Mari's AN:
Sammy and Ilna -
I am thankful every day to have you in my life. You're famiglia and you brighten my days. We've been through so much in each other's lives and I love you both for the undying support and love.
I'm also so thankful for our family of REAL McRollers and Readers. You're the best.
Happy Thanksgivin'!
Part 2 of the 8th Annual McRoll in the REAL World Thanksgiving Marathon.
Steve reached for his phone, shut the alarm before it sounded and rolled towards Catherine. "Good morning."
"Five a.m. already, hmmm?" she murmured into his kiss.
"Just about."
"We have about half an hour before they're up." She stretched, then pulled him into an embrace. "Better use the time wisely."
He grinned. "Any suggestions?"
"I remember our first time hosting everyone here, you suggested how since we wouldn't have any other opportunity to 'really touch each other' all day we shouldn't waste time."
Steve nodded. "Our year on the blow up in the den. When it was a den."
"A playroom, extra bedrooms, two kids and a cat ago." She kissed him again. "Let's get maneuvers underway, Commander. We're burning daylight."
Chuckling against her lips as he rolled her under him, he said, "Aye, aye, Lieutenant."
Steve returned from going down to preheat the oven and Catherine had just finished dressing when the sound of feet running down the hall had them sharing a smile.
"Come in," they called together at the knock.
"Happy Thanksgiving, Mommy and Daddy!"
"Happy Thanksgivin'!"
The kids both hugged Cammie, then reached for their parents. "Happy Thanksgiving, you two," Catherine lifted Angie and bent to hug DJ before Steve did the same, taking their pajama clad daughter into his arms.
"Who's ready to help cook all the great food?" he asked, setting Angie down.
Both hands shot up. "Me!" "Me, too!"
"Okay, here's the plan. Get dressed and we'll have breakfast. The oven's heating up and we can start on some of the sides," Steve said.
As the children bolted for their rooms, Catherine tossed a smile over her shoulder at him while following Angie, saying, "Don't put your Thanksgiving shirt on yet, baby girl, we want to keep it clean for later."
"We havin' stuffin' now?" Angie asked as she climbed into her seat for breakfast.
"I know we helped Grandma Ang and Grandma make it yesterday, but it's for later," Catherine placed a glass of milk in front of each child.
"Is da turkey ready?" She looked towards the oven.
"Daddy's in charge of the turkey, and nope, not yet. It just went in."
"Not even close, baby girl." Steve told her. "We're having oatmeal with blueberries and we have pumpkin muffins."
"Then we play football with everyone!" DJ reminded his sister. "Can me and Angie be on the same team, Daddy?"
Angie nodded eagerly as she drank, spilling a little of her milk.
"Of course you can." Steve held up two hands for high fives. "Let's eat so we can get the sides going before the game."
"One hundred and forty three. I counted before we started mashing 'em," DJ said as he peered into the mixmaster. "That's a lot of potatoes."
"Thirty pounds." His mother kissed his head as he poured milk into the last batch. "We have a lot of family to feed."
"I'm helping Daddy wif da beans!" Angie said from her perch on the stool next to the island. She was adding spoons of butter as Steve steadied her with a hand at her waist.
"My favorite." Her brother grinned. "I got a lot of Thanksgiving favorites, but I really love green bean casserole."
"So does Grandpa," Catherine reminded him. "We'd always have it when he got back from a deployment. Even if we were doing Thanksgiving the same week."
"You did an extra Thanksgiving at different times when Grandpa was home, right, Mommy?"
"We did. We'd have an extra Thanksgiving whenever he'd been deployed for one. Sometimes in the summer, sometimes a few weeks late. Then when I was on active duty, Grandma would make a Thanksgiving dinner whenever Grandpa and I could be there at the same time."
"I got to enjoy one of those extra Thanksgivings when Mommy and I visited on leave," Steve said with a small smile for Catherine.
"That's so awesome." DJ helped scoop the last of the potatoes into one of two large catering trays to be covered for later. "Thirty pounds of potatoes, all ready for dinner time!" he announced.
"Great job, buddy." Steve grinned. "So next we need to get the cranberry sauce prepped and in the fridge and the glazed carrots started."
Both kids took up positions near him as Pumpkin wandered into the kitchen and stretched before rubbing against Cammie. The dog, who'd eaten and gone for a run with Steve already, was enjoying all the activity, but the cat slept until her normal breakfast time and was mewling for her morning meal.
"Pumpkin! Da turkey's not ready but you can have you' breakfast," Angie explained. "Can I feed Pumpkin, Mommy?"
Catherine nodded as the four year old hopped off the chair she was kneeling on. "Okay, go ahead. Bring me the can to open."
Angie selected one with a pink label from the cupboard and gave it to her mother. "Dat says fish!"
"Good job." Catherine popped it open. "It does say fish. Here's a spoon, go ahead."
After scooping the cat's breakfast into her bowl, Angie hopped back on the chair to help Steve as her brother stirred the carrot glaze.
A few minutes later, he checked his watch. "Nine o'clock. Let's wash up and we can head to the park." He pulled out his phone and sent a group text. "Everyone's meeting us there and Grandma Ang and Nonna are going to come watch the oven while we play."
"I don't think 'watch' ever applies to Grandma Ang and Nonna in the kitchen," Catherine said and Steve grinned.
"True enough."
"Go put your sneakers on," Catherine told the kids. "And we'll pack up the waters in the cooler."
They headed for the door and Angie stopped to look at Steve. "Daddy?"
"What, baby girl?"
"We gonna win da game!"
Striding over to lift her for a kiss, he laughed. "That's my girl. Go get your sneakers and we'll show them team Rollins/McGarrett is unbeatable."
"Aunt Carrie an' Uncle John is here!" Angie announced from her perch on the sofa where she was keeping watch. Everyone went home to change after the football game and she was eagerly waiting for the festivities to begin.
She was bouncing in place at the threshold and the minute the door opened, she flung her arms wide and said, "You' wearin' your Thanksgivin' shirts an' we are wearin' ours!" with so much glee, her godmother couldn't hold back a laugh as she scooped her up.
"Look at that. We all match!" she announced and kissed Angie's cheek, then bent to hug and kiss DJ who'd run up beside his sister.
"Now those are some spectacular shirts." Joseph grinned.
"I don't fool around, Papa Rollins." Carrie chuckled as she passed Angie to John. "Someone get a picture while we're all still clean, please."
"I got it." Steve stepped up with his phone. "Stand between Aunt Carrie and Uncle John," he instructed the kids, who did so happily as he captured the t-shirts Carrie had ordered weeks before.
"Can you tell everyone what your shirt says?" DJ asked Angie with a smile.
She nodded excitedly. The shirts featured a turkey in a pilgrim hat, each with a different phrase. "Mine says Save Room for da Cookies!" She pulled it out from the hem to see the cookie on her t-shirt.
"DJ says Save Room for da Green …" What's dat words, DJ?"
"Green Bean Casserole," he supplied.
"Green Beans Cass-role, cause dat's you' favo'rite."
"And Aunt Carrie's says Save Room for the Pie and Uncle John's says Save Room for the Sweet Potatoes."
"Cause dem's you' favor'ite, right?"
"Right!" John kissed her head. "But I don't think DJ and I love our favorites quite as much as you and Aunt Carrie love cookies and pie."
DJ giggled. "Thanks for the shirts, they're so fun."
Carrie kissed his cheek and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "You're so welcome. Let's go take a look at the pies. I need to know how much room to leave."
"Okay! We got pumpkin, and apple and cherry…" he said as they headed for the kitchen.
When they stepped onto the deck to peek in the outdoor fridge, Carrie greeted Catherine who was out at the sink. When she opened the refrigerator, DJ looked at his godmother and said, "Remember my first Thanksgiving in our family? That was the first time you and me tried all the pies."
She wrapped him in a hug. "Do I remember? Honey, that was my favorite part. And it still is." She kissed his cheek then offered a hand to high five. "Dessert partners forever."
"Dessert partners forever!" he said happily and slapped her upheld hand as his mother and godmother shared a smile that warmed the best friends' hearts.
"What's dat?" Angie looked at the antipasto plate that, as Danny predicted when he placed it on the table, was enough for half the island.
"That's an antipasto, my piccola bellezza." Nonna patted the seat between herself and Ang, where the four year old decided to sit. "Do you want to try some?"
She climbed onto the chair and nodded. "Yes, please. It looks yummy."
Nonna picked up a small dish. "Let's give you a taste of everything. DJ, would you like some, tesoro?"
When the eight year old said he would and passed over his plate, Nonna gave each child a selection of items and explained what they were.
"Mommy, we tryin' Nonna's annie-passa." Angie gave Catherine a toothy grin when she entered the room carrying additional appetizers, then turned her attention back to Nonna.
"These are roasted red peppers and sundried tomatoes," Nonna explained as their parents watched her dish a piece of both onto each child's plate. "And we have three kinds of cheese. Provolone, pecorino and mozzarella, we call the tiny balls of mozzarella bocconcini."
"Mozzarella is so good, it's the cheese on pizza," DJ said to Angie, who nodded her agreement.
"These are artichoke hearts," Nonna continued, and added small pieces of sopressata and prosciutto. "I think you'll enjoy them. They're dried sausage and Italian ham."
DJ tasted each type of meat and smiled his approval.
"Delicious, right?" Nonna asked.
"Yeah, they're so good."
"I'm so happy you like them." She picked out a few more items. "Here we have manzanilla and castelvetranos olives that are green and the black olives are called arbequinas." She beamed at DJ when he pronounced each word carefully. "Very good, pronipote! Angie, can you tell me what you like in the antipasto?"
Following DJ's lead, Angie tried the meat followed by the cheeses. Both pronounced them yummy. As they worked their way through the foods, Steve and Catherine watched their faces. DJ had tried some of the specialties the previous Christmas, but they were new to Angie.
"Oh, I don't like that one so much," their son said with an adorably puckered expression, of the bitter, crinkled black olive. His parents grinned at Angie's next words. "I'll eat yours, DJ," as Nonna chuckled heartily, delighting in Steve's amused expression. His daughter truly had his appetite.
"The green ones are a little milder," the great grandmother told the eight year old as Danny commented, "I didn't like any of the olives until I was a teenager."
After a sip of sparkling grape juice, DJ tasted the green variety of olives and said, "I like that one better," and passed the black ones to his sister who happily popped them in her mouth.
"Normally antipasto includes some unpitted varieties," Nonna explained to the adults, "but with little ones, I always use pitted. Do you like them, Angel?"
"Dey's yummy." Curls bounced as she nodded. "I like all da annie-passa stuff."
"My favorites are the cheese and the Italian ham one. Yum," DJ offered.
"Then have another piece of each." Nonna placed a few on his dish. "Whatever you don't like, I'm sure your daddy will eat." She grinned at Steve who relieved his son of a sun dried tomato with a smile as Danny moved to drop a kiss on his grandmother's cheek. "Another generation addicted to your antipasto." He ran a hand over Angie's hair.
"When's ev'rybody else comin'?" Angie asked, back on her perch on the couch, though this time with Carrie sitting on one side and Grace and Kendra on the other.
"Pretty soon, kiddo," Carrie said.
"Which is good because Daddy is just about to take the turkey out of the oven," Catherine said as she headed that direction after moving a dish of cranberry jello to the outside fridge.
"Can I help?" Angie asked, already jumping off the couch to follow.
"Not with this, baby girl," Catherine said, stopping her in the doorway of the kitchen. "This is a Daddy job. But you can watch."
DJ came to stand behind his sister to look on as Steve carefully removed the 26 pound turkey in its roasting pan.
"Whoa," said DJ, eyes widening at the size of the now golden brown bird.
Elizabeth closed the oven door as Steve set the huge pan on the island and exhaled. "Whoa is right, buddy. You think this'll feed everyone?"
DJ nodded. "Except Kaitlyn. But we made sure we have lots of things for her to eat," he said seriously.
Catherine smiled softly, kissing his head. "That's right, sweet boy."
Steve noticed Angie's frown. She looked down at her t-shirt, then over at the refrigerator that had several turkey crafts hanging on it. Her brow furrowed as she looked back at the cooked turkey on the island.
"What's the matter, baby girl?" Steve asked.
"Where's da feaders?" she replied. She pointed at the cartoon turkey on her shirt. "Turkeys gots feaders. My teachers at school said."
"Oh, the feathers come off before the turkey goes in the oven, honey," Catherine told her.
Angie relaxed and smiled. "Can I have dem? I'll make a picture for da fridge."
"They're taken off before we buy the turkey, angel," Elizabeth said gently.
Angie thought for a moment and nodded. "Oh, I know. Mr. Jirou has dem. I'll ask him if I can have dem for a picture."
Before the other adults could respond, Grace spoke up from behind the kids. "How about if you and DJ make a turkey picture with me and Kendra in the playroom while your daddy carves, Angie?"
"That's a great idea," Catherine said with a grateful smile directed at her niece and Kendra. "And by the time you're done, everyone else will be here and it'll be time to eat."
"Time to eat!" Angie repeated excitedly.
DJ nodded eagerly, taking her hand. "The best turkey pictures are made on Thanksgiving," he said and his sister beamed.
"Happy Thanksgivin'!"
# End. Thanks for reading!
Join us tomorrow as the marathon continues
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