Well, it sure seems like Thanksgiving was a long time passed. Now it seems like we are diving right into Christmas. Anyway, our Thanksgiving trip was a good one. Our trip out was a breeze. We arrived about 3pm on Wed. afternoon and checked into the hotel to freshen up and then headed to Adam and Ami's. It was so good to see Adam, Amy and all the kids which had all gotten SO big, the kids that is, not Adam and Amy, ha! We visited that evening, had a chilly dinner then went over for church service at Adam and Amy's church. I got the pleasure of taking the kids to the nursery to entertain which I really enjoyed since I got to have some one on one time with Miss Taryn. She is such a little sweetheart and such the cuddle bug all weekend. We had a good time in the nursery playing our own version of the My Little Pony Memory Game. She knows the name of every Pony and I love it when she says "Pinkie Pie" in her sweet little voice. It so makes me miss Grace at the age. The next day Adam brought the kids to the hotel to swim then we headed back to hang out, watch some football and cook up the feast. It was a wonderful relaxing afternoon. Just what I needed since I had been suffering from a cold that I came down with just before we left. Aaron and both Owen and Grace ended up coming down with the same thing while we were visiting to so needless to say none of us got the greatest of sleep while we were there. So, we had a wonderful feast of turkey, of course, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, dressing, cranberries, corn casserole and chocolate and pumpkin pie for desert. We had a fun evening of playing games and just catching up with one another. I can't remember what night it was that we were playing catch phrase and one of the words was conductor, Adam was trying to guess and Aaron was giving clues. Adam kept coming up with all sorts of guesses but just couldn't pull it out. We were all laughing SO hard, I can't remember when I had laughed so hard, guess you had to be there. It was a good time and will be a unforgettable memory!

Friday the girls gathered all the bravery they could to tackle the stores after Thanksgiving. It really wasn't so bad other than the 15-20min. line to check out in Kohls. It was a huge success for me I ended up getting a lot of my shopping done. Thanks Kay for lugging it all back to the Midwest for me! That afternoon we all headed downtown State College to make a visit to the library, take a look around and hit the souvenir store for Penn State shirts Afterwards we made our way to the university creamery for ice cream. The kids really enjoyed their ice cream as they always do and it was a nice treat for all of us to get out. What a beautiful town State College is. I would love to return and be able to see a little more when its not so dang cold! That evening we enjoyed the hotel swimming pool and local pizza before an early bedtime for family pictures in the morning!
The next day we headed over to the mall to try and get some family pictures taken. It turned out better than we had thought. The kids did real well despite my little man on the move that won't sit still for a split second. That evening Grandpa Mike treated us to his famous Choc. malts, what a great way to wrap up our visit!
Well, Sunday morning came and we headed out by 7am that morning. That morning some snowy, wet weather came our way but nothing unmanageable. We got on the road only to find the traffic coming to a stand still 40 min. outside of State College for a 5 car accident. So, there we sit parked on the freeway for 2 hours while they clean up and get things moving again. However, I do have to say that despite our very long day, arriving home at 10pm the kids were both angels. Owen and Grace both watched movies and slept the whole way. Grace is a wonderful traveler and doesn't make a peep. Owen can get a little restless but he was very manageable, thank goodness. It really was a wonderful trip and time very well spent with our family. Sure do miss having that family close to us! We love and miss you all!