Our Family Thanksgiving 2021

What a wonderful Thanksgiving week we have had! We don’t know how long we will have our parents and it’s really hitting home now that they’ve moved to assisted living and life looks different than it ever has, but we know that this was the absolute best thing we could have done for them before they decline anymore.

Renee and Bruce are in town and Lauren and her family were home for 3 days and it was so nice to all be together again. Lauren and family stayed with me and I had just finished my office refresh adding a new daybed with trundle in there for the girls to sleep on. They loved their little space in there and the bed will come in handy for years to come, since they will be staying with us from now on for holidays. I’ll share that space as soon as I can get it photographed. I’m waiting on one more thing to come in and then I’ll be ready to share.

We went to see Mom and Dad when Lauren got in on Tuesday and took the girls with us. They loved seeing where Nana and Granddaddy were living now and were fascinated by assisted living. I can tell you they were a big hit with the residents. We bring dad out regularly to the lobby area to sit in front of the fireplace and he really enjoys that.

We sat and visited and watched the staff decorate for Christmas. It’s looking so festive around there.

We took the girls up to Nana’s apartment so they could see where she is living and they had fun seeing everything. They loved the balcony.

Mom and dad talking with some of the other folks there in the facility. Look through mom and dad and you can see Parker on the other side of the lobby entertaining those folks. They loved her!

Parker and Iris were a big hit. We told them we’ll bring them back for Christmas.

At home, we watched Christmas movies at night, complete with popcorn and had a snuggly time on the sofa. Mark loves Christmas movies and has a whole collection so we’ll be watching all our faves during the next month. The girls enjoy that too, snuggling with whoever’s on the sofa and Daisy.

Here’s my office space with the addition of the daybed. It was so cute to see Lauren reading them a bedtime story and we tucked them in the daybed. They both wanted to sleep on the trundle bed so took turns down there. I think this daybed is going to be a hit.

Alex wasn’t feeling that great, but she hung in there too and everyone loved seeing here. She’s 15 months old now.

On Thanksgiving, I picked up mom and dad and met our family over at my cousin, Brenda’s, house in Suwanee, GA, about an hour from where we live. We’ve celebrated with Brenda’s family many times over the years and her parents from FL were always there with us too. They have both since passed away in the last 6 years and it seems so strange to have them gone. Gone too soon, Aunt Mary and Uncle Eugene. Mom and dad were really close to them and used to vacation together.

It was her family of 5, plus our families and Brenda’s brother, Dennis and his daughter, Layna, along with Bruce’s mom, Doris joined us. I didn’t get pics of everyone, but it was a fun gathering.

Brenda always decorates her house to pretty for Fall and Thanksgiving.

It feels so homey and welcoming and it’s a treat for us to get together and feast.

Here was my plate! I ate so much and wasn’t hungry for hours, although we did go home and pop popcorn for the movie.

Mom, dad and Renee gathered in the dining room.

Brenda’s table centerpiece was real pumpkins and so pretty and festive.

Fall was all around the house.

Brenda’s 3 kids are all grown up now (all 20-something adults) and they were entertaining the little ones this time. Reese on the left and Mason on the right with Parker and Iris.

Her daughter, Denise with the girls.

Selfie with my sister, Renee.

And little Alex was a hit, she’s so cute.

Trying to get her to smile without her paci, but it didn’t work too well.

So we settled for this one.

Playing with the girls on the floor.

Grandma Doris with the girls. We had a good time visiting and talking.

Mom and Dad with Alex.

And as we always try to do, our family Thanksgiving pic in front of the fireplace this year, with all 3 girls, minus Mark. Mark was celebrating with his daughters this year. We’re going to have to get a family pic at Christmas with him this year.

And that’s a wrap on Thanksgiving week. It went so well with taking dad out. We weren’t sure when they moved to Dogwood October 1st that we would be able to do any Thanksgiving celebrating this year with dad, but thank the Lord he has settled down and was happy for me to pick them up and drive them to my cousin’s house for Thanksgiving. He lasted 4 hours before he was ready to go back and it was just such a pleasant day.

He was very happy to go back and I told him we were going back to Acworth to the place they were staying. We got back just in time for him to go to his dinner at 5 pm in memory care. I figured he wouldn’t be hungry, but when I mentioned it was almost time for their dinner, he went over and ate with his group in memory care. It’s so funny how motivated he is with food and I’m so glad he has 3 meals a day to look forward to. He is still doing so well and we are thrilled with the progress. He talks about how nice Dogwood is, how good they feed him and that he thinks the place is really nice. He seems very content to be there now, no talk about going home in at least a couple of weeks. Those memories seem to be fading, so we are glad about that. He’s on a schedule and is starting to feel comfortable in his surroundings in memory care. He knows where his room is and where he’s supposed to go to eat. He really enjoys going out to the lobby and sitting by the fireplace to visit. Mom is seeing him everyday so that is helping a lot and he doesn’t fuss at all when he goes back to memory care. He can watch people and all that’s going on out there in the lobby. What a blessing that is!

Renee, Bruce and did a moving sale this weekend at our parents house clearing it all out so we can put it on the market to sell. It’s been a lot of work, but we are on the home stretch. Cleaning out your parents house is no joke! What a lot of stuff to go through, but with most of the furniture already sold, that made it easier. I sold most of it on Facebook marketplace in the last 6 weeks. We have a junk company coming in to clean out the rest tomorrow and once the house is cleaned out, we’ll put it on the market. Ready to close that chapter and move forward!

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