Thankful...

There is nothing better in the entire world that sitting at my Aunt & Uncle's dining room table, eating a piece of pumpkin pie and listening to Johnny Mathis singing "Sleigh Ride"** after Thanksgiving dinner. I can't believe I wasted all of those years as a kid on the chocolate desserts when pumpkin pie - real pumpkin pie actually made by my now deceased Grama - was just sitting there going unnoticed by a too hyper 8-year old. But now I make the pie (using Grama's recipe of course) and I eat the pie. And I love the pie. I love Thanksgiving too, we had a great day:

At the Turkey Day 5K in downtown Minneapolis at 8:30 this morning. 8,000 people turned out to run/walk since it was a balmy 41 degrees, all to benefit Second Harvest Heartland - and our waistlines, since we all knew we would be pigging out later on!
(left to right: Sister-in-law Christa, Mom/Grama, me holding Jackson, Uncle Bob, Brother Tom [Baby Tommy was there too, as was Dan, the photographer!])

Jackson's big into practicing his walking skills these days. Anyone want to make bets on walking by Christmas? New Year's?

This one is thrown in here simply because I adore it. I absolutely adore my son's big blue eyes. Can I gush here? I think I just did.
Christa and her baby, Tommy. He was awake almost the entire day except for here! Five weeks old today.
Cousin Betsy and her "baby" Natalie. I taught Natalie how to knit a few weeks ago and we had another practice session today. I think she got it this time!
Playing games with Grama before dinner...
"No! No! Not meat!" Just kidding, he was just playing with his hands when I snapped this one. I would have loved for him to detest the very first bite of meat that he had today (Thanksgiving turkey), but he ate it and seemed to like it. Oh well, this vegetarian mom will have to start serving some meat!
Playing with a box of blocks that his Great-Grampa used to play with as a boy...now that's cool stuff.
Natalie was Jackson's new best friend today! They couldn't get enough of each other.
**
"Just hear those sleigh bells jingling, ring-ting-tingling too...come on it's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you..."
"...there's a happy feeling nothing in the world can buy, when we pass around the coffee and the pumpkin pie...it will nearly be like a picture print by Courier & Ives...these wonderful things are the things we remember all through our lives..."
**
I have much to be thankful for today. Very much. And I am.