Thanksgiving

We have so much to be thankful for this year. We have been blessed with an amazing son and we have come such a long way since last Thanksgiving when I was on bed rest and Bill was diagnosed with pericarditis. I am so thankful that we are all healthy. We are so happy.

We spent the majority of this Thanksgiving laughing with the Stone side of the family. So many wonderful stories and memories. I am thankful Liam carries 'his' name.

From this perspective everything appears just as it should. We are all together. I think Gran said it best... "We have our joy back!"

We celebrated Elizabeth's birthday and blew out the candles!

When this group is together you are certain to hear the joy not only through laughter, but through music.

Who knew Pappa had the most amazing voice? The kind that sends chills down the back of your neck and brings a smile to your face.

Thanksgiving day it was off to the Menger Hotel for a wonderful meal complete with shrimp, salmon, tender turkey with dressing and cranberry sauce, glazed yams, honey ham, apricot stuffed pork loin, lamb and garlic mashed potatoes, green beans and a huge assortment of pies and desserts.

Liam had never tasted anything better in his entire life. As fast as I could cut lunch into tiny bite size pieces, he was double fist pumping them into his mouth. He ate an entire slice of turkey with dressing and cranberry sauce, 4 yams, several spoonfuls of mashed potatoes, 5 cheese filled tortellini, half a roll and a couple green beans. Not kidding! (Day 2, Liam proceeded to finish off half of GiGi's cheese enchilada.) Let's just say that he is a total fan of Thanksgiving!

We finished off the meal at the haunted Menger Hotel Bar, famous for Teddy Roosevelt's bullet holes and remnants of a prohibitionist woman's ax marks.

We stopped to soak in a little bit of history and capture a photo of the family across the street at the Alamo.

About that time the tryptophan began to set in or maybe just testosterone because the boys were settled right in front of their favorite spot. Even the littlest enjoyed the game.

While the boys were napping, the girls setup the living room for the first annual stocking stuff. Mom personalized special Santa bags for each participant!

The stocking is always my favorite. My mother creates the most fabulous stockings filled with all types of tiny treasures. She is on the hunt all year and now that I have a family of my own, I too am on the prowl for the very best mini surprises. It was the perfect idea for the family gift exchange.

Thanks Gran for the beautiful necklaces

Mom set a beautiful table.

Get your game faces ready and warm the fondue because... it's time!

Our family it is split right down the middle. It's a grudge match between the orange and the maroon. Patti and I hosted Aggie yell practice while Pappa and Elizabeth discussed strategy. Whoop for the 12th man!

Black Friday morning shopping came bright and early! But before heading off to the races, we took the opportunity to capture a Johnson family portrait with JBird photography. I managed to capture a few moments myself while waiting... such proud grandparents.

We grabbed a quick lunch and Uncle Steven tried to win us a toy! I have a feeling there will be many more of these opportunities.

Then it was off to see Santa. The things parents will do to get a Santa smile!

As we left town and headed home with a car loaded to the brim with goodies, I thought about our wonderful trip and start to an amazing holiday season. Thank you mom and dad for a special weekend and for allowing us to take over your bedroom.

Here's to Elizabeth and her amazing accomplishments at UT including business school honors. To Kenneth as he prepares to graduate A&M and begin a new career in Austin. To Steven as he prepares to move to Houston and a tough decision between two amazing opportunities. To two new faces, Dasha and Rachael. And to my amazing husband and son for which I am so proud! Cheers to family and to new endeavors.

Happy Thanksgiving! "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures for ever." - Psalm 107:1