Thanksgiving - Part 2

Warning - this post is not only weeks late, it's also super long.

Thanksgiving is all about food (and giving thanks blar blar blar) - and mostly pie.

Our family has started an annual pie contest.

Spoiler alert: Grace always wins.

This year, we had 4 entries.
Mom's glorious pumpkin-pecan pie.
Grace's delish mini cherry pies.
Sean's square sweet potato pecan pie.
And Shell's pumpkin pie.

Let's take a moment to glance back up at all the photos and appreciate how posing runs in the family.

Speaking of posing, when I told Caroline I wanted a picture of her with the pumpkin pie she helped her Mom make, she struck this pose and held it for a good 30 seconds.

Love that child.

And this one - Luci... well, Luci definitely enjoyed the Thanksgiving spread.
There was a slight glitch in the pie contest this year. We had no whipped cream! Thankfully, Dad and my cuz were willing to make a quick whipped cream run - saved the day.

The tasting began.

Grace's mini pies were tart and tasty. Mom's pie had a yummy crumbly topping. Sean's square pie pieces made me reconsider round pie pans. And Shell's pie had a fabulous flavor, unfortunately she had a miscommunication with her new oven. She accidentally turned off the timer at an unknown point during baking. She guesstimated the remaining time and sadly was short. The pie needed to bake some more. It had such promise!

Tasting complete - time to vote!

As GDSean, our host, rounded up pens and paper, Dad solicited votes for Whipped Cream.
I had the distinct privilege of reading the votes out loud as GDSean tallied votes.

Due to discrepancies in voting, it was quite the entertaining process.

What kind of discrepancies can you have in a pie contest?

Well, my favorite was Jack's vote - "I love you Erin!"

(And Mr. Perfect's vote for my cranberry sauce)

There were also 17 voters and... 31 votes.

And ... Shell tied with Whipped Cream for 3rd place.

Mom tied for 2nd with GDSean!

And Gracie won!
Holidays were so boring before all the kiddies.

I feel like this is the quintessential family holiday gathering photo. Someone sleeping? Check. Too many people crammed on the couch? Check. Kid jumping about? Check.
Aww, hi Kate & K-did!
At one point in the evening, Maureenie declared that she was, "ALL OUT OF HUGS!"

Grandpa begged for just one more!
And she mercifully found the strength for just one.

Or maybe two..

Hi Maddie! Where's your friend?
Where's Fro- oh! There's FROGGY!
The adorableness is almost overwhelming.
Thanks Sean, for hosting an great party!