The Play Book: Happy Thanksgiving 2007... gobble gobblischious!

This was our first Thanksgiving at home with just the three of us, one happy little family carving out our own traditions and celebrating all the wonderful things we have to be thankful for this year, most of all each other! Here's how our most perfect Thanksgiving day unfolded!

Up bright and early to defrost the turkey... here are the guys getting it out of the freezer in the garage!

Into the sink for a cool water soak... we found out later that we could have cooked it right from its frozen state thanks to the cool oven bag.

Ben is so creative and imaginative... he has no problem entertaining himself while we start the preparations... it's such a treat to listen to him making up his play scenarios and doing different voices for the different characters... here he was saying "(in a high pitched voice) help me, help me fire puppy! (now a much deeper voice) OK I HELP YOU, DON'T WORRY I CLIMB LADDER AND GET YOU!"

This holiday just happened to coincide with our first cold weather hot tub soak of the season! Don't worry grandmas... it was only 99 degrees (it was still heating up from being cleaned out).

Everyone loves a parade!!! We always make a point to watch the Macy's Day Parade... Ben loved the singing and the dancing and of course the balloons!

Puzzle time... we started small this year, at least that was our plan until our little overachiever decided to dump them all and mix them together. He did help us put them back though... and it was quite fun!

From puzzles to pretend play. Have we mentioned how much this little dude LOVES hats! He has a whole basket full. This morning he declared Daddy the ship's captain, himself Bob the Builder and Mommy a cowgirl.

Operation Last Minute De thaw complete (give us a break :) this was our first T-giving meal prepared all by ourselves) and time to put the turkey in the oven.

More games... this one was really fun, it's a bumble bee that circles a hive and you can either chase him or jump over him... Ben did both!

Daddy joins in on the fun!

Cooper got in on the action. He is LOVING having his very own little boy! Marc and I are chopped liver compared to Ben. Maybe that's not the best analogy seeing as Cooper loves chopped liver too :)

Time to start the side dishes, a big thanks goes out to Grandpa who did a few over the phone consultations with Mommy!

I had the best assistant! It's important to me that I pass along the same great domestic skills that his Daddy got from Omi so he'll be just as wonderful of a husband someday... many many years from now when he marries one of the lovely girls I have picked out for him and they move in next door to his father and I.

That's right buddy, just take all your aggression out on those little yams... hi-ya! That's for the time Cooper stole my cookie, and this is for Mommy making me go to bed before Dancing with the Stars finished!

"What? This? Eat this?" With a big giggle. "No Ben, mommy said to put it on the sweet potatoes." "What? This? Here?" "Ha, ha buddy, has your father been teaching you this tactic!?! Those are some pretty good evasion techniques!"

We usually go on a Thanksgiving Day hike, but this year we substituted a family bike ride.

Time for football with Daddy! He thought they were going to watch it, but Benjamin thought it would be a lot more fun to get in on the action. Turns out, if you surprise tackle Daddy enough, he'll turn you into a Benjamin sandwich!

I couldn't find the oven mitts when it came time to get the turkey out, surprise - guess where they were :)

More family time! Benjamin built houses for everyone! It's one of his latest daily chores, according to him ;) He did a good job of building them all right next to each other, just like we're going to live when he's all grown up!

Just a cute close up because he's just so cute!

Time to carve the turkey, definitely a guy job! Benjamin ran over to one of the drawers in the kitchen and pulled out what he thought would be the perfect tool to assist daddy with for the carving.