A Cajun Thanksgiving

We left Ivanhoe and instead of going home, we headed to Louisiana to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family. We made a brief detour to Baton Rouge where we had dinner with some of my Aunts and Uncles and spent the night at my Uncle Wayne & Aunt Pepper’s house. The next morning, we drove the last leg down to the bayou. Instead of staying at Mom’s house, she arranged for us to stay at her boss’s house at Port Fourchon. It was great to have so much room (there were THREE stories). Ben loved going up and down the stairs and being right on the water. I was a little nervous that he might wander outside and try to take a little swim, but we kept a close eye on him and he did fine.

Mom cooked dinner down there for us on Thanksgiving day and it was YUMMY. Uncle Curtis and Aunt Cindy spent part of the day with us, and Dad was hanging around, too. The highlight was that we were able to have Gabe with us for a little while. He and Ben always play so well together! I wish I had taken more pictures while we were down there, but these are the best that we got!

Sweet boys enjoying a game of golf

All prepped out for Turkey Day

A current favorite pastime - opening and closing doors

Gobble, Gobble, Friends!

I love this sweet family pic

Not sure what we were looking at - buncha crazies

The two most handsome fellas that I know!

Unfortunately, as soon as dinner was over we had to clean up, pack up, and head out. We drove straight home all the way back to San Antonio. Ben did pretty well. There was a little bit of whining, but that is to be expected when you strap an 18 month old in for a 9 hour drive. He did cry every time I put him in his car seat for a few days after we got home. Poor little guy. It was still a great little trip across Texas and South Louisiana and we were grateful that we got to see so many family & friends. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Ivanhoe

Every year, Brian’s family (on his Mom’s side) gets together in November for a family reunion. It takes place in the middle of the East Texas woods about 1 hour north of Beaumont. It’s always a good time to see everybody and catch up. The main (okay, only) activities are eating, talking, burning things, and playing washers. Good times are had by all!

Ben had a blast this year. He is the perfect age to enjoy the great outdoors and did his fair share of digging, rock throwing, and stick collecting. Thankfully, there is a strictly enforced age minimum for the burning activities. Whew.

The campfire set up. This is where we spend most of our time. Cop stories
dominate the conversation, as there are 7 or 8 police officers in the family!

There's always a crowd indoors, too. The TV is tuned in to football,
 or being used for video games. You can't see it, but the dessert table is
always over to the right and I must admit it's one of my favorite
parts of Ivanhoe. :)

The big kids preparing their s'mores. YUM-MY!

It's a great time to visit and catch up with cousins that we typically don't get to see throughout the year.

Katie & Lauren - Brian's 1st cousins

Some of Bri's 3rd cousins - Samantha, Dylan, Harper & Hannah

Ben giving hugs to Hannah!

Ben spent A LOT of time being mischievous with Grandad - no surprise there!

There are four siblings in the Lee Family (Brian's Grandma Evelyn, Judy, Charles & Earl). The reunion attendees are their children, grand children & great grand children. Here they are with their spouses:





Judy, Kenneth, Grandma Evelyn, Jonelle, Earl, Paula & Charles

Group pictures are a must-do over the weekend. Here are the pics of the Davis-Lees!



Wayne, Ben, Diane, Uncle Mark, Grandma Evelyn, Bri & Me... I think
Terry & Linda & the girls (Katie & Lauren) were gone already. Brad had to
work, so he and Jess couldn't make it. :(



Big smiles - we had a lot of fun!

We were lucky that Brian was able to get off for Ivanhoe this year... we had a great time! It should only take us about a week to recover from the over eating and smoke inhalation! :)