08 December 2007

Thanksgiving and family

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It's when my Mom's side of the family gathers for a day of fun. This year there were 23 of us.

My cousin Joni always bring Lefse and by quite early in the day it is all gone. It's really fun to see the little kids chomping away on a little roll-up filled with sugar and butter, moving the Norwegian treat to the next generation.

Every year the kids play with these wood strips. This year they used them to make paths through the living room. They also like to stack them in towers and knock them down. They usually do this in the linoleum-floored laundry room. With no carpet cushion, the tumbling wood strips are very, very loud.

My brothers and I used to play with them at our Grandparents' house. I can't remember where my Grandpa got them. They are varnish and stain samples from years and years ago. In a day of video games and DVDs, it's so fun to see the kids drag out the retro toys.

Sophie gets a chance to meet and greet everyone, lick the little kids in the mouth and clean up spills. She loves the day but the Friday after she seems like she has a hangover.

The day always goes way too fast. One minute you're hugging and greeting everyone. The next it's dark and everyone is going home.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Maria,

I just love the photo of the piles of shoes by the door. It's a creative way to capture the gathering of ages. Plus, it makes me realize that I take a certain comfort in the huge pile of shoes when my extended family gathers.

Of course, love the photo of Ms. Sophie, too!

Eclectchick said...

3 cheers for retro non-toys that somehow become toys!

This reminds me of how much we used to love playing with paint samples. You know, back before they were simply paper, but were on plastic instead.