Happy Thanksgiving!

What do you think of my first attempt at making my own turkey?

Nahhhhh.....that wasn't made by me! I just couldn't resist. =)

Because it was the "every other" year in which the Schillings were with Michael's side of the family, we decided again to dine out - with Mom, Dad, and John's mom at "Hole in the Wall BBQ". Talk about "alternative", huh? But, as for the Rileys, we actually like the fare that we'd find here more than we would a more traditional route.

That might explain why Mikayla has ribs on her plate and not turkey!

We arrived even before they opened, and were among the first to take from the amazing spread that they provided - this is a snapshot of the desserts.... =)

We were seated in the back room which we refer to as the "waterfall room" because of the water feature in the back of the room. It makes for some great ambiance, although Mikayla sadly reported after posing for these pictures that the smell of the water reminded her of the smell at "Splash Mountain".


Next up for the fun of the holiday was to take in a movie. We chose "Tangled" - the newest animated Disney release, and boy, did we nail that decision. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVED this movie. It didn't hurt at all that the voice of the Flynn Ryder is Zachary Levi, aka "Chuck" - from the NBC show. I kind of have a celebrity crush on him (don't worry, John is fully aware of this....he's got the whole Carrie Underwood crush, and I have the less obvious "nerd" guy that I think is sweet!). Even if it that weren't a factor, the movie is absolutely enchanting, and the 3D effects are so dazzling - that perfect mix where you forget it's a factor and then you find yourself dazzled. I will gladly go see it again if given half a chance - it was that fun.

We asked Leona when the last time she'd seen a movie - and it had been a while (maybe even the Thanksgiving we saw "Madagascar 2" two years ago). This was her first 3D movie, so we took a pic of her sporting the cool glasses with the kiddos.

Not great picture quality as it was taken with my phone, but I had to capture a pic of my mom and dad both sporting their matching leather jackets. =)

And, of course, no Thanksgiving is complete until we've mapped out our plan for Black Friday. When this shot was taken, I was chatting with Michele long-distance, working out our strategy. Sydney had the best plan, though, get a nap now, because come (VERY EARLY) Friday morning, you'll wish you'd gotten all the sleep you could!