Thanksgiving Dinner...

  This year we did an early Thanksgiving dinner/bday dinner with Steve's Dad's side. This is our first year that Steve has ever had a family dinner with his Dad's side..all of his brothers and sisters and their families!! To make a long story short..Steve and his brother is by his Dad's first wife, then there is another set by his current wife...trouble went this way and that when Steve was growing up so he never really got to have a Dad growing up. The girls and Steve have been close for a bit and things have been going smooth and this year we decided to do a dinner together and it was awesome! Steve and his Dad have talked about things and Steve feels the past is the past and that the future can be different. His Dad has apologized for things and makes a consistent effort to keep up on Steve and Kaya. So things are moving forward. Steve says you can sit and stew over what could have been and what should have been or you can be a man, accept an apology and the fact that as a kid you didn't always understand the big picture and move ahead with your life. That he won't live life being bitter and angry and cut Kaya out of a chance to see her family on that side. VERY proud of the man Steve is.
  I'm truly lucky that I do like my father in law and step mom in law as well as my brother in laws. And I adore my sister in laws..they are sweet, funny good hearted women :) 
  Sooo we all got together at Steve's Dad's Saturday. With his brother, his sisters and their families, his Dad and StepMom and us...we had 21 of us there!!!! And that was with one brother and his daughter missing!! So nice size turnout and a wonderful meal. I think we all ate too much lol It was nice sitting and talking, watching the kids play and having a good time.
  I'm thankful for the changes that happen in life. That Kaya knows her aunts and uncles on that side, her Grandpa on that side and that they truly care for her and us. And that they are trying to have family time. As you know I'm very pro family time and I think kids and adults crave that kind of time whether they want to admit it or not. 
  So I'm hoping this becomes a new tradition for all of us. It was really a good time and Kaya said "I had the bestest time!!!" :)