While the Thanksgiving dinner was cooking, I was surpr
ised to have so many opportunities for my lap to be piled with two or three grandchildren. They were “honking” my nose, and later switched to “ringing” my ears. Is everyone familiar with this game? If someone squeezes your nose, you say “honk!” with every squeeze. With the ears, they pull, and you say, “Ding ding ding!”
The younger grandchildren also liked to have attention from their older cousins or aunts and uncles, as in being toted by a tall cousin also wearing plaid (90% of the males wore plaid shirts that day), but on a regular basis the two 2-year-olds seemed to just need a Grandma Lap where they could escape from the noise and get some peace and quiet.
The day after Thanksgiving Soldier and Joy were off to cut a Christmas tree on public lands (permit cost $10) so some of the rest of us went with them.
It was a way to maximize the time our distantly scattered family could spend together, though it still came out too too short. If the holiday had to come to an end, we were pleased that it happened in the forest with us all smelling the freshly rain-soaked and piney air.
Gladsome Lights 
this is lovely and a joy. sending love and prayers your way.
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I love seeing you with your family. what a pile of potatoes! We had 35 at our thanksgiving celebration…and I made a mess of potatoes as well…the whole bag in fact! I am thankful for my blogging friends….;)!
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Your writing today conjured up old memories of family lap games. We honked noses but when you pulled grandma’s ear her tongue came out. She wore huge, colorful earrings and when she took them off I was more into inspecting them than playing. Do you remember the face game “Around the Garden the Old Lady Lives? That was a fun one I did with my children.
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Lynn, I don’t know that face game, but on Thanksgiving I played another one, “Here Sits the Lord Mayor, Here Sit His Men…” with the two-year-olds. Do you know that one? I love how you can do these repetitive things SO repetitively and they are happy – I don’t have to think up interesting topics to talk about with that age group. 🙂
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As far as the ear ringing, I made that up with Scout when he was about one. It stuck and he taught Ivy when she was old enough. I had no idea they were playing it with you.
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You never know when a little game will turn into a family tradition!
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Looks like a house full of fun and love! Glad you had a great Thanksgiving with your family! 🙂
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I ♥ plaid. So awesome that you can cut down a tree (in nature) not on a farm for just $10. My in-laws live on a piece of land that is heavily wooded in the back, maybe we’ll get a tree there, but I really want to get a LIVE tree…roots and all. Sounds like you had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration!
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Have you thought of making a place in your back yard where you can have a Christmas tree nursery in pots? Then you could have the right-sized tree ready every Christmastime.
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Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation. Psalm 100:4&5
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Thank you, LL!! We will enter together…
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I’ve never heard of that Grandma Game! 🙂 And I’m afraid that your mashed potato bowl is WAY WAY too small!! But I’m sure at the table it was soon remedied, yes? Happy Thanksgiving, and I’m glad you had a lovely time with family.
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When you become a grandma, Mary Kathryn, I’ll teach you all the games I know. 🙂
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I love all that plaid going on! And all the playing and Christmas tree hunting too. Good memories.
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Love this post! You have a way of capturing some of the best moments and writing about them with words. Thanks for loving on those two year olds while their moms were occupied. This two year old in this house has Grandma on his mind often…
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