We moved away from our families in the Northwest to the Midwest almost 3 years ago – because of that things have changed and we are working to create new family traditions!

This year it’s gotten even harder. Our normal visits from Nana and Grandma haven’t been happening due to Covid19. We of course miss our family dearly and talk to them often (thank you video chat) but we know we need to build our bonds among the 4 of us now more than ever.

Thanksgiving was normally a time when we would make the almost 3 hour drive from Seattle to the Portland area to have Thanksgiving dinner with my family in Vancouver, WA. Since now we are in the Midwest and flights are expensive for all 4 of us – we have started some new family traditions for Thanksgiving.

Ok I will be honest we actually spend the 1st Thanksgiving away (2018) on the island of Kauai in Hawaii! It just kind of happened that way but I was grateful for it! It’s much easier to deal with missing out when you are in beautiful Hawaii! The pic I took from the balcony of our hotel room at the Marriott Kauai Beach Resort!

So technically 2019 was our first Thanksgiving dinner in MO. We made all of our favs.

Including Turkey!

The kids snapped the wish bone. We had yummy sides and desserts.

This is where our new family tradition comes in! My husband had the idea to have a dessert competition! We did boys vs. girls and each team made a secret plan.

• 

• 

The girls made a smores pie (on the left) and the boys made what they called “mode a la pie” (on the right). Mode a la pie was the hands down winner! He actually fried ice cream wrapped in white bread and served it with cherries on top – it was pretty yummy!

To finish off the Thanksgiving weekend holiday we went to see Frozen II in the theaters! We had fun! This year the dessert contest is on but we will be skipping the theater, staying home and watch a movie due to the unique challenges of 2020. But we know we will be safe and together and of course spend lots of time talking to family via video chat!

If you are in a similar situation, I encourage you to brainstorm with your family on how you can celebrate together and create your new family traditions!

Wishing you a safe and happy Thanksgiving celebration!

Sign up for the Free Printable Library and Party Insiders list to get access to fun Thanksgiving printables and so much more! You won’t want to miss my upcoming Holiday Party Spot with freebies and ideas for making the most of this holiday season!