Thanksgiving in Indiana

Some sad news came our way recently when we heard that Kristie's Grandma Hecky passed away. We traveled to Ft. Wayne just before and just after Thanksgiving to pay our respects and visit with Kristie's side of the family. In the process, Owen was able to meet every one of his first cousins and most of his second cousins from the Bastress clan (which is saying something), and spent some quality time with his aunts and grandparents. Sunny also got some bonding time with Tom and Marty, who were nice enough to watch her on Thanksgiving (and would NEVER give her table scraps).
In between our visits to Ft. Wayne, we drove down to Columbus to spend Thanksgiving at my brother Sean's house. Between my brothers and their families, my parents, Sean's in-laws, and some friends of the family, the tables were set for 29. While this might not sound outrageous to Kristie, I grew up with a grand total of zero first cousins, so such a large gathering is still a little new to me. We have gotten to know everyone over the years, and it is nice to know that Owen will be surrounded by so many people who care about him whether he's in Columbus, Ft. Wayne, Chicago, Mucie...you get the idea. In short, the food and the people were great.
Moving away from such sappiness, Kristie and I got a chance to spend the night at Sean and Kelley's for the first time in quite awhile - probably since before Zach grew taller than me. Besides the all-ages co-ed crazifest that insued when Ethan invited everyone to throw balls around (no one was seriously injured), we had plenty of time to goof off, including an hour-long game of outdoor hide and seek in which I'm almost positive Rachel and I tied for last (even though we played the best). Anyway, on to the pictures!

Owen rocking his monkey PJs


Uncle Sean still trying to explain to someone why he voted for Bush


Troublemakers, all three of them. Someone should check on Ethan.


A whole generation of Deaks


Grandma Carol starting early with colors