Thanksgiving 2008

We had a great Thanksgiving holiday this year! We spent Thanksgiving day with Steven's family and I'm sad to say, I didn't take the first picture!! We had a wonderful meal and had fun loving on the newest addition to our family, Kinsley. Emma was thrilled that she drew Kinsley's name for Christmas. She can't wait to buy her something cute!

After we left, we drove to 'the farm', which is my dad's parents' home. After they both passed away, my dad and his siblings did some renovations on the house and now it's a gathering place for all the family. We met up there with my parents, my brother and his family and my sister and her family. My younger sister couldn't make it. Several of my aunts, uncles and cousins still live in this town so it's always like a family reunion.

One of our traditions is to attend a syrup making that takes place the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving. There's lots of hanging out and eating good food.

Here's Dougie with his 2 favorite cousins on Friday night, eating some kind of meat on a stick. I think it was rib meat, all I know is that it was delicious!
Emma and all the girl cousins waiting on them to finish taking up the syrup, you'll see why next!
If you've never seen how syrup is made, the old fashion way. Here's a brief explanantion. The juice from sugar cane is boiled in a large bowl for several hours (that's why there's lots of hanging out time!) When it's done, they pour the syrup through a filter and into bottles and that's when the kids gather around, because they get want to get some 'candy'. They take a small piece of sugar cane and scrape around the edge of the bowl to get the leftover syrup. It hardens pretty quickly and it's like taffy and it is soooo good! Filling the jars with syrup.On Saturday, we went back to the syrup shelter, as we so fondly call it, to celebrate Emma and Jessi's birthdays. Jessi is my first cousin's little girl.Caleb enjoying the cupcakes!Another great part of the syrup making is teaching your kids to chew on a sugar cane (only in the south!) If you peel away the outside skin, the inside is sweet and juicy. My dad, aka Paps peeling the cane.

Caleb's first taste. Can't you just hear Dougie saying, "whaaaat?"

If you're still here, I hope I didn't bore you too bad. We had a great Thanksgiving and I hope you did too!