A Very Football-y Thanksgiving

We had a very small Thanksgiving this year with just the family since I am just too pregnant to make the big haul to Houston or have a dinner party at my house during which my water might break. (Its two weeks till showtime, folks!)

It was nothing like I am used to but a wonderful time, just the same. Mostly, the meal centered around football, which made everyone ecstatic except maybe Sam. :) Even Sam has taken to the sport, he enjoys the running and the ball. My boy!

Zayd was a little terrified when everyone would suddenly scream out for no reason, so we soon instituted a rule that screaming was immediately followed by a round of high fives for Zayd. He would go down the line: Nana, AJ, Uncle Jon, Auntie Andie, Nani, Mama and congratulate us all on a play well done. (Or a call that we couldn't reason with but "was not up for review". (Link provided in case you missed the call...) He liked the high fives and I get the feeling that everyone visiting from Houston enjoyed it too. The picture below is terrible, everyone is blurry, the whole thing is chaotic but it pretty much captures our afternoon - smiles ALL AROUND. (Go Texans!)

When football bored him, Zayd helped make dinner. He can crack eggs, stir, and add spices. (He is a french toast-making champ, but sadly there was no french toast on our Thanksgiving menu.) His favorite is the automatic pepper mill, which makes for some spicier-than-expected delicacies in our house.

After the game, us young folks (ha!) played with Zayd while trying to recline on the couches. Z had a blast trying on cousin AJ's (ENORMOUS!) shoes. Zayd couldn't even stand in them because they went clear to his knees. :)

After the excitement of the game and the exorbitant amount of food Nani and I prepared, everyone had to lie down. I think Zayd was asleep by 5:45, and Nani called it a day by 6 o'clock. Sam, Jon, AJ, and I stayed up playing Risk until 11 (hark!) and it was so much fun. The game really shows everyone's personalities. AJ is apparently obsessed with Japan. Sam wants to invade everyone, then wants a truce. As Jon said, "Tahira just wants to sit at home in North America, drink Starbucks, and enjoy what she has. She won't attack anyone unless they attack her first." And Jon was a strategizer. I don't often get to do fun things without Zayd these days, I am just too tired to consider most anything after the lentil tucks in, but this was just perfect.

And for the record, I am thankful for the following:

• That we got to eat on real china like I had always dreamed
• That I get to raise my kids with Sam who is really a damn good dad
• That my family is willing to drive to me when I am too round to make it anywhere else
• For the community we have found/made here in Mahncke Park
• For my Houston friends (including the Bell) who I miss very much but know I will see again soon
• And for a 10-1 Texans record