Thanksgiving '09

Wednesday night while we were at the car dealership I get a call from Neo telling me that my parents are on their way... what?!! They were aboard their plane and were about 5 minutes away from departure. We had already made plans to have Thanksgiving dinner with Toa and a couple of her cousins so the news of my parents coming caught me off guard. I hadn't even had time to clean up the mess in the kitchen from the late night baking ordeal, so I made Ti Tonga pick them up while I scrambled to have the house presentable. The kids, like always, were thrilled to see Grandma and Grandpa. They came in with their usual cooler in tow filled with Tongan food for Ti Tonga. We talked a little then called it a night. Ti Tonga called Mote and told him that we were going to have to cancel our arrangements because we were now going to have dinner with my parents. I felt guilty, but everything seemed to work out fine.

Thursday morning me and Ti woke up to find my Mom in the kitchen- going to work on her Lu Sipi. My dad and the boys were no where to be found... nothing out of the ordinary. Grandpa had taken the boys to pick up donuts for breakfast. My dad later told me that when they were at the supermarket he asked one of the workers for an empty donut box. She asked him how many donuts he was planning on getting and he answered- a dozen. She looked at him confused and insisted that he get the preboxed dozen because it would be cheaper. He pointed to the 3 messy haired, pajama wearing boys and said "I know, but they want to pick out which ones we'll be taking home."

In the meantime me and Ti headed to the store and bought our turkey, gravy, stuffing- pretty much all the American food we would be eating. Everything turned out wonderful. The food was ready by 1pm. We had our traditional Thanksgiving food and were blessed with a taste of home goodness thanks to my Mom. Her Lu Sipi, Ota (ika), and Manioke were a hit amongst the adults. After pumpkin rolls and pumpkin pie for dessert we took a nap. Everyone served themselves to rounds 2 and 3 at their own pace. We decided to go out that night so we got dressed and headed to the Bellagio. My mom LOVES plants so she was really impressed at the Botanical Garden. I thought they would have their Christmas display up, but it was still their Thanksgiving set-up... so it was perfect! We went out to the front after and watched the fountain show. I'm surprised that after how many trips to Vegas my parents had never seen the fountain show there.

My parents with the boys at the Botanical Garden

There were HUGE pumpkins and gourds throughout- all of which were real!

This had to be the coolest display there. This tree's eyes not only moved, but he spoke to the guests as they passed by!

A closer look at the talking tree. Kinda reminded me of the the trees on Lord of the Rings.

I knew there was no way I was going to capture how beautiful this piece was. It had water trickling down from the top to each branch and leaf.

Me and Nic at the entrance of the garden. Had to stand in line to get a pic here and by the time I got to the front, my entire group disappeared.
Grandpa, Grandma, and Nic getting ready to watch the fountain show

Timote

The boys with Grandma and Grandpa at the front of the Bellagio

The Thanksgiving display behind the front desk

The fountain show that night was "Singing in the Rain"

The next day before my parents left they took the boys on their ritual trip to McDonalds. My mom did everything she could to leave the house in better shape than when she arrived. Which meant cleaning the kitchen from top to bottom and sending my Dad to the store to buy a needle and spool of thread so that she could sew up my couch cushion that was leaking white "stuffies".

I am so thankful for my family. I am thankful for my husband, for our 3 wonderful boys and the health we've been blessed with. I'm thankful for my parents and siblings. For the unconditional love they have for us and for the endless support they offer my little family. I am also grateful for flight benefits and the opportunity that my parents have to hop on a plane at the spur of the moment just to see their grand kids. I'm grateful that my brothers and sisters who were left behind without a Mom to cook a turkey for them were understanding enough not to harbour any bad feelings. I have the best family in the world- for that I give thanks.