I just got back from my brother's house where we spend Thanksgiving afternoon every year. He makes a fantastic turkey on the outdoor grill and it's good time.
There were only about 15 of us there today but it gets loud. There are four kids ranging in age from 9 - 3. The girls got a doll double stroller out and took turns racing laps down the hall, through the kitchen and around the living room again and again all accompanied but tremendous screaming. I was raised in a household of only four but it too was loud. As a result I can be in the middle of terrific noise and manage to block much of it out. Thank God.
This is typically what happen after dinner and sometime during dessert. It's annoying but I figure they will outgrow it eventually.
One of my favorite kids was there. He's three and his name is Evan. Evan is a passionate chap, Evan enjoys plugs. As in power strips and extension cords. He asks for them upon entering a house. He then calmly gathers them and links them together. I asked his mother if he had any other interests and she sighed and said "No." What can I say, I enjoy the quirky kids. During dinner Even was a bit upset about the cut up green beans his dad had cruelly placed on his plate. He explained to me that he only likes turkey and that he doesn't eat beans. I tried pushing some yams and mashed potatoes on him but he wasn't having any of it. He told me he preferred corn or carrots. I nodded in agreement. Finally his Mom asked the hostess if she had any corn. She quickly returned with a large bag of frozen corn and poured some kernels on to Evan's plate. "Yea!" he clapped. "Um, is that frozen?" I asked. "Yeah, it's the only way he'll eat corn." Ok. It just made me love the kid more. He's gonna be a fun one to watch grow up.
My niece made seating cards this year and she seemed to have had some say in who sat where. I was supposed to sit next to my brother. We rarely have opportunities to sit and talk so I was looking forward to it. Of course, my brother's brother-in-law panicked when he realized that he or his wife would not be sitting next to Evan. The kid would have been fine but noooooo. Evan's dad felt the need to move seating cards around so that he could sit between me and the poor kid. I later saw my brother standing and eating his dinner in the kitchen.
I eventually got to spend some time with my brother and nephew when I found them cleaning up the BBQ area and loudly listening to their new favorite Wing. Have you heard this woman? Unbelievable. My nephew sat and enthusiastically banged his head to the AC/DC covers. When I asked "Are your neighbors home?" My bro turned up the volume in reply. We spent about 10 quality minutes rocking out to Wing and then moved into a superb Yacht Rock mix. (You'd have to see this to know what I'm talking about. There is a whole series of these things on Youtube. They actually have some funny moments if you have the time to investigate.) I call them sappy 70's songs but these guys have turned them in to something so much better. My brother and I laughed while "She's Gone" wailed. My poor nephew covered his ears, looked up and said 'Well, that doesn't feel good." and left.
Later someone handed a Black Friday sale flyer to my Mom and I noticed her hand was shaking. I loudly asked if she had Parkinson's. She seemed concerned then I saw that she was sort of white knuckling the flyer. I asked her to loosing up her grip and the shaking stopped. "Cured!! She's cured! I cured Mom!!" I shouted. Nobody heard me. Mom seemed relieved. Apparently if you grip something tightly it may shake, loosen up you grip and it's fine. Lesson learned.
So that was my Thanksgiving. How was yours?
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