Thanksgiving

I never thought I'd be here.

I've always been a family gal, so I never thought I'd be the first one in my family to move away from home.

But states separate us from "home," and so I am trying to make this our home.

It doesn't feel that way, at all.


but we are trying. 

This Thanksgiving, I have to admit, I am thankful that I have to be at work.


The busy-ness of work will keep my mind off of the things I want, and will miss on Thanksgiving -

• Laughter and chaos of little Loprinzi kids - 13 of them all together, with 11 of them age 5 and under!
• A forced family picture of all the cousins together - where every kid would smile, except my Ryk who would of been the pouty faced kid.
• My sister E's delicious and artistic pies
• An evening filled with games - Scategories, Uno, and that new one my sisters got me hooked on - Apples to Apples. 
• The face of my mom, dad, and MIL.  You know that face, the face that shows total happiness. Where on one special day of the year their 4 kids (and spouses and grandbabies) are all together, in one place.  Beautiful.
• The passing around of babies, watching aunts and uncles love, kiss, and adore your kids the way that family is suppose to.

I'm a mama, I want memories for my kids.  And while the memories this year won't consist of hanging out with cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents...I'm going to do my best to be thankful.


So I'll cook a big meal, for the 5 of us.  I'll wear an apron in the kitchen, bounce a baby girl on my hip, and sport some flour in my hair just because it is housewife like.  Our home will be warm, and smell like deliciousness.  I'll bake a pie, apple because we don't like pumpkin.  We'll buy a small turkey breast, because I don't like leftovers.  There will be snacky food out on the table all day, just like there would be if we were having a Thanksgiving party with lots of people.  I'll play Uno with R, and ask K over and over again to please not swipe the cards.  The card stealing bandit will soon ruin the Uno game and we'll switch to Battleship - R's favorite.  We'll toast with Martinelli's sparkling cider - I'll smile  as I watch my boys click their glasses together and say cheers.  Jovie will kick her tiny feet under her highchair as she gets her first taste of 'smashed potatoes.  R and I will make those turkey cupcakes we have been talking about.  P will nap after a full belly from a home cooked meal (rare these days - both the nap and the home cooked meal).  Me, well I'll sit back and love on my family, I'll sport that look on my face - the one my mom, and dad and mother in law do when they see all of their kids together.  And instead of being tearful and wishing I was in OR with everyone else, I'll be present here, at home with my family enjoying every minute of togetherness we get to spend because soon enough they will have families of their own.  After dinner we'll put up our Christmas tree, and in Ryker like decorating fashion the ornaments will all land at about 3 foot height on the tree.  Our stockings will hang from a real chimney this year.  We'll be happy, at home, creating our family memories.

With that said, I'm sure we will arrange for a skype session, cause a family gal can only take so much on her first mega family holiday spent away...