The Best Thanksgiving Ever

Kids get excited about birthdays and Christmas. Kids don't get excited about Thanksgiving.

Well, this year we are going against the grain. A-Man has been studying the first Thanksgiving in his kindergarten class and boy has he taken to it. Last week we started hearing all about the Pilgrims and the Native American Indians.

Thursday night he came home with a very well drawn (colored markers on white paper) picture of a teepee. He presented it to me as directions for building a teepee and said that we would need to have Thanksgiving in a teepee like the Indians did.

Okay.

Now, you must realize that A-Man comes by his determination honestly ... His Dad and I are both a smidge on the stubborn side. I immediately realized that a simple dismissing of his Thanksgiving plans would not be tolerated. Thankfully, I had fate on my side.

It just so happens my Dad has been involved in a ministry for decades that allowed (for lack of a better term) he and my Mom to construct an 18-foot tall semi-authentic teepee several years ago. A-Man has never seen this teepee since it only comes out for specific events. I was in a position where I would be forced to return a little pay to my parents for the spoiling they have done of my child. The conversation went something like this:

ME: A-Man, Nanna and Grandpa have a teepee just like the Native American Indians lived in. You should call Grandpa and ask him to set up the teepee for Thanksgiving.

A-Man: Okay.

Phone Ringing

Nanna: Hello.

A-Man: Grandpa?

Nanna: No Alex, this is Nanna.

A-Man: Nanna, I need to talk to Grandpa.

Grandpa gets on the phone and Alex proceeds to have a mostly one sided conversation with him that lasted about 20 minutes. Here are some excerpts.

"Grandpa I need to to set up your teepee for Thanksgiving. We're going to have Thanksgiving just like the Indians. You, know Grandpa, the Indians were in this place and the Pilgrims came to the place. The Pilgrims came to the place in a big ship. The ship was called the Mayflower, did you get that Grandpa? The ... May ... Flower. So they had turkey for Thanksgiving in the Indian's teepee, just like were going to do Grandpa. I made some instructions for you. Grandpa, you're going to need 2, maybe 4 ... no, probably 7 sticks and a GIANT piece of paper to build this teepee. We will all dress up like Indians, everybody in my family. All the girls in my family will dress up like Indian girls and all the boys in my family will dress up like Indian boys."

I was in the kitchen cooking dinner while A-Man was having this phone conversation in the living room. He is notorious for hanging up the phone when is is finished talking, no if, ands, buts or goodbyes about it. So when I heard a short silence I assumed he had pushed the red "End Call" button.

Me: A-Man, are you still talking to Grandpa?

A-Man: (with loud frustrated voice) MOMMY, I AM ON THE PHONE!
(yeah, don't know where he ever would have heard that!)

Me: Sorry, just checking.

A-Man: Sorry, Grandpa, I wasn't talking to you, I was talking to your ... your KID. I call her your kid Grandpa, because, well, you are her Daddy.

At this point I am rolling in the floor, about to pee my pants from laughing so hard. It was an absolute riot!

So this Thursday Grandpa is suppose to set up the teepee and we'll be spending part of Thanksgiving in it.

Wednesday will be spent making corn, chocolate cream pie, green bean casserole and headbands (some with yarn braids for the girls) so everyone can dress like an Indian.

Our fun has only continued since the directions for the teepee were drawn out by A-Man. He came home Friday with a recipe for pumpkin pie. They had made it in his class that day.

A-Man's Pumpkin Pie

Mix some pumpkin sauce and some yellow vanilla cream. Put a vanilla wafer on the bottom and a vanilla wafer on the top. One top of all that put some Whooped Topping.
(written in his exact words)

Yesterday we took A-Man to a Pow Wow that just happened to be held at one of the local university campuses. So he got to see real Native American Indians. So the last few days and the days to come have been and will be a great adventure. I would be lying if I told you we weren't enjoying every minute of it. A-Man has brought a heartfelt excitement to Thanksgiving this year. From our family to yours, may you have a Thanksgiving full of blessings!