How we Celebrated Thanksgiving

We went to Daniel's extended family in Springville to eat and eat and eat on Thanksgiving day. :) Princess was feeling a little icky, but otherwise the kids played in the grass, and Pea ate too much, and everyone had fun. Daniel and I got lost in Springville, but apart from that, it was an all around fun day.

On Friday, we went to my mom's house in Cordova. My sister and her husband were there, and again we ate and ate and ate. Joy (said in a mixture of both joy and sarcasm)! Then the day was long and full. We visited my PaPa. Princess was quite entertaining - in rare form and made his day. He was sad. He was without my Granny for the first time at Thanksgiving, and it was the first time he was unable to participate in the activities with us, so our visit brightened him up a bit.

Then we visited my Grandmother and Pa (my dad's parents), and Princess again entertained. Pea stayed at my mom's with Daniel to take a nap, so he didn't get to visit or entertain anyone. :( Princess's birthday is Tuesday, so she got a birthday gift from my Grandmother - money. You've never seen someone so excited to get some money - it could have just been a penny, and she would have felt the same - something to put in her fairly new piggy bank. I hope she stays thankful. She already has too much - so this is a difficult feat.

Then we came back to mom's, ate again, and then went to the mall - left the kids with Nana, and then after shopping, we all came home late that night. I only bought books, one of which I aim to blog about, so look for it in a couple of weeks.

Every since my dad died, we no longer celebrate anything with his side of the family. We only get to visit. My sister and I are tremendously sad by this. I think it has more to do with the fact that she and I and my cousin are all grown up and each of us have our own married families to see about too, but we feel disconnected from them in a way that we wish we could change and associate it with the gap dad left. I know Daniel misses seeing his cousins regularly too, and there has been no death in his family - just kids growing up. I would happily have a celebration at my house for everyone, but no one wants to drive to Birmingham, and my house is small besides. Nonetheless, a little part of me grieves for my family at every family gathering. As Anne of Green Gables says, "Why do we have to grow up and change?"

I know it is just life, but how do you connect with your family? How has your family life changed over the years? Got any advice?