Thanksgiving 2011

On Thanksgiving morning it was time to open the pit and hope the turkeys were all cooked.
Our shoveling team was ready to begin.

They got down to the steel plate.

Next they traded shovels for brooms.

This is what the turkeys looked like when they opened the pit.  Can you see the all the steam coming out.  The coals were still hot.

They pulled all the turkeys out.  Now it was time for everyone to come and take their turkey home to enjoy.

Meanwhile inside the kitchen crew (Boyd, Lindsay and Michelle) were hard at work picking the turkey off the bones and peeling potatoes.  We joked that Boyd looked like Christopher Kimball from America's Test Kitchen (it's a cooking show we watch - you may have heard of their cookbooks - Cooks Illustrated).

The rolls looked so yummy we had to take a picture.

Lindsay brought a pear crumble pie that was SO delicious. (I can't remember the full name - which goes to show why you should keep up on your blogging!)

Michelle, Lindsay and Boyd keeping things under control in the kitchen.

We didn't take a shot of the dessert table after all the desserts were out, but we had a great selection of pies and cookies to fill our already full tummies after dinner.  The cookies didn't appear until after dinner so they would not be considered by some to be an appetizer.

Bryce helping Michelle get the buffet line ready.

These two, Kelli and Amanda, did the unthinkable.  They both had their wisdom teeth out on the day before Thanksgiving!  Needless to say, they were only able to eat things like rolls, jello and mashed potatoes.  There is pain behind those smiles.  We were entertained later in the evening by watching a video Max made of his trip home from the dentist with Amanda.  Amanda was still suffering from the effects of the anesthesia and was a hoot to watch as Max asked her leading questions.  They could seriously win $10,000 on America's Funniest Home Videos!

Finally it was time to eat.  Adam and David were first in line.  Our buffet was inside, but we ate out on the patio to enjoy the beautiful day.

Michelle with Kathleen and Max.  I think this year was our smallest Thanksgiving yet.  We had our family of four and Lindsay and Boyd.  The Porters joined us - even the newlyweds Brandt and Kelli.  And Charlie and David came down from Provo for the holiday.  Sadly Charlie was sick on Thanksgiving Day and was not able to join us for dinner, but David was able to be with us for the day.

Adam found his favorite foods - mostly potatoes and rolls.  He was really waiting for the cookies to come out.

This is a pan of Lindsay's delectable stuffing.  I'm wishing for some of it just writing this post.  That was the end of our pictures for Thanksgiving.  We were too busy eating to take pictures on the patio, and then we were too stuffed to take pictures of the rest of the evening.  It was a nice relaxing day with a smaller group.  A very nice day to give thanks and remember our abundant blessings.