Thanksgiving 2004

Our Thanksgiving celebrations began Monday evening when we left for Kansas City. David was still a little under the weather, so we got in a lot of good rest Monday night and all day Tuesday before we were off to Indiana. Departure time was 3:30pm after Kathy and Heather were done teaching. It was rainy and cold, but we made great time and got to Marion in the early hours of the morning. It was hilarous because when we got to Grandma and Grandpa Wolf's house, Hayden and Ailee were as wide-awake as they had been for most of the trip, and although most of us were about to fall over, we had to let them run around since they'd been sitting for 8 hours! They are the most precious little sweethearts! :)


After a great day with the Wolf's (and some AMAZING chicken salad, compliments of Grandma), we went to the Kinnan's on Wednesday evening for supper. It was delicious and so fun to see everyone again ... one whole year is just too long to go without seeing our family!


Thanksgiving Day was spent at the Kinnan's ... there were plenty of hugs, plenty to talk about, and more food than you could imagine. The turkey, ham, sweet potatoes, rolls, green beans, stuffing, jell-o salads, cranberry salad, pumpkin pie, and all the other dishes I'm forgetting left us with full tummies and promises to begin our diet the next day. Ha!


Hayden got his first taste of pumpkin pie ... he wasn't too crazy about it ... maybe he was just too full from all the turkey!


A family tradition for the very tall Kinnan family is ... you guessed it ... keep track of how FAST they grow! Hayden is definitely a tall little guy, and although he wasn't quite sure why mommy was making standing against the wall and what daddy was doing, he was a good boy while we marked his height for 2004. Since I'm under the national average in height at 5'3" (I can't believe I'm admitting it!), I opted out of the measurements ... I am definitely the shortest of the Kinnan's ... except for the two toddlers, of course! :)



Hayden and Ailee were enamored with the piano! They were like little Mozart's slamming away for the longest time ... Hayden swayed back and forth so we started calling him Ray Charles!


We have our Christmas celebration with the Kinnan's on Thursday evening, and Hayden and Ailee definitely get the award for most gifts! They enjoyed the wrapping paper and bows just as much as what was inside!


Here's Ailee getting some help from her mommy!


Hayden definitely found a buddy ... cousin Kayla was his relative of choice this week and he was always climbing into her lap and following her around! She's at Anderson University just 30 minutes north of Marion studying Social Work and Children's Ministry and is a young woman who is in love with the Lord and has a true passion for serving Him ... she's so amazing!


Friday evening we got to have Thanksgiving dinner at the Wolf's! There was turkey, ham, bread and oyster stuffings, delicious rolls, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy, pumpkin pie, pecan pie ... I could go on forever, but it was absolutely delicious and we had a wonderful time with Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Julie, Uncle Gregg, and Cousin Josh. Hayden had another favorite relative that day ... Aunt Julie! He was attached to her the entire evening and cried when she left! Actually, we all felt like crying when we had to say our goodbye's ... but hopefully we'll see each other again soon!


Grandma Wolf has such a servant's heart, and barely sat down the entire week we visited! She makes the best food, from french toast in the morning to turkey and peach cobbler for supper. Gigi is what the babies are calling her and it was so much fun to see them cuddle with her!

We have more pictures and will definitely add them as soon as we can! We hope that you had a blessed day of thanksgiving!

In Him,
The Kinnan's

Always give thanks for everything to our God and Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 5:20