Turkey Throwdown with Bobby Flay…er, er, D & D Goodwin

Turkey day has come and gone. :::Sigh::: And our visit home was much too short, but we always say that…even if the visits are over a week in length. It’s just a great feeling to be home.

Every visit starts with our momentous drive, and every time we pass over the Mighty Mississippi, under the Arkansas welcome sign, we get so excited!






The usual gang was in attendance, including an extra special set of guests… Grandma and Grandpa came into town, and will be in town for 2 whole months! So exciting! Grayson was able to spend time with the entire family including great grandpa (his namesake) and his Godmother.

And speaking of Chris, having the entire Knight family around is always maximum sized fun. They definitely liven up the house with loud cheers, laughs and utter glee. Of course I have to gush over them, so hold tight while I ooze “Proud Aunt” mush: Zach is the smartest and most creative kid. Every time I see him I notice how he is so well behaved, exceptionally bright and very patient. And Reece is turning into a little boy so fast! He is chatting up a storm, in 2 languages, more than any other 2 ½ year old I’ve seen. He’s so loving and absolutely adored helping Grayson, snuggling with everyone, and playing with the pups. And to boot, they are both so handsome! Chris, you’re doomed with those 2. You better invest in some girl repellent.
Ok, Aunt gush over, I digress.
So as the title of this post suggests, we had an official throwdown this year. In all good ribbing and fun, Mom and Dad decided to cook up 2 turkeys. Yup, 2 for our small family. I know, that was my reaction. Mom took up her classic roasted turkey while Dad went with his tradition of frying the bird. Of course the diners were tasked with picking a winner too. Unfortunately, no one could decide. Dad’s Cajun bird is always sooo good. We love it. But Mom’s peppery roasted version is awesome too! It was a tie. Both were too great to rank one above the other. And good thing they were yummy too… they’ll be working on those leftovers for a few months. Usually I contribute to the removal of leftovers and pack some up for homemade turkey noodle soup. Not this year. Driving 13 hours with turkey was a bit sketchy for my strict adherence to food refrigeration rules.

So of course we all enjoyed the chats, scrumptious food, celebrating Grandpa’s 87th birthday and their 65th wedding anniversary (WOW! So great!), the Wii play time, Toy Story 3 introduction, gingerbread house making, and the overwhelming good company, but the gold star activity was outside scooter fun. Racing down the driveway at Mach 1 proved to elicit oodles of laughter from both kids and adults. Great grandma even took a spin. Reece gallantly stepped in to help her with proper foot placement, maximizing her aerodynamics. So much fun!
Thanks for another great Turkey Day in the books! We are so thankful for the family!

By the way, I bet you are wondering how we got Grayson there and back again (not the Hobbit’s tale). Well, that decision didn’t come lightly. Believe me when I say that a 13-hour drive, with a 5-month old, isn’t at the top of our list of daily activities. So we broke up the trip into two days on the way out (spending the night in Birmingham) and conquering it all in one fell swoop on the way back. Amazingly, little Grayson pulled through like a real trooper. Sure we had a couple short stints of “Crabby Crabberson,” but all in all, he was really good. Part of the secret was stationing Mom in the back to keep him company and many stops for a change of scenery. Nice job, boy! EDIT: The preceding paragraph was written by Dan. First time he’s typed up a blog paragraph, and I gotta say he did a fantastic job! Although, he did have to explain the “Hobbit’s Tale” comment. I had no clue, and still don’t really understand it.



So next up on our list: Grayson’s 6 month birthday, Zach’s 6th birthday and then Christmas right around the corner. My, oh my, how time flies.
And speaking of flying, Dan flies off to “over there” again for an undisclosed and unknown amount of time at the end of this week. Let’s all pray that he is able to return as tentatively planned, with no delays, just in time for Christmas!
As usual, catch all the pictures here.