Michigan Thanksgiving!!!

Ethan, Abby, Isaac, Annalise, Seth & Jared... all in a row :)

We had the opportunity to spend Thanksgiving in Michigan at Frank & Kari's house this year! The kids were so excited about this trip that they were asking me about what to pack for the trip as soon as October ended!

Because of Parent-Teacher conferences and teachers' training conferences, my kids had 10 days off. We took advantage of this break and flew out to visit for 6 days. This was a much needed trip, for we have not seen Frank and Kari and their kids for almost 3 years!!!





Isaac, Seth and Abby had a great time getting reacquainted with their cousins, Annalise, Ethan and Jared. Abby told me that one of her favorite things that she liked the best was playing "puppies" with Annalise. The boys told me that they really enjoyed playing Indians with Ethan and Jared.

Kari's dancing 21 pounder!!!

We had a fun week filled with memories. Frank met us at the airport at 5 am... what a good brother!!! During our stay, we got to visit Frank and Kari's church twice, visit the Children's Museum in Detroit, go for a nice Nature Walk (even saw wildlife!), help prepare the Thanksgiving meal, the boys even got a special "boy outing" with Uncle Frank, watch the Detroit Thanksgiving Parade and Turkey Trot (live!), see Greenfield Village (very cool!), stay up way past our bedtimes, and beat up on Uncle Frank!!!

Watching "wildlife"!!!

Trying on fancy hats... just like 2 proper ladies

All in all, it was a great time for us to catch-up with our "long lost family" :) Matthew flew out to join us on Thanksgiving morning (for the parade and dinner) and come home with us Friday evening (after visiting Greenfield Village). A very quick turn-around, but well worth the effort!

Frank, Kari, Annalise, Ethan, and Jared, we miss you guys already! We will have to not allow so much time to pass before we get together again. We pray that your job search will be fruitful and that you will be able to schedule a trip out to California before too long!!!

Our hearts are so full of thanks as we enjoy the company of our family -- near and far. What a special blessing to have family that actually like being with each other! We thank God for pouring out His blessings upon each one of us. May we always direct our gratitude to the Giver of All... not to luck, fortune, or circumstance, and may we always seek to glorify Him more and more with our thoughts, attitudes, and action.

Braving snow flurries to watch the Thanksgiving Parade in downtown Detroit!