My Favorite Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend! I think this might have been my favorite Thanksgiving (at least in a long time).  We had so much good food, but much more importantly so many great people to spend the holiday with. Usually Thanksgiving in our family is pretty small (10-12 people). This year, however, we had a house full and it was so much fun. Barry's daughter and her family decided to make the 12 hour drive for the holiday, and since they were coming, my brother and his family decided to come too, and on Friday my mom hosted a lot of Barry's extended family and some of our extended family. There was always a crowd, and everyone had a great time!

Wednesday was my nephew Jeremy's 10th birthday, Since he had to spend most of his birthday riding in a car, my mom wanted to make the evening really special for him. We brainstormed together and threw the cutest Lego party. I really hope one of my kids requests a Lego birthday party because it was so cute!

My grandparents and my brother, Anna, and Amelia made it to town in time for the party. Elisabeth and Jeremy got a chance to catch up :).

The highlight of the party was the pinata.

The kids loved it!

Samuel had to show us every piece of candy he picked up :).

Happy birthday to Jeremy!

Let's eat cake and cupcakes and ice cream. Nothing is off limits at Grammy's house!

Since we've moved to Broken Arrow, I've always hosted Thanksgiving. My mom asked if she could host this year since Mindy was coming up. I gladly passed it off to her. I was pretty intimidated anyway with a preschooler, a toddler, and an infant to care for and host at the same time. I didn't think I was up to it this year, so it was nice to have a break.

Thursday morning, we got ready and headed over to Mom and Barry's for the day.

When my mom and I saw this "Gobble 'til you Wobble" shirt, we couldn't pass it up for our Samuel. That boy loves his food :).

We spent the morning playing games and visiting and taking a few family pictures.

It was really special to have so many family in town for the holiday.

Nathan spent the day playing hobo from the Polar Express. He is adorable and has such a cute imagination.

The weather was nice enough for the cousins to play outside.

We ate a delicious lunch with my parents, Mindy's family, Jeremy's family, Granny and Grandaddy, and Matt's parents.

Nathan and Amelia had a great day together. They are good buddies for sure.

And no day is complete without some wrestling :).

We spent the rest of the day playing games and snacking. We got to play several rounds of Settlers of Catan over the two days, which was really fun for me and Matt. We miss playing board games. It's hard to manage with three little ones, but Grammy was sweet to babysit so we could play with Jeremy and Anna.

Friday morning we headed back over to Mom and Barry's house for more fun! Matt cooked breakfast burritos for everyone.

Samuel decided he wanted to sit at the kids' table instead of his high chair. He loves his brother and cousin and can't be left out!

My brother brought a new (complicated) game, that we had a chance to play. With learning the rules and interruptions from children, it took us about three hours to play, but it was a fun game, and we enjoyed spending some time with Jeremy and Anna. We wish we could see them more. We both really enjoy playing games with them.

My aunt and cousin and her family came for lunch. We hadn't all been together with my brother since his wedding, eight years ago, and I know it was so special for Granny and Grandaddy to have their family all together.

We managed to get a picture with all the great grandchildren.

I can't express how grateful I am that my children are a part of this couple's legacy and for the sweet relationship they share.

We welcomed more family that afternoon and evening. Two of Barry's brothers and their families came for the fun. I had a great time visiting with them all. Scott and Debbie recently moved to Broken Arrow, so we're excited to get to see them and their families more often now. My boys love playing with their grandkids, and I know Hailey and Elisabeth will form a special friendship as they get older :).

The cousins played outside some that afternoon. I have sweet memories playing with cousins on Thanksgiving, and I'm thrilled my kids are experiencing that now.

There was certainly no shortage of available arms to cuddle our sweet girl that day.

We played more games that evening, and finally made it home after 10:00. My mom and Barry kept the boys overnight so we didn't have to leave as early and so they could spend more time with their cousins, before everyone left town.

On Saturday morning, we picked up the boys, and headed to Edmond to Becca and Bryan's house for the day. My boys had a blast exploring her new house and playing with more family. We were exhausted on Saturday evening when we made it home, but all the fun was worth it.

It was definitely a busy, busy holiday, but full of so much fun and so many special memories. I've been begging Chris and Mindy to come back next year. It was sweet getting to know them better and build a relationship with Jeremy and Olivia. My mom and Barry worked so hard preparing, cooking, cleaning, hosting, and entertaining, and they did a fabulous job. I'm so very thankful for my family and so much extended family this Thanksgiving.

The Polar Express

We had such a fantastic weekend in Branson. Last year we started the tradition of riding the Polar Express and spending the weekend in Branson the week before Thanksgiving, and we're planning to keep up the tradition until our youngest finally outgrows the Polar Express (which will be a very sad day). We didn't take a big vacation this year, so I think we were all extra excited about getting out of town for some fun family time. We loaded up and left town Friday morning. I'll never understand why it takes so much stuff to get away for two days.

We made it to Branson just in time for our train ride. We changed the kids, picked up our tickets and waited to board the Polar Express.

Those boys were so stinking excited. Nathan has talked about it nonstop for the last two weeks. We read the book almost every night and the movie has been playing multiple times per week. They both sing the songs and pretend they are riding the train everyday.

I was especially excited to watch Samuel enjoy the fun this year. He was a baby last year and couldn't even eat his cookie :). This year thanks to his brother he is in love with trains and the Polar Express. He says Polar Express, Hot chocolate, and Santa Claus anytime he sees it and loves to watch the movie and read the book. I knew he would be awe struck, and that boy is in love with his Papa Joe. Anything with Papa Joe is sure to be a hit with him.

We walked through a snow storm and saw a hobo on our way to board the train.

He had some big eyes getting on the train.

I was pregnant when we rode the Polar Express last year and had NO idea. Never ever did I dream we'd have a new baby to ride with us this year. She had a great time too (and the boys were happy to eat her cookie for her), and she was an angel for the whole trip. She is such a sweet, happy baby and a huge blessing to our entire family.

The conductor came by and punched everyone's ticket. Elisabeth was enamored.

They read the book during the train ride and let the boys help them turn the pages.

We enjoyed some treats and hot chocolate on the way to the North Pole. Nathan took a tiny taste of the hot chocolate and decided he didn't want anymore. I think the "hot" has turned him off of it. Sammy enjoyed it though.

The boys loved seeing the Christmas lights outside along the ride.

Once we made it to the North Pole, Santa Claus came aboard and gave everyone a silver bell. I've never seen such big eyes from my boys and nothing could wipe the smiles from their faces. Christmas is such a magical time for Little Ones.

The Hobo came aboard a few times, but always got kicked off by the conductor because he didn't have a ticket. Nathan has been playing hobo ever since we got home. He wears his hat and carries a bag over his shoulder.

We stopped at the train station after the ride and picked up some souvenirs. I can't get over the cuteness of those conductor hats. Nathan slept with his last night :).

After our fun train ride, we stumbled on a wonderful steak house for dinner. That was definitely a highlight of the trip for my husband :).

Saturday morning we headed to breakfast, and played at a kids' arcade that we went to last year, and then came back, changed and spent the rest of the morning at the hotel's indoor water park.

We stayed at a different hotel from last year. We got a big suite where we could all stay comfortably, and a big perk was that our room was in the same building as the waterpark. Last year, we had to bundle up in heavy coats to walk outside to go to the waterpark. It was much easier this year.

The waterpark had a kid's area with a turtle, frog, and fish slide. They boys played for a long time.

It had a lazy river too, that they loved. It was a fast current with lots of waterfalls and splash buckets along the way (not very lazy), but fun for the kids.

 We grabbed lunch and split up for the afternoon. Matt stayed in the hotel with Samuel so he could nap. The girls went shopping, and Nathan and Barry went to an indoor miniature golf course. It was a rainy Saturday, so our shopping wasn't quite as fun as we had hoped, but we had a great time, and Elisabeth got some darling new clothes :). It's much more fun to shop for her than me these days.

We met back together for dinner that night, and then Matt and Elisabeth stayed in the room to watch the OSU vs. Baylor game while the rest of us went back to the waterpark.

 Sunday morning we stopped for donuts before hitting the road to come home.

We had such a fun weekend. All the kids were so well behaved and had such a great time. It was nice to get away from reality and relax. We ate ice cream for dessert at breakfast, stayed up way too late, and just focused on spending time as a family making sweet memories. We can't wait for next year!