Thanksgiving 2012

This Thanksgiving we convinced most of Isaac's family to come to FL for the holiday.  Everybody in the stateside family minus one in-law was able to make it down for the long weekend.  We had a full house and had a blast.

Unfortunately, Thanksgiving Eve Isaac started to come down with a stomach bug.  At first, we thought it was a one-time freak bathroom incident because he felt "fine".  I woke him up Thanksgiving morning to get the turkeys going (yes, plural-one for the oven, one for the Green Egg) and he sat up straight in bed, launched out of bed and into the bathroom for round #2.  Suffice it to say, it. was. ugly.  Isaac had to miss the golf outing he had planned with his brothers and stayed home in bed with Gracie and Shadow.  He managed in between trips to the bathroom to start the Green Egg.  I got the turkeys in the oven and on the grill while finishing up the side dishes with the help of the ladies and tending to Isaac.  Thankfully, the bug only lasted 24 hours and no one else got sick!!!

Isaac firing up the grill

The Green Egg and the turkey ready to be smoked.

Family hanging out

Abby and Donna

Jan with the grandsons, Caleb and Daniel

Playing cornhole while waiting for the turkey to finish

Daniel and Donna with Jack

Gabe and Sammy

Isaac and Alyse

The delicious smoked turkey...it definitely won the turkey contest! 

Eating Thanksgiving Dinner

Aaron with child, Kyle, Katie, and Isaac playing Euchre

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Isaac feeling much better and loading up on leftovers!

The day after Thanksgiving we had planned on going to the beach but it was just too cool.  Daniel told us that he had never seen a manatee before and we knew just the place to take him to change that.  We all went down to the Manatee Viewing Center at the Big Bend Power Plant for a manatee adventure.

Manatee Daniel with Manatee Isaac

Daniel and Abby

Kyle and Isaac 

Gabe and Donna

Sammy and Alyse

Aaron and Katie

Isaac and Daniel checking out the manatees

Daniel learning all about Manatees and the way that God created them. 

After the manatees, we took the family to Circles for lunch, one of our favorite restaurants when we lived near Apollo Beach.  We enjoyed their awesome crab and spinach dip and grouper bites-yum!

Caleb and Kyle chillin' on the bay 

Donna, Sammy, and Alyse

Alyse, Katie, Aaron, Daniel

Katie and Aaron with cutey Caleb 

Jan enjoying her grandbaby

Thanksgiving was a great time spent with family.  We hope to have everyone down to FL again soon!