Thanksgiving

The Rowe family celebrated Thanksgiving up in Vermont with the (other) Rowe family.  Madeleine and Julia were thrilled to see their Nana and Gramps, and, of course, to re-visit all their favorite VT activities.  They spent time down by Lake Champlain, they rode on the tree swing, and they played with the Loving Family figurines that Nana keeps for grandchildren visits.

Madeleine had an especially intriguing game going on with the Loving Family teenagers.  She turned to Nana and solemly announced the impending fate of the teenage couple.

MADELEINE: Nana?  She's gonna BREAK UP with her boyfriend, because...he's giving her too much PRESSURE.

Oh, boy.

The teenagers continued on down the path towards their breakup, when suddenly Madeleine took the narrative plot in a completely unexpected direction.

MADELEINE: They're getting MARRIED!
ME: Wait?  They're getting married now?  I thought they were breaking up!
MADELEINE: They WERE, but then they decided to get married.
NANA: What made her decide not to break up with her boyfriend?
MADELEINE: Well, he told her that they might be having a baby soon, because they're being TOGETHER so much.


Yikes.  O.  M.  G.


In non teenage-pregnancy related news, Julia channeled her inner Martha Stewart and got REALLY into setting and decorating the table for Thanksgiving dinner.  Not only did she set out all the plates, crystal goblets, cloth napkins, etc, but she made place-settings for each guest so he or she knew where to sit.

Madeleine was super jealous of the fact that Julia got to do all of this.  As we all sat down to eat dinner, Gramps suggested Julia lead us in saying grace.

MADELEINE: But.  Julia isn't ALLOWED to say grace, because she ALREADY got to set the WHOLE TABLE all by herself.
ME: Do you want to say grace, then, Madeleine?
MADELEINE: No.
ME: Okay, then Julia can do it.
MADELEINE: No, that's not FAIR!  Julia ALREADY got to set the table!

So I came up with what I thought was a compromise.  I suggested we all say the "Johnny Appleseed" grace from the girls' preschool, since both girls remember it well.  I began singing the grace, and Julia tentatively joined in, while Madeleine sat chomping on a bite of pumpkin bread.  I turned to Madeleine in between phrases of the song and said, "Sing with us!"  Madeleine, instead, opted to stare indifferently ahead, shoveling the entire rest of the pumpkin bread into her mouth.

Oh well.

Regardless of the envy over table setting, the girls seemed to have a lovely Thanksgiving dinner and enjoyed the time with good food and loving family.  Happy Thanksgiving, all!