was the Grim Reaper, myself. I have been told (and fully understand) that this is all because he feels comfortable enough to be without me. He knows that I will always be there for him. I know that… and it’s flattering, yes. But are complete ignorance and terrified looks really necessary? Needless to say, Ammon turned into a human-egg-beater every time I touched him (and shirked away whenever I was in a 3-foot radius). As I result, I spent the week with a swollen, split lower lip; a few bloody noses; a huge scratch on my cheek; a handful of bruises. No joke.

Wednesday evening, we went down to Brian’s grandparents’ home. We had a herd of our Texas family in for Thanksgiving, and they had arrived that afternoon. We had a nice visit with all of them before going home to prepare for the big day.

Thursday morning, we all got up bright and early so that we had time for Ammon to get a bath before leaving. It was around breakfast time that things started to go south. Ammon decided to go on a hunger-strike that week and breakfast proved to be a daunting task… putting him in a bad mood. But, never fail, we got ready to go and hit the road.

We started out at my grandparents’ home in Enterprise. We had a nice visit with them and a yummy, yummy Thanksgiving lunch. Ammon tried his first real ham, cranberry sauce, smashed corn (cream corn), mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, white peas and rolls. He liked it all; however, didn’t eat much (i.e.: hunger-strike). We were all stuffed past capacity… just one of the hazards of such a holiday. We especially enjoyed spending time with my dad, Grandma Dody and Grandpa Don, Uncle Steve and Daphne. Before we left, all the neighbors came over, so we got to see all those family friends that I grew up knowing.

Ammon hadn’t had a morning nap, and was melting down quickly. We decided to hit the road again… stopping by my mom’s house before heading down to the Nub. Once there, Ammon threw the biggest fit he has pitched in… well, ever. He was beyond tired, but didn’t want to go to sleep. Brian ended up driving him around the block a few times to knock him out. Worked like a charm. I, meanwhile, munched on more sweet potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce and some turkey… while watching the Jon & Kate Plus 8 marathon. Not what my full tummy needed.

After that visit, we loaded up in the car (again) and headed down to Brian’s parents’ home. We were spending the weekend at their house, so we unloaded everything and got settled. Ammon continued to be a troll. While we devoured slice after slice of pie, he chose to see how high he could raise our blood pressure. We had a nice evening with our family. We ate more yummy Thanksgiving fare, laughed and watched the Texas/Texas A&M game (a rivalry of interest in our family). Later than usual, we decided that it was time for Ammon to go to bed. Do you think that was the thought running through his mind? I don’t think so. After a couple of hours of glass-shattering screams and a few minutes of Cars, he finally gave it up. What was the problem? No one really knew. Unnecessary to say, he has never been that stinky… and we went to bed soon behind him.

Friday, Ammon decided to wake up at about 5:45. Hello?! He never does that. But, as his schedule was already destroyed, it was only to be expected. We had a nice, slow morning; however, we had to take to the car again to get Ammon to take a nap. And, sure enough, as soon as we pulled back up in the driveway… he woke up. Rats. But, after a little screeching, he went back to sleep.

We spent the afternoon roaming the country, soaking up that clean, refreshing air. That evening, we had another Thanksgiving feast and watched Kung Fu Panda… a favorite of Brian’s. Our cousin Shelby’s boyfriend, Clay, decided to brave the family that day, and meet the family that was in town. We really enjoyed him being there, too. Ammon was slightly better that evening (even without an afternoon nap) – he enjoyed playing with all his cousins, yet he still avoided me like I was Dracula made-over. He even went to bed with only the very slightest of tantrums. We stayed up later that night, watching Wall-e with all the older cousins and our Uncle Don.

Saturday, was another quiet day. We got to sleep in a little later than the day before… Ammon’s slept until 6:00. I spent the morning cleaning the house up for Brian’s mom. Ammon decided to take his morning nap without a country drive. He still fussed, but not nearly like the day before. That afternoon was the Alabama/Auburn game… a big deal in our family. I decided to work on a project in the other room with my ear-buds in, which only lowered the chaos done to a low roar. We loaded up on hamburgers and party food… again pushing our stomachs to their limit.

Pretty soon it was time for us to head to our own house. Our Texas family was packing up for their long drive home, too. We so enjoyed being with this part of our family that we so rarely see. We are so glad that we could spend this time with you, that Ammon could get know his cousins that are his age, and create more family memories that are just too precious for words. We love you: Uncle Don and Aunt Joyce; Heather and cutie-patootie Bridger; Travis, Amanda and sweetest Emma; Uncle Ron, Aunt Diane and Ian; Uncle Phil. And of course we love the old regulars, too: MawMaw and Granddaddy; Ann and Larry; Craig, Rachel, Caulin and Lainee; Uncle Page, Aunt Bev, Shelby and Clay, Hunter and Rachel.

Once we were home, we were able to put Ammon in his own crib… hoping that he would sleep better. No dice. But, sleeping in my own bed was a bit of a treat... air mattresses just aren’t as pleasant. I decided to skip all the unpacking and just get some sleep. But not before I gobbled down a leftover piece of pumpkin pie. Mistake #1.

I knew that it looked a little odd when I cut the piece. I knew that it tasted funny when I took the first bite. But did I stop eating it? No. “There was no way this was already going bad” I thought. The next morning (really just a few hours later), I got into that pie again. This time, I was greeted with a green, fuzzy, black-spotted monstrosity. I immediately knew the answer to the oddities from the night before. That pie was, indeed, bad. I didn’t start to feel the effects of it until that night. And when I did… I was sorry for being such a glutton.

Our Thanksgiving weekend was a happy-medium of highs and lows, I guess. Ammon was horrific. Being with our family was fabulous. Food poisoning was for the birds. Having Brian home was irreplaceable. So, I guess you could say that our weekend could certainly have been better, but at the same time, not horrible.

It could be said that I have been a little ungrateful in this post… not really showing the Thanksgiving spirit. That just isn’t the case – I don’t want to give that impression, or leave on that note. The truth is… there is just too much to be grateful for this year. More than I could ever mention here. Truly, we have been blessed in so many ways. I’ve said before that I have all the things that money can’t buy… we have all the things that are most important. What else could make us feel more thankful than we do at this moment? We have so much to be grateful for. We all do.

Like I said before, we possess all the things that are most important. We love our happy life – and we love to love each other. We are finding joy in our journey and thank our Heavenly Father for all things. There is a quote that I admire by Lao Tzu: “Be content with what you have, rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.”. I’m reminded, too, of something Willy Wonka said: “And Charlie, don’t forget about what happened to the man that suddenly got everything he ever wanted. He lived happily-ever-after.”.

For these reasons – and so many more – it is Thanksgiving everyday on Woodburn Drive. Let’s be thankful all the year through… we have every reason to be.