Thanksgiving

 We had another great Thanksgiving. We offered to host it at our house, which gave me the opportunity to decorate the table. I think this is one of my favorite parts of hosting. I love doing all the preparations and seeing people enjoy the finished product. Thanksgiving is the perfect excuse and I love making it a little fancy. It makes me happy. :)

The food this year was amazing! I swear the food gets better every year. Or maybe I just appreciate it more every year. Everyone ate and ate until we were sick. That's what you do on Thanksgiving though, right?

 Left to right: Emily (Justin's dental assistant), me & Justin, Adam & Hollie, Camron, Blake & Amy, Spencer. (Suzy was taking the picture)

 Jack and Sydney were showing off their artistic skills. I put paper on the table for them to color on and I had to laugh at Jack's face when I told him it was ok to color on the table. I scored myself a few mom points on that one.

 The Case Western crew!

Is it so weird that they all went to dental school together (we are missing Shane and his family) and now we are all here enjoying each other's company in Japan? It's one of those tender mercies for me. It feels so good to have familiar faces and long term friends while adjusting to a far away and not so familiar land. Definitely something on the top of my "thankful list" this year.

 You can't tell, but Hollie is slouching and I am on my tip toes. I am so short!

These two rascals are also at the top of our "thankful list"! They are becoming friends the older they get. We picked up Jack from school yesterday and Anderson was hugging Jack around the neck and saying, "This is my Jack." over and over. Jack had a big smile on his face and just let Anderson continue to half way strangle him while enjoying the moment. Between the arguments and fights, they always say they are each other's best friend. 

Overall the day was filled with gratitude, and for that alone, I would say it was a success.