Thanksgiving weekend

After a day spent playing with a trebuchet and eating turkey, we continued to enjoy the rest of the weekend visit.

Setting up for the annual cousins-with-Nana-and-Grandpa picture, for which the older kids were patient, if not thrilled:

That evening we walked to a playground...

Saturday morning was too cold to play outside for long.  Caleb found Uncle Paul puttering in his basement workshop, where he was given his own object from Paul's stash to take apart with tools.

As the other kids wandered in, they were also given electronics and tools of destruction.

Later Caleb came back upstairs and we asked if he "fixed it."  He cheerfully replied, "No, we broke it."


When it warmed up a little, Micaiah and Caleb had a good time playing outside together.

Sunday morning we packed up and said goodbye.  A very fun weekend for all.

How I spent Thanksgiving Day

This is how you spend Thanksgiving when you have all the cousins together in a backyard with a tire swing and lots of leaves.

And this is how you spend Thanksgiving when three of the four uncles are engineers, and one of them built a homemade trebuchet a few weeks ago (obviously).

11-year-old in charge of placing safety cones.

It takes a while to set up.  Soccer was played.

Football was played.

Still setting up.

Just about ready.

2-year-old, with his entourage, coming to sternly oversee safety procedures.

Weighted end up

Missile attached to non-weighted end

Safety first.

Everyone stands outside the cones of safety, designated child pulls the release rope, weight drops, missile lifts--and flies clear across field.  Much cheering ensues.

So simple a preschooler can do it!

Moment of launch

This is how you clean up for Thanksgiving dinner:  everyone reload your trebuchet in the pickup truck and wash your hands.

And this is how you spend Thanksgiving if you're fortunate enough to have a warm home, plenty of food, and a family who loves being together.

Happy Thanksgiving!