Thanks + Giving = Thanksgiving

After class on Wednesday, we hightailed it up to Philly. Though we left at 4:30pm and expected tons of traffic, it only took about 4 hours, which is not bad considering it was the day before Thanksgiving and rush hour.

Stef's sister, Olivia, got to the Kreamer house just before we arrived. We talked around the kitchen table for a while, catching up with Caroline and Catherine, and then we hit the sack, totally tired from the three day week.

We woke up Thanksgiving morning to an hour or two of beauitful snow flurries. Stef and Liv went out to buy some apple cider (Philly almost had an apple cider shortage!) and stopped for coffee on the way back. The coffee place was right next to Jenny and Chris Stanchak's apartment, so we stopped in to drink or coffee and chat a bit. Once we were back at the Kreamer house, it was non-stop kitchen hustling until it was time to eat. Heidi joined from New York, and there were even more curly haired kids in the house.

Jonathan did a great job helping Stefanie make green bean casserole, especially considering green beans are his least favorite vegetable. Olivia did a stellar job making creamy mashed potatoes. See them hard at work below.

Dinner included a big group! Stefanie, Jonathan, Olivia, Catherine, Heidi, Caroline, Tom, 2 grandparents, a great aunt, and Holman and Carolyn joined a bit later. Oh, and 1 dog + 3 cats!

Dessert included Pecan, Pumpkin, and Apple pies, complete with ice cream. After all the food had been eaten, dishes cleaned, and guests seen off, the kiddos played Parcheeze late into the night. Well, Stefanie studied near by while the rest of the gang played.

The next morning consisted of delicious left overs for brunch. Stefanie and Jonathan spent some time studying on Friday, and there was more Parcheeze playing as well. We left Friday evening to get back to DC to do some intense studying. Only 17 days left in the semester and lots to do!

Happy Thanksgiving, blog readers. Let your life be a thanksgiving.