Thanks for Giving

posted by Evan Jake at 7:13 PM

I'm back home now with Mom and Dad after a fun and eventful Thanksgiving. I had never heard of Thanksgiving until Thursday morning when I was packed up and put in the car. I love car rides, but I'm not crazy about car sitting -- which is what we did a lot of in heavy traffic on the way to nana and papa's house. Apparently Thanksgiving is about everyone getting in their cars at the same exact time and trying to drive in the same direction. It doesn't make much sense to me, but, hey, it beats day care.

Despite running a bit late, we made it to nana and papa's house just in time for dinner. And I'm really glad we went. A lot of my family was there when we arrived -- some of whom I'd never even met! There were my mom and dad, two grandparents, two uncles, two aunts, six cousins, two kitty cats and me. I wish everyone had worn name-tags. It might have made life a bit easier, but I can't read yet anyway. Plus, sticking name-tags on the cats probably wouldn't work. But I digress.

We all ate a big dinner cooked by my nana. I got to eat turkey and peas with my Cheerios for a change. It was all very tasty and none of it came out of a frozen box or the microwave. I hope mom and dad were taking notes.

Then, after dinner, there was a special surprise for all us cousins. Presents!

I guess we're not supposed to get gifts for another month or so, but since this was the only time we were all going to be together this year, us kids all got to open presents early. That's me in the picture surrounded by a bunch of presents and wrapping paper. (Mom had to help me a little with the unwrapping part. Meanwhile, Dad just stood there and wondered how all my new toys would fit in the car on the way home.)

When we were done opening gifts, we all got to spend time as a big happy family. I had fun with my cousins. I liked watching them all run around. While they made laps around the house, I was able to move in on their toys and get some solid play time in before they noticed.

The next day we all got up early and ate a homemade breakfast. Again, I hope mom and dad were taking notes. Then we went to a nearby park and played on some swings. After that, so some of us got to go to the zoo!

This zoo was way better than the Maryland Zoo mom and dad once took me to. And I got in for free, which I'm sure went over big with dad.

The zoo had all kinds of great animals that you could see up close and some you could even pet. That's me in the picture feeding a giraffe. He looked a little sad because I think people had been trying to feed him cold leftover turkey all day. There were also prairie dogs and lemurs and monkeys and kangaroos. But I wasn't allowed to pet or feed any of them. Maybe mom and dad will take me back there again some day when the monkeys are hungrier so I can feed them, too.

But the zoo was really just a highlight in an overall great trip. I had an awesome Thanksgiving at nana and papa's. I was very grateful we could all be together as a family. And I know I have even more grandparents, an uncle, an aunt, a great-grandmother and lots of other family that I didn't get to celebrate with this year. No matter where we spent Thanksgiving, we all surely have a lot to be thankful for. Especially the new toys.

~:O