Thanksgiving Report (with font issues!)

Hi Everyone! I haven't been on the laptop for eons! Ren has claimed it for herself for nights, weekends and vacations since she broke hers a few weeks ago. I don't miss it until my work-week begins again...it's the perfect distraction during naptime! So, thanksgiving went so so great! Joe, and the kids and I prepared to have Thanksgiving here with our regular traditions (making and delivering pies around town to neighbors and those in service fields working on the holiday) and also invited over the two missionary boys from the LDS church so they'd have a family to be with for the holiday too. We started with a big breakfast all together (announced to all still sleeping by the smoke detector going off from frying ham!) and then baked the morning away finishing the pies. We had 7 all together when we were done--which might not sound like a lot, but it was a LOT of ingredients! WOW! Our favorite ended up being the fresh cranberry and apple pie which we kept for ourselves. Joe also made a chocolate 'puddin pie". By 11 it was time to put the nearly 20 pound bird in, and we went off to deliver for another hour or so. At 4 Joe got a call on his cell that G was sick at the place she was staying for Thanksgiving. An allergic reaction, apparently. What was worse, her mother's BF's son was coming down with the stomach flu, and Julie was starting to feel it too. They had not eaten yet, so Joe volunteered to drive the 45 or 50 minutes each way to go pickup G and A--what a great surprise! I KNEW there was a reason for such a large turkey! The Crew arrived just as everything was hitting the table, and we ate around 5:45 or so. It was scrumptious (big sigh of relief!), though even with a 1/4 of a gallon of gravy, there was not much for left-overs (there was a slight issue with some HARD mashed potatoes that our missionary friend from IDAHO made, lol!!!!). We played guitars, and ate pie--had a bonfire and just chatted until 8 or so when everyone was exhausted and headed off to bed (Joe and the kids were able to stay here Thursday night). I was off work Friday, and had scheduled to get my carpets steamed in the morning, so while Joe headed to the office I stayed with the 5 kids and waited for my FAVORITE splurge.....clean rugs! The carpet guy arrived with his son in tow and so the 6 kids made smoothies and played Nintendo. At 10:30 or so Joe called to tell me that 'oddly' nobody had showed at the office. He scoured his email to find a lost memo reminding all staff they had Friday OFF. OOPS! He was home by noon! Hee hee! The kids and I played for a few hours while Joe tinkered with this and that--rebuilding the motor for my shopvac for one....installing a valve on the heater, etc etc etc. The kid's mom was still feeling too sick to take them back, so though Scott came to pickup Jonah and Drew for his weekend at 5pm A and G stayed here Friday night with Joe and Ren and me. We ordered in food (the girls got TURKEY subs, can you imagine???) and played Yahtzee. We hung out Saturday morning for awhile--I played games with A and G and Ren walked the dog while Joe slept in. After a time, he drove them back to their mother's house and Ren and I went shopping for HOURS trying to find something *personal* for Ren, and something for Drew that I have wanted to give him for Xmas. We struck out on both fronts, but had a great time anyway. Sunday morning the boys came home from Scott's and we all went to Church (Ren to the LDS; and Joe and the boys and me to Bethany). Jonah wasn't feeling very well, and by the time we got home he was running a fever and was weepy. I have never seen a boy wail so over a fever (he was uber disappointed he could not go with a friend to Chuckie Cheese). So he was put to bed, and is STILL there today. Still having a fever, but now hovering under or around 100, so not as bad as last night when it was around 102. We thought about pulling out the Christmas decorations, and might do that tonight. I am saving putting up the tree and such as I need decorations for our annual charity foster-care Christmas party and think I'll be using my home ones rather than buying anything new. It's so expensive anymore! SO our little fake tree will look great next to Santa's rocking chair, and my daycare cut-outs and such will work well too. It means the daycare kiddos will be making their decorations for the playroom, but that's okay. I can buy a few streamers in red and green to decorate the ceiling in there, and they will think thats pretty neat anyway! So that gets me to today. Hope your Bird was Dandy!