A Thanksgiving to Remember

We had a very nice day yesterday celebrating Thanksgiving.  The weather was perfect.  We even had the doors and windows open to let in the fresh air.  We ate at my sister's house.  Both her sons and their wives were there along with her grandchildren, and with various other friends and extended family.

I knew that we would have a good time.  We always do, but Wednesday night I cried because there will not be a time during all of the holiday season this year that the whole family will be together.  I intend to show up at everything and I know it will be fun.  It just isn't the same without everyone.  I'm not so sad for me but for the ones not there that miss out.  I want to remember two especially fun and funny events from yesterday.  So, I am recording them here.

My nieces were dressed in adorable brown dresses that were alike but not matchy-matchy.  Both dresses had turkeys appliqued on them and they both looked precious.  The older niece (N1) who finally has hair had a cute bow in her hair.  The 10 month old (N2) is still adorably bald.  (It is hard when I don't have permission to use names!)

N1 and I were playing after we'd eaten.  The bow fell out of her hair.  I told her I'd put it back in but she was too busy with her games to bother with that. So, I handed the bow to 65MD.  He decided to put it in his hair.  He just clipped it on top of his head, and didn't say anything.  He just waited for N1 to notice.  When she did, she laughed so hard she could hardly stand up. She then had to tell everyone in the house individually, that Pop had a bow on his head.

Then she decided that Daddy needed to put the bow on his head.  Then Uncle D.  Then Nanny.  Then Lolli, etc.  It got funnier every time.  We were all laughing like we hadn't laughed in a long time.  It was, indeed, hilarious.  Pop might just have to start wearing bows whenever he is around N1.

Later, N1 decided that she wanted to "sing the pokey-pokey" which translated is "hokey-pokey" although I'm not sure about the spelling.  We are very loose with the hokey pokey.  We don't say left or right.  We just say put your hand or foot in and out.  Our verses are:  hand, foot, head, and whole self.  We sing those verses over and over.  N2 was in the room sitting in my mother's lap when we started.

I actually do not participate in all of the movements just yet.  It is OK for me just to sing while N1 prances around.  She mostly does the 'turn yourself about' part anyway.  And the clapping.  When I started to sing, N2 began to lean back & forth to the rhythm and we thought that was cute.  When I started singing the 'head' verse, she put those fat, little baby hands on her bald head and clapped at the end of the verse.  We all thought it was adorable and that she must be very advanced for her age to do the hokey pokey.  Just to be sure, I sang that verse again.  Once again, she kept the beat, put her hands on her head and clapped at the end.  This time she even sang a bit.

I wound up singing that verse about 10 times.  EVERY time, she put her hands on her head and clapped at the end, while she sang along.  She wouldn't do the other verses.  She had no interest in putting her hands or feet in, only her head.  We called the others in to watch and she would perform on cue, except for when her mother was watching.  Even when her mother was hiding, which we couldn't quite figure out but agree it has to do with extremely high intelligence!!  It was a blast.  I can't wait to see her again and she if she still wants to 'put head in' or not.

Baby number 3 will be here at the end of April.   I cannot wait to see what joy s/he brings!