BBQ and Elvis

That's what first comes to mind when I think of my uncle Gaylen. He is my mom's older brother, and he passed away last week after a brief battle with cancer in his kidneys and lungs. His funeral is today, and I'm sad we can't be there with the rest of my mom's family. He is the first of any of my parents' siblings to pass away, which is a little difficult to think about.
When I was little, I remember him managing BBQ restaurants and at family reunions, he was always the resident BBQ expert. He also loved all things Elvis. From my perspective as a kid, he seemed kind of gruff at times, but he was also a jokster, too. Now, as an adult, I remember him as a fun-loving, faithful and loving person, and a very hard worker. We will greatly miss him!

Thanksgiving Weekend Adventures

We had a fun and full Thanksgiving weekend with my parents coming for a visit. Our fun times started Wednesday evening when Adam and I started making rolls and pies.







We made five pies (Pratt family tradition to have one for each person): lemon meringue, pumpkin, apple, cherry and chocolate orange mousse (not pictured).




















The cooking continued Thursday morning and went on all day long. It was fun to be with Adam in the kitchen all day, making the various Thanksgiving dishes that we love so much. The aches and pains that go along with being 8 months pregnant slowed down my cooking mojo a bit, but we still had a good time and got everything ready.

The brined turkey, ready for baking.

The turkey after baking, perfectly browned on the outside and nice and juicy on the inside. YUM!



My parents arrived at about 5:30 that night and helped us get the final details ready for dinner. First, though, was the doting on the grandchild, of course.















Josh looks at a puzzle and book that Grandma brought.

And finally it was time to eat! Everything was delicious, especially the garlic mashed potatoes, which made me happy just eating them.

The rest of my parents' visit was filled with shopping, putting up a wallpaper border in Josh's room, putting together the baby's crib set, going for walks to the park with Grandma and Grandpa, going to the Riverwalk to see the Christmas lights, playing games, putting up our Christmas decorations, building block towers with Daddy and Grandpa, finding the house that served as the mission home when my Grandpa was the mission president of the Texas San Antonio Mission about 30 years ago, making Christmas candy, and making a blanket for the baby.













































































































































My parents had to leave Tuesday afternoon. We are so glad they were able to come visit for Thanksgiving. We had lots of fun times and enjoyed every minute of it.