Thanksgiving Football, Thanksgiving Dinner, Thanksgiving Games

I LOVE Thanksgiving! We began the morning by making a great breakfast together. Just before breakfast Dad sat us down and read us the story of how the pilgrims came to America. He told us of all the hard times that they had coming to a new land and trying to start everything new. He told us of how the Indians helped the pilgrims and of their first Thanksgiving.

The thing I remembered most was the reason that the pilgrims left. They left to be able to have religious freedom! The pilgrims first left England and traveled to Holland. There they were able to practice their religion, but their children began to practice Dutch traditions. The Dutch at that time were very frivolous and focused on worldly things. The pilgrims were worried that their children would forget their religious traditions, therefore they left Holland and traveled to America. This made me think of how we, as Americans have forgotten that part of the story.

As I listened to my dad tell that story, I was overwhelmed with gratitude. I LIVE IN AMERICA AND I HAVE MY FREEDOM!!! I am also especially grateful for the opportunity to practice my belief. I know that we have a prophet on the earth today, President Thomas S. Monson. I know Joseph Smith was called to be a prophet and was given the power to translate the Book of Mormon. I know that the Book of Mormon is a second witness of Jesus Christ of the people in the Americas. I know the Bible is also the word of God. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is Christ's church restored on the earth. IT IS TRUE!!!

I have been so grateful to celebrate the Thanksgiving Holiday!

After the story of Thanksgiving and breakfast, we played football. According to Stephen, it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without football. Aunt Kelley and Uncle Evan's family came up to join us. We split up the teams pretty evenly and had a pretty good game. I just thought it was hilarious when my team would huddle us and come up with a game plan. I had no idea what they were talking. With all of their football jargon, they might as well have been speaking in Chinese. I do have to brag about one thing...I TACKLED MY DAD!!! It was supposedly touch football, but I figure that they wouldn't yell at a five foot one hundred pound girl...Here are the pictures of our wonderful event.

Here's a picture of the whole clan. Don't we look awesome!! I was freezing...I'm the one in the hoodie and the huge Denver Broncos coat...it was my dads.

Of course, you can't talk about Thanksgiving without mentioning the amazing Thanksgiving Dinner. My favorite Thanksgiving food is the marshmallow covered sweet potatoes. I LOVE THEM!!! There is so much butter and brown sugar in that dish...These pictures are all a little odd, so take them for what they are. Pictures taken around the dinner table are just that.

After dinner, we had game time. If anyone has any desire to learn what chicken foot is, just come on over. The game that is pictured emimated from the minds in the pictures. I'm guessing that it was some sort of cowboys and indians. They used rubberbands to knock over each others little action figures. They also had dominos to be little forts to protect the action figures. First you had to knock over the dominos and then the action figures. There is a wonderful video of the game below.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!