Joshua's Thanksgiving Celebration

Well, today was the day!

The day Joshua's Therapeutic Recreation (TR) group had their Thanksgiving celebration.

OH MY GOODNESS, they were all so excited! They had gone shopping. They had decorated. They had decided what they were each going to bring.

The Director, Mrs. Sherrie, let them sign up for the dish they wanted to make...and then they were responsible to bring everything they needed to make that dish. Before lunch. At the center. They were instructed not to bring a pre-made dish. Part of the fun today was learning to follow instructions and a recipe.

Joshua decided to make Brownie Delight.

Well, I don't know if he decided he'd bring it, or if Mrs. Sherrie and everyone ELSE decided he would bring it! He's brought it he past couple of years for Thanksgiving, and at various other times during the year. It's super easy. Brownies, pudding and Cool Whip layered in a glass trifle dish (repeat twice so there are 6 layers...it's "more prettier" that way). Today, Joshua sprinkled the top with Halloween chocolate chips (brown and orange) and Health Bits.

YUM.

I cooked the brownies last night because there is limited accessibility in the TR kitchen with just one oven and a bunch of people needing to use it. Joshua put the rest of it together himself. I saw a picture of the finished product...it looked great! I typically post pictures on my Instagram account: MARTYTHEMOOSE. This year, we had to make it in a 13x9x2 dish, because I had made a dessert for a friend of mine and she hasn't given my trifle dish back to me yet! Oh well. It tastes the same either way...and it was actually easier for Joshua this way...just not as pretty.

They had expected around 35 people there for lunch, but Joshua said they just had 22. They usually invite some of the extra people who have helped them out during the year...the people from a local Camp, the Zumba lady, Mr. Lee the kick-boxing dude, and some former participants who, for whatever reason, no longer attend the program. Joshua said, "some didn't come today, like Rachel and Bossy Amy.

Which, I guess is a good thing, because most of them had already decided, THANKSGIVING SPIRIT OR NOT, Bossy Amy was not sitting by them.

(sigh)

Joshua said they went around the room and wrote down things they were thankful for on little leaves, kind of like the ones on our Thanksgiving Tree here at home. Joshua said he had 4 leaves and he wrote, God, Family, Heath, and Friends from TR on them. He said that he went back and added "Maggie" (our dog) and "Sassy" (our cat) and "Marley" (Holly's halfadog) on the leaf under "Family."

He said, "Jenni was upset that I didn't say I was thankful for HER, but I just didn't think about it."

I said, "really, Joshua? You thought about our ANIMALS and didn't think to add Jenni? I don't think she believes you, and I really don't either. I think maybe you left her off on purpose."

Joshua said, "uhhhh...I'm not talking about that."

That is his catch phrase. You will never get him to admit anything after he says that.

Later he said, "well, when I read off the things I was thankful for and didn't list her, she gave me the STINK EYE."

Ya think?

Joshua gave me the run-down when I picked him up...'no drama today."

Well.

Our own early Christmas miracle.

"In everything give thanks..." 1 Thessalonians 5:18