We enjoyed Pre-Thanksgiving play time with the L's -- all 7 of the L siblings were in town, making for a grand total of 32 (spouses, grandkids and grandparents) for the full family picture.We played at Paradise Park (a big play place with all kinds of fun things to do -- batting cages, go carts, foam-gun wars, ball pit, kid kitchen, water tables, playgrounds, make-believe town, face painting, etc etc etc), went to Kaleidiscope (Hallmarks' free art 
studio 'experience' for kids using their left over papers, ribbons, stickers, etc & all the Crayola markers/crayons you could ever need), visited Union Station to see the mega model trains and Christmas tree displays, played games, did puzzles, went to the Independance Visitor's Center to see a display on the Dead Sea Scrolls, fried Joseph's wild turkey (the flavor was great, but it was a little chewy....), and had a girls night in at Jen's (such great sister-in-laws!!). Whew! That was just Sunday, Monday and Tuesday!
studio 'experience' for kids using their left over papers, ribbons, stickers, etc & all the Crayola markers/crayons you could ever need), visited Union Station to see the mega model trains and Christmas tree displays, played games, did puzzles, went to the Independance Visitor's Center to see a display on the Dead Sea Scrolls, fried Joseph's wild turkey (the flavor was great, but it was a little chewy....), and had a girls night in at Jen's (such great sister-in-laws!!). Whew! That was just Sunday, Monday and Tuesday!(This is J-boy playing in the baby play place at Paradise Park...you'd think we didn't get out much)
On Wednesday we made the 11 hour trek to Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi where my brother and his wife and their beautiful little girl live. Heather and Ryan met us there, and we had a wonderful, relaxing, enjoyable Thanksgiving weekend. Dave, Joseph & Ryan fried store bought turkeys (fabulous flavor, minus the weird texture), the boys played a good game of football Thursday morning, we made (and ate) WAY too much food, and generally basked in each others' presence. It was so fun for my kids to meet their first A-son cousin! Joseph was inspired by Survivor Man to build a pop-can stove. Tara and sisters made a Christmas countdown candy adventish thing.
We went bowling, and now Kaitlynn asks every day when we can go again (mom, I've been WAITING to go bowling! WHEN can we GO?) I have to say my favorite part was using the bumpers with a good excuse. :) And the little baby bowling shoes were too cute! 
(those are J-boy & my feet in the pic) For the complete Thanksgiving photo review, visit Dave and Angela's site (link to the left). It was so good to be with family! It's always a good sign when the time feels too short and you want to linger longer. For you readers, we read a great book on the way to/from Columbus -- just a lucky find at the Borders' Bargain table from a couple months ago that I finally got around to: Wish You Well by David Baldacci. Both Joseph and I enjoyed it, which is important on our road trips! It's about a young girl growing up in the Appalachian Mountains after her father dies. I don't know if I'm just really touchy or what, but he had me bawling after the first two chapters -- I had to stop reading out loud and just sum it up for Joseph. He's such a good indulgent husband! :) Maybe somethings a little messed up in my brain, but if a book can make me cry, I generally love it. Call me masochistic.
So that brings us (almost) up to date!
Busy and Fun -- it's a pretty good life!
Love to you all!!
Tara
4 comments:
That sounds like it was REALLY fun! Now I've got some good ideas of things to do when family comes here!
The Hallmark place sounds WAY cool!! Brinley LOVES projects and that would be heaven for her!
It is really fun -- it looks like some kind of crazy Dr. Suess land. I had taken the battery out of my camera to recharge the night before and forgot it, so I only had my video camera (which I don't upload and post because that's just too much work!). But if you ever come this way to visit Angie, be sure to stop in KC and we'll have a jolly holiday! :)
Wow! Actually going out and DOING something together. How do find the energy? I just always want to spend my free time crawling under the covers.
Is that going to change when I have kids, or am I destined to be the Lame Mom?
No, no, no -- it goes in fits and spurts. I've spent the entire past week in recovery -- you know, many hours of 'educational' TV in the mornings, the bare minuimum on the table for dinner (tonight I just handed Joseph the dehydrated soup mix and he took it from there!), and my poor kids are lucky if they see the sun before 11 a.m.
I'll get fed up with this lounging life in a day or two (week or two? month or two?)and cook up some exhausting project or destination for us to tackle. Fits and spurts. Isn't that how life is meant to be lived?? You'll be a spectacular mom. :)
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