Thanksgiving fun

We had a wonderful thanksgiving yesterday. We have so much to be thankful for!

The day started out slow and relaxed, which is always nice. We even got a little rain. Since we had some time, we decided to drive the long way through the mountains and Julian. It was a beautiful drive, although it added an extra hour of travel time. The clouds and the mountains were worth it though.Grace was very excited as we headed out. She loves a good party.

My father-in-law had a full schedule of Thanksgiving celebrations yesterday, so we were glad he was able to fit us in. He wasn't able to join us for the meal, but we were glad we were able to hang out with him before dinner.
Grandpa Dick had brought some sparkling cider, and in the holiday spirit we let Grace try some. She does not have a lot of experience with carbonation, and the look on her face was priceless. She said it was "spicy" but went back for another drink, so she must have liked it.When we are around our family, Grace pretty much doesn't want to have anything to do from me, becuase she enjoys everyone else's attention. This works out just fine for me, as I get to have my hands free to enjoy the company of my little niece Elena. She is so happy and content, she is super fun to hang out with, even if she doesn't always look at the camera. :)
Elena fell asleep on me, and I let Gunnar have a turn holding her so I try to help out in the kitchen and take some pictures. Besides, I try not to hog all the fun.
My mom LOVES Thanksgiving. She always likes to have some activities to help us focus on being thankful. This year she even had something prepared for Grace to do. When I asked Grace this morning what her favorite part of Thanksgiving was, she said coloring, so aparently, it was a hit!
Auntie Ann helped her with cutting the leaves.
Finally it was time to eat. The food was all delicious. I love Thanksgiving food!
We have been trying to get a decent family picture that included Elena. This is always tricky, as the more of us added to the group, the harder it gets. Michael set up a tri-pod so we tried again out in front of my parents house.

Ann, Maria and I were hanging out while he was getting things ready. You really have to be careful what you do when someone has a loaded camera.
I think the final project came out okay.After dinner we hung out. Grace got Grandma and Uncle Danny to read her books. Elena actually seemed to enjoy the book reading as well. It was super cute.I love this picture of Daniel and Grace. Sooo cute!Grace loves the "don't break the ice." Gunnar had never seen it before, so my dad showed him how to play. Who knew that game had such a far reaching age span appeal?
Finally, a family picture before we headed home. I don't know why we always wait until right before we come home when Grace is tired. Oh well, there is always next year.Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you all had a wonderful day!