I’m not a baby anymore. I don’t know why I have to sit at the babies’ table. I’m almost eight. And the rest of them can’t even use their forks right.

There’s Tyler, the one who always gets gravy on his sleeve. Mom says he’s a reacher and I shouldn’t sit too close to him. He might knock my sparkling apple cider in my lap like he did to Becca last year.

She’s such a crybaby! I hope she doesn’t ask me to play Chutes and Ladders again. She always loses, and then her mom gets mad at me for making her cry. Well, it’s not my fault she stinks at Chutes and Ladders!

I saw Matt and his brother John outside with Uncle Dave. He was showing them how to fry a turkey. I heard Mom tell Aunt Gina she’d be surprised if we didn’t have to call the fire department before the day is over knowing what a terrible klutz Uncle Dave is. He seems to fall down a lot, but Dad says that’s just because he’s drunk. He says drunks fry the best turkeys, and then he clapped his hands and rubbed them together.

Grown ups are weird.

Now Uncle Dan and Grandpa are watching the game on TV and turning it up really loud and yelling at anyone who walks in front of it. Even Becca, and Mom told Grandma that Becca’s mom was “staring daggers” at them for it. Grandma just shrugged her shoulders and said, “Whoever gets that one has their work cut out for them.”

I’m not sure if she was talking about Becca or her mom. I’m supposed to call her Aunt Sheila, even though she and my Uncle Dan aren’t married anymore, and she never sends me birthday cards with five dollar bills in them like Aunt Gina does.

I love my Aunt Gina.

When Amy gets here, we’re going to go up to the attic and look through all the old trunks with Grandma’s old clothes and stuff. We did that this last summer, and the attic smelled like old books. I know what old books smell like because my mom takes me to the bookstore on the corner a lot, and they have all kinds of old books there.

But first we have to say our prayers and give thanks before we eat.

This year, I’m thankful for my family.