Thanksgiving Travel - Part Dos

There are some parts of life and parenting that have become so much easier as we've gained more experience as parents and as our family has grown.  Travel is not one of them.  I can't quite seem to wrap my brain around how to make it easier.  It's so wonderful to see our dear friends and family.  Yet we come back so tired - this time with sick kids and a sick mama a few days later.  Inevitably "vacation" is even harder than our day-to-day life and yet we are so blessed to be able to do it. 

And so I am posting today Thanksgiving photos, over two weeks late and well into the Christmas season.  Oh boy! 

We had a lovely Thanksgiving with 28 of us gathered to share this special day together.  When we all formed a circle and sang our dinner blessing (a version of this) I got goosebumps remembering all of the holiday celebrations past beginning in this very way.  I regret not taking a photo - but that might have been awkward (rude?) to duck out of the prayer to start snapping photos... right? 

Indigo with my beautiful (inside and out!) grandmother

 part of the clan

As a beautiful, unexpected gift, it snowed that evening.  The kids stared out the big window in awe watching the snow gently fall.  They begged and pleaded to go outside and play in it.  Of course we agreed.   They quickly learned how mittens made for chilly Texas mornings don't exactly cut the mustard when trying to make snowballs.

On Saturday, we made the 270 mile road trip to Madison, our old stomping ground.  We stayed with some dear friends who have three kids around the same ages as ours.  There was fun!  There was noise!  There were 7 kids ages 9 and under.  It was mayhem - in the very best way! 

Indigo was crazy about their cat, Lola.  

There was art.

Time spent outdoors

and a babe who slept almost entirely in arms for seven days in a row.  No cribs or pack-in-plays for this girl.  We say she's a girl who knows what she wants!

For the grown ups, there were evenings by the fire.

After a week in the Wisconsin, it was time to say good-bye and head back to the Lone Star state.  

(The Minneapolis airport is a pretty fab place to have a layover with kids.)

The growling game - a family favorite. We're easy to please.

Somehow the stars aligned and our four thoroughly exhausted kids fell asleep - at the same time -on the way home.  Woot!

 

Oh those baby lashes - be still my heart!

We've learned by now not to take these things for granted...