Thanksgiving at Lala's

1 thing this trip showed me was that a habit of thankfulness changes my outlook on a lot of things. For starters: Lucas wanted me to drive (so he could do some work - 2 sermons in a short week is a lot!). I was tired, I didn't want to drive, but I knew that getting work done was important for him to enjoy the trip, so I did it without complaining (which I would have normally done excessively). About an hour into the drive I missed a turn. Normally I would have been frustrated with myself and gotten so grumpy that it would have ruined the trip, but I decided to just relax and enjoy the detour. After it became apparent that the detour was going to add more time to the trip than the original 10 minutes the Garmin predicted, Lucas became agitated (we both are big on being ON SCHEDULE). Normally I would have snapped back about how I didn't want to drive in the first place and it would have ignited a fight. Instead I reminded him that I couldn't change the past, and suggested we enjoy the scenic route. We did - the small towns, the place that sold sprayers just like Papa, the yard FULL of large wooden cutouts for Christmas (superheroes, cartoon characters, Biblical figures, Santa and his elves, you name it!), and the large woman who (for reasons unknown) came out to meet family wearing a t-shirt and underwear...and then bent over. These are the sights we would have missed had I not passed our exit! We arrived an hour later than we expected, but relaxed and without the normal fights and stress that type of trip would have produced!

Nana had been cooking for days, and after the twins took a nap, we got to enjoy the bounty of her work!

The turkey - my favorite part is Ryan's hand waving above!

For the past 5 Thanksgivings we have been too far away to be with family (with the exception of one where they came to us). We had friends in MA who became like our family and spent every Thanksgiving with us. We missed them terribly, and sent a few texts throughout the day. But, part of moving was to be close to family for occasions such as these, and it was WONDERFUL! Here is the group - Nana, Ry-guy, Lala, baby cousin (not yet visible), Lucas, Grant, Allie, & me. This picture is especially for Poppy, who not only was without any family on Thanksgiving, but even missed the meal because they served it too early on the boat. We missed you, Poppy!
After enjoying a feast (of which the twins ate tons. More than I've ever seen them eat before! They were like bottomless pits!), those of us who didn't cook cleaned up while Nana played with Allie

and Ryan played with a very patient Indy. My children LOVE this dog! Not sure that Indy is as much of a fan of them...but she never showed it and let them give her many hugs.
Sadly, Nana had to leave early the next morning for a funeral. But we stayed and had a fun day with Grant and Lala.
The twins loved the big exercise ball!

Despite the cold we went outside. Lala was worried they would be bored without toys, but they spent a good 20 minutes joyfully running up and down the neighbor's driveway!

We went to the park (which turned out to be a dreadfully cold trip). The twins (and dogs) had a blast despite the cold!

Ryan laughing so hard after going down the slide.

Allie and Chance. He loved her, and she loved finally being loved by a dog!

Daddy helping the twins break the wishbone. They never pulled hard enough, and Allie lost interest. So Daddy ended up doing it with Ryan - who won! Now if we can explain to Ryan how to make a wish...

We thoroughly enjoyed our time with Grant & Lala. Grant is a fabulous brother-friend, full of energy, always looking out for everyone. Our tire was low and he took it and filled it up, checked it for nails and leaks, all without us asking. He drove out of his way to find something that someone wanted on Black Friday, and he made sure that we got a taste (literally!) of Ohio before we left. And Lala, who is such a loving aunt, finally got to hear the twins say her name (note: they haven't stopped since we got home and all day all I hear is "Bye, bye, Lala"), received an impromptu hug from Allie, and became a preferred person :) Once worried that the twins didn't like her, this trip clearly solidified her place in their hearts!

I am Thankful For:

Thursday:

Lucas' family: I am privileged to have in-laws who always treated me as one of them, who let me know they truly love me - despite my many flaws, who clearly love my children and desire their best, with whom I can spend a happy and truly stress-free Thanksgiving. I am thankful for the man my parent-friends raised, and the amazing husband and father he is. I am so naive as to believe that everyone is as lucky with in-laws as I am, and I am truly grateful.

Modern technology: That connects us to family, and friends who are like family, when distance separates us. The day was more special because of the "family" in MA we were able to talk to, and our family members spread out all over with whom we were able to talk to throughout the day via phone and text.

Friday:

Amazing sleep: I feel confident it is the pillows. The twins, who never sleep well in other places and were especially terrible the last time we spent a night at Lala's, slept incredibly! They went willingly to naps (and slept just as well and even better than at home!), and bed at night. Sure, we ended up with Allie in our bed both nights - the second earlier than we had hoped - but it was like night and day compared to our last trip!

Saturday:

A safe trip home!