Thanksgiving and the Weekend

We christened Clover and Evan's new house with a rousing Thanksgiving!

 Lindsey flew in Monday, we got there Tuesday, Tori and Mom got there a few hours after we did, Livie flew in in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, Dana and Marilyn got there mid morning Wednesday, Dad and Cody got there Wednesday afternoon, Owen and Ashley got there Thursday afternoon, Tim flew in Thursday evening, as did Tyler, Julie, Ava, and Alison. So the Thanksgiving dinner was on Friday at noon. There were 28 people there, so we were all cozy and comfy while a snow storm stormed away outside. It was quite lovely. 

The kids put on a Thanksgiving show Wednesday evening. (The Syracuse meeting was on Tuesday, since so many people were going to be heading hither and yon for Wednesday.) Orianna and Cheyenne read a Thanksgiving poem to start things off. 

Lincoln doing a ukulele rendition of Old McDonald. 

Elliott and Gilbert topped off the event with an energetic break dancing routine. Gilbert totally decided Elliott was having fun, so jumped in and copied him. The whole thing was hilarious. Elliott debuted his break dancing routine several years ago in a Christmas play in which he was "Turbo." Since then, he has been wowing us. 

Rilla read a poem and Lily did a cartwheel, but I don't have pictures. 

It is hard to stop being the center of attention, so the bows turned into an encore.

The new light Evan made. Isn't he clever? I love it!

Peek a boo girl

Story time with Grandpa

A new set of Carl Bark's Comics

Thursday, Clover and I decided to fill up the new shelves in the library. It was just too tempting! So we made the library a gigantic mess for awhile. 

Who could resist the allure of unfilled bookshelves? 

Plus the kids got boxes to play in.

Talking

Playing Dominion, which is a wicked fun game! Dana and Marilyn brought it.

The library shelves mostly full. But there are appealing little gaps, ready for another library book sale or two... Squeal! 

Wits and Wagers

Trying to get baby to play pat-a-cake

Lincoln iPading it up in a box on the sofa

Singing to Breanna Vaughan on her birthday. 

Not sure why Clover is so concerned looking...

Owen being mobbed by the younger generation

Hoyt and Alison meeting for the first time

Morning iPad kids

Snow! It was gorgeous!

The giant turkey Cody got from some friends who grow turkeys. It was yummy!

Auntie Lisa made an appearance via Facetime, so everyone got to say hello!

Elsie with Aunt Lindsey. Lindsey was working on a huge bid for a job, so she only made cameo appearances. 

Elliott lounging around with Ashley and Orianna. Little nut!

The third White family, Tyler, Julie, and Ava. There is also an Alison leg in there. 

.

Getting things ready

Cheyenne made place cards. The stickers were made from pictures the kids drew. Something their school art class does or something. It was terribly cute. 

The darling salt and pepper foxes and Elliott's K'nex turkeys. 

Snow!

Eating

The littles

Livie saw a little white whale purse and had to buy it for Elsie, little Miss Baby Beluga.

She was so thrilled.

Marilyn took this picture. Isn't a perfect picture of pride and delight? 

A game of something

Boys game of Dominion

Scrabble

And Trivial Pursuit.

Kids with a sleeping Elsie

All tuckered out

My nephew, the nut.

Friday night, we headed out for home, ran into a lake effect snowstorm, and turned around to Clover and Evan's. Apparently, five miles further and we would have been out of the snow belt, but we didn't know. So we got an extra night at Clover and Evan's. Saturday for lunch, we deep fried some of Cody's shrimp.

Alison and Grandma Marilyn

The frying operation

It was yummy!

Clover made Evan a pie.... Eye roll inducing!

Back  up north! 

Hoyt and Aunt Livie

And Gilbert

A Sunday walk in the woods

A running Gilbert

Picking winterberry. Because why not?

Looking up. See the nest to the right there?

Penny having a rest. She had a run in with a coyote or two, so had a sore paw.

Alex modeling the winterberry because she had a navy coat on

Livie doing her picture thing

Penny, Gilbert, and Livie

Heading home.

I wish this was a better picture. I really like it! 

Rock striation pattern

Elsie's skirt was blowing in the wind

Little explorer

Back home to hearts

And yahtzee

And then that ridiculous game where you roll dice and if you get a one or six, you grab a pen and start writing from zero to one hundred. The next person to roll and one or six grabs your pen and starts righting and on it goes until someone writes 100. I dislike this game. But the girls (and Hoyt) do not. 

Lots of laughing!

And Tori won! Yeah, that pen is hovering in mid-air.

Hoyt was a little saddened that that was it. 

Bridge to Canada on Monday morning

 This is the new bridge to Cornwall from Cornwall Island. The old one is up in the air there. It was about... oh, about 10 times longer than it needed to be. The new bridge is maybe a  quarter of a mile. The old one was much, much longer.