Thanksgiving Texas style

The eight Texas cousins were so excited to get together over Thanksgiving. They hadn’t all been together for a while, but picked up right where they left off, sharing fave iPad games and tips (Dragonvale and Hidden Garden were mentioned quite a few times), teaching group dance moves (like Ro and Ree’s hamster dance and W’s impressive Gangnam Style), trying out crazy-flexible gymnastics and Taekwondo splits and kicks, running everywhere, watching movies, giving hugs, and reveling in a mutual love of dogs.

The Houston zoo is always a good destination for the herd of kiddos. Plenty of space to run (and run and run, oh man this crew was fast) and lots to look at (although I have to admit that I mainly pointed my camera at the two-legged animals this trip):

Local playgrounds were also good for burning off some steam while waiting for a second (or third) round of pie.

Did I mention pie? There was lots of other food too (including Ro and Ree’s fave “corn cake” and some kind of green jello dish that got inhaled). Mmmmm. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! And thank you to Ma for such an incredible table of deliciousness.

The cousin sleepovers were hilarious. I’m pretty sure the kids will need a week of hard sleeping to catch up, but they thought they’d won the lottery.

Let’s see, what else? Oh, there were midnight snacks (with chips and salsa, of course) and lots of crafting. Those kitchen tables were always full. And TubaDad’s sister R taught me the coolest trick for separating eggs! Just suck the yolk up with an empty water bottle, then gently squirt it out into another bowl. Get outta town!

At Mercer Gardens I set up the tripod and remote to try and get the whole family in one shot.

Thanks to the whole Texas family for a wonderful trip and such great memories. We’ll see y’all soon.

Happy Holidays!