So! How was your Thanksgiving? Ours was wonderful! Last week, we prepared to leave for Missouri to spend Thanksgiving with my Mom and Dave... and then, the rest of the weekend with Scott's brother, Mark and his kids. Good cousin fun for Ally, Luke, Natalie and Evan!
I worked Monday and Tuesday... and the kids went to school. Of course, we had a TON of stuff going on at work. Last Tuesday, I was thankful that I am adaptable to change.... because my department is going through a big re-organization. It's really stressful for a lot of people. Lots of shifting. New bosses/supervisors for many people... and some might not even be doing the same type of work. Many, many people have a bad attitude about it.. and it drags you down. I always see change as a good thing. An opportunity for growth. Besides.... we have NO CONTROL over this change... so we can sit around and bitch and make it harder on ourselves... or we can embrace it and go with the flow! So, I choose to be happy about it.... it's always for the best! Everything happens for a reason!
It was still a lot to cope with and deal with... and get through... and then, pack and mentally prepare for a day in the car with the kids.
UGH!!!!
Wednesday... we got up bright and early and left the house around 6:30 for the drive to Columbia. I cannot tell you how amazing the kids were. They surpassed my expectations! They had one or two moments of meltdown, but we quickly intervened and all was well! At one point, Ally exclaimed that she actually enjoyed the drive!!!! Wednesday, I was thankful for how well the kids handled the drive!
We got to my Mom's at a decent time.... late afternoon.... enjoyed some wine and a great dinner... and all pretty much passed out to sleep pretty early!
The next day, we woke up too darn early (kids!!!) and prepared the feast! We had an amazing breakfast of french toast and bacon. Have I mentioned my kids love bacon? ;-) We watched football, drank more wine, got a family picture (thank god for self timers!), and had a GREAT turkey dinner with all my favorite things!!!!!!
We even ran out and did a little shopping in the evening on Thanksgiving! Scored some great deals at Michaels! Friday we did a little more shopping (my mom and I) while Scott took the kids to an indoor play place. They burned off some energy and I got a few more gifts checked off their wish lists... and then, we made the drive to Kansas City to visit with Mark, Natalie, and Evan!
Friday I was thankful for family that lived so close together out of state! Makes it nice and easy to pay them all a visit!
The kids had a blast together. I cannot believe I didn't take a single picture. The evening of our arrival, I started with a nasty cold. Ugh. Sore throat. Congestion. I was so bummed.... but I powered through. The kids just played and played. Luke and Evan interacted for the first time. Luke is finally old enough and brave enough to really get into playing in a whole new way. I kept just stopping and smiling, watching how well he and Evan interacted and got along.
Then, all the kids slept on the floor together. It was rough getting them down, but they had a blast..... lots of fun and very little sleep was the name of the weekend!!!!!!!
Saturday I was thankful for that cousin time. I am so glad we make every effort to get them together..... kids should know their cousins. Cousins are the best!
We left Kansas City around 3:30 Michigan time..... and drove straight home. We considered stopping if we needed to... but we just wanted to be home... so we coffeed up and powered through. I kept my cold at bay with lots of sudafed and pain killers. Ugh.
We got home around 3..... again, the kids were amazing.... Luke doesn't sleep well in the car, but Ally slept quite a bit. She was also taking Dramamine for naseau so I am sure that contributed to her sleepiness. Luke watched TV shows on the iPad... DVDs and played games... and did finally fall asleep around midnight.
We all climbed into bed when we got home... and the entire house slept until 10:30.... even Ally who slept most of the way home too! She had a lot to catch up on!
Today, I am thankful that we made the trip.... and at the same time, thankful to be home. This is the first time I have been brave enough to agree to a road trip with my kids since Ally was about 18 months old and screamed the entire way home from Cape Hatteras. :-) I am not a huge fan of driving long distances.. but the trip was so worthwhile... and I am glad we did it. And, the kids were troopers!
Scott took them to see the Muppets and I am enjoying some down time. The week ahead is FULL as always...... lots of things going on at school.... work.... life! Preparing for holidays and birthdays. Need to get Luke's invites out. Need to get things in order. Feeling good though. There is always a lot going on... but it's a "good a lot" if you know what I mean.
Definitely a lot to be thankful for. I hope your Thanksgivings were just as wonderful blog friends...
1 comment:
Yes Nina, I am very happy you guys made the trip too!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you....I will never forget it! The pictures are great too...thanks for taking them!
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