So Thankful!

I am so thankful that God has blessed me with such wonderful family. He started it all with my loving parents and brother, continued it with my wonderful in-laws and blesses me daily with TJ, Trip and Mady! And, what a blessing it is to be able to take our children to Wisconsin every year to celebrate Thanksgiving with TJ's family. Trip and Mady are quite experienced travelers now. They remember how it all works at the airport and can list off, in order, the various modes of transportation we get to experience before we get aboard our plane at the Atlanta airport. Their favorite time to fly is at night, when it's dark out and they got to do that both ways this trip. They really did great! I think this was the easiest traveling we've done with them thus far in their short lives. :-) Our week in Wisconsin was filled with lots of fun people, places and toys! When we asked Trip and Mady what their favorite part of the trip was, they both said the motorized cars at Pitty and Grumpa's. Apparently, in Wisconsin, since it is too cold to play outside, you just play in the basement. And, that is what we did all week long! Pitty and Grumpa surprised the kids with a motorized Lightning McQueen car and Toy Story motorcycle and a remodeled and working train set. They also had their usual favorite toys: the Big Wheels, a Fisher Price train track, American Girl dolls and TJ's old toys from childhood. Watching them on the car and motorcycle provided hours of entertainment for us all. It only took Trip about an hour before he could drive that car all around the basement and not run into anything. Although, his favorite thing to do was knock over big boxes that TJ piled up for him. Mady never really got the hang of driving, but she was good at "parking" (or running into the poles) and she loved riding with Trip. We all enjoyed catching up with old friends and eating a delicious Thanksgiving feast. The best part for TJ and I was having dinner with all of his cousins (without kids) at Dan and Jenny's house. We had so much fun with them all, especially playing Things at the end of the night. This game is hysterical with TJ's family. My stomach hurt from laughing so hard! And, we finally got to meet our precious niece, Frances. She is beautiful! Even though, she is not always big on being held by anyone other than Mommy, she let TJ and I both hold her multiple times and even smiled and cooed for us! I could not get enough of her! We were all sad to leave on Saturday, especially Trip, who made even Grumpa tear up as he cried at the airport. At this time of year, I am constantly reminded of God's blessings and I am so thankful for all He provides! Happy Thanksgiving!