If You Met My Family...

This year for Thanksgiving, we are loading up the car with all of the baby gear that we can cram into it, and we are hitting the highway- Mobile, HERE WE COME! I am so excited to spend this holiday with my family.  It's going to be one heck of a trip- it's Sarah Claire's first thanksgiving, it will be her first time meeting a few members of my mom's side of the family AND all of my siblings will be there together!! Well, almost.  Sarah Nell is visiting a friend in Denver, but she will be back before we all head back to our current home towns.  She'll have a good bit of making up to do.  Did I say making up? I meant catching up.

So, here's a normal Thanksgiving at the York household.  It's slightly edited and glamorized, but- here's the catchphrase- if you met my family, you'd understand. We all wake when we want to-Austin is always the late sleeper, but Lolly gives him a run for his money.  Some of us go for a run.  Some of us start watching the Thanksgiving day parade. There is a pot of coffee on-it's usually the first of many- and my mom is usually all stocked up on all of the holiday creamers. (I always pick the peppermint mocha).  By the time we are at least partially caffeinated, my mom has fixed us a breakfast that could feed 5,000 people, and we all enjoy it together. Enter first serious edit: our "around the table" conversations are not always "public-appropriate."  I mean, they aren't terrible, but insert catchphrase here, please.  Can I get a "snap, snap?"  By the end of breakfast, every cinnamon roll crumb, every breakfast casserole bite, every lick of homemade jam, and every last one of the sausage biscuits is usually gone.  So much for 5,000.  What can we say? We love food, and since nothing makes my mom happier than feeding us, we couldn't let her down.  That's our story, at least!

Then there is the getting ready.  It's a race for the hot water- with a family of 8, this has always just been part of it- and also a race for the clothes.  The race for the clothes is where it can get a little ugly- see, the beauty of having 5 girls in a family is the ability to have 5 wardrobes to choose from at any given time. It's not like we play nice just because it's Thanksgiving, but we have become much, much more civil about this process over the years.  By "civil" I mean less bloodshed, more "remember that time I stole your favorite white shirt..." stories. Catchphrase, people.  By the time we are dressed and ready, Emily has on Sarah Nell's sweater, Lolly has on Mary Ashley's earrings, I have on (ohhh this is so past-tense for me) Sarah Nell's dress and Mary Ashely's necklace... well, one thing needs to be said: May and Say: if you don't want us wearing your stuff, stop buying the stuff we like.  Completely kidding- thank you, Twins- we owe y'all!  Y'all have prevented some serious wardrobe disasters by sharing your fashion sense with us.  I mean, who knew that jean skirts and polo shirts were out? All i'm saying is... catchphrase.

Then, there is the turkey and endless buffet at Meme's.  I actually have to edit this entire section.  Sorry... catchphrase for sure.  I can say, though, that on a serious note, this is one of the best parts of the whole Thanksgiving experience. If I believed in making "I am thankful for..." lists, I would have Meme's house and all that it entails (yes, that means you, Ruth) very near the top of the list.

Oh I love my family.  I can't wait to pull into that ridiculously bumpy driveway and see the homemade banner on the backdoor, welcoming all of us, complete with excessive exclamation marks and waaaaaay too much sharpie...