We had a wonderful 6 days with our Northern California family during Thanksgiving.  We left around 5:30 am on Wednesday and headed North.  I let the kids sleep in their clothes so that we would just throw them in the van.  I assumed they would go back to sleep but they were so excited to watch the Cars movie on the DVD player in the car(a treat reserved only for long car trips) that they pretty much stayed awake the whole trip.  We had so much fun visiting though I was battling a sinus infection/cold most of the visit and the other family members had various sniffles, coughs and tummy aches. AK got 3 teeth before we got home so you get the idea that we weren't the most pleasant family to be around.

Wednesday night, BW was given the opportunity to preach at the church he grew up at for their Thanksgiving Eve service.  Thursday we enjoyed and catching up with BW's sister & brother in law & all the cousins.  Dinner was just delicious and there was PLENTY of mashed potatoes to go around.  Friday, we took a drive up to the foothills to visit BW's great grandmother who is in a convalescent hospital right now.  We took her up the leftover turkey and 7 of her grandchildren.  We celebrated CJ's and her cousin's birthdays with a cake and presents.  The highlight of the trip for AK was probably visiting BW's Aunt & Uncle's home with a "wilderness" to explore.  Then BW & I said goodbye to the kids and went on to a Bed & Breakfast for the evening!  Though I had lost my voice by that point, we had a great time just relaxing together.  Definitely something we need to do more often!

Saturday, Aunt Kelly came and took CJ shopping for her birthday while Grandma took AK and EF to the zoo.  It's always a treat to see Aunt Kelly!!  She lived with us for over a year so the kids have really missed her and delight in getting to see her every chance they get. 

Sunday, BW preached again at his parents' church.  He did a great job, but after thinking about these 3 sermons for well over a month I think he was pretty relieved to have them over.  After church, all the girls went out for a fun shopping trip together.  It was so fun to see all the Christmas trees decorated, hear the music and even to feel a nip in the air(we hadn't had that at all in So. Cal though we brought it back down with us).  It really got me geared up to get ready for Christmas though we won't really be decorating until after we move on December 16th.

Overall, we all really enjoyed catching up with everyone and had such a great time.  Grandma & Papa for all the food, hospitality and fellowship!

Then we came back home and realized it was time to get to work - BW had papers due, bags needed to be unpacked, Christmas presents need to be bought, Christmas cards neeed to be sent out, and packing for our move needed to begin. 

Hope your Thanksgiving weekend was as great as ours!

-J