Thanksgiving 2011

We kept Sylvia busy until the big Thanksgiving dinner with more craft ideas from my sisters blog. Everybody joined in coloring the pilgrims for the Mayflower.

They may look a little strange, because the older kids started making them look like cartoon characters from the show Avatar. If you are familiar with the show, you understand why there is flying white bison above the Mayflower.

We tried to do some pioneer games and crafts this year. Sylvia was very excited to make butter, by shaking a jar full of cream. I had read on the internet, that it goes faster if you put a marble into the jar, along with the cream.

This is a very bad idea. While Sean was having a turn shaking the jar, his powerful muscles helped the marble to shatter the bottom off the jar. Leaving cream and glass all over the living room floor.

It was a memorable activity. Luckily, I had a little more cream in the fridge, and we tried it again (without the marble). Sylvia patted the fresh butter into rose-shaped candy molds. We chilled them, and were able to each have our own pat of fresh butter for Thanksgiving dinner.

The big hit of the day was an Native American game we had read about. You throw spears at a moving target. Our "buffalo" was a hoola hoop.

It was a fun challenge for all ages. We would roll the hoop, bounce the hoop, and throw it in the air for variety.

Asher was born to be a javelin thrower.

Here is the whole tribe of buffalo hunters, with the buffalo (at Asher's side).

When it got dark, we went inside and played Blind Mans Bluff, a game we read the pilgrims had played. Sylvia was an addict! She would've played for hours. Luckily, we had a pinata that needed smashing. It was the only reason we are not still playing Blind Man's Bluff.

Sylvia and Noel made the turkey pinata out of a paper bag this year. Mattias made the home-made fudge that we filled it with. Yum!

Below is the video requested by one of my sisters. It shows the final moments of the pinata. Everybody had gotten several chances at hitting the bag, but it simply wouldn't break, so Asher took matters into his own hands. (And yes, Sylvia does get some candy.)