Project 52: December 20-29 (Christmas trip to Michigan)

This is our entire trip to Michigan, so it's a few days more than the normal weekly post....

 

We left our house on Friday night at 10pm to head to the airport for our red eye flight to Detroit.  Mimi and Papa had NO idea we were coming!!! We didn't tell the kids until the night before.  It was a fun week and the best part was surprising them.

unloaded and ready to go into the airport

 

 

 

The circus is coming to town!!
We only had four car seats, two suitcases and several carry ons...

 

 

I sat with Colt and Elliana in the row in front of Brent with Declan and Elliana.  We knew they would sleep better in their car seats and it worked so well!

 

 

Colt doesn't sleep well in the ergo, and kept pulling at Elliana and keeping her awake...even thought it was 1am, so I put Colt in the car seat and he fell asleep instantly.  Elliana couldn't get comfortable on my lap so she went on the floor and fell asleep instantly and it was a great plane ride!

 

 

We landed in Detroit at 6am and the kids waited next to the baggage claim while eating bananas while Brent got the rental van.  We drove up to Mimi and Papa's house and arrived at 10am.

 

We parked near their house and snuck up quietly and knocked on the door.  It was quite a surprise!!

Saturday afternoon Auntie Dre, Adele, and Isaiah arrived! The kids favorite activity all week was watching the snails and 'nemo' in the fish tank.

 

Saturday evening we had a Christmas party with Mimi's side of the family.  It has been the first time I several years that we have been there, and the first time for the youngest three kids to be there to meet family.  We had a delicious dinner and then Santa made an appearance!

Declan loves olives!

 

Elliana was very content on Mimi's lap and had no desire to go sit with Santa

Colt got this little light up ball from Santa and he started walking at the party to go after it!

Sunday when we walked out of church it was snowing.  It wasn't much at all, but the kids were excited.  Raelynn had been talking about how she wanted to eat the snow....so that was the first thing she did!

 

The kids all had a picnic in the family room and watched Frozen

 

 

 

Raelynn asked for a fire.  The kids wanted to roast marshmallows:)

 

Hot cocoa with the fire!

 

 

We also made lots of Christmas treats...

Someone snagged a chocolate kiss!

Want some cookies with those sprinkles?

 

 

We can't make a trip to Michigan without stopping at Bronner's Christmas store.  Especially at Christmas!

 

 

We also ate an amazing chicken dinner at Zender's.

family style dinner.  Seriously, one of the best dinners ever.

Declan enjoying his ice cream that had melted

ready to go to Christmas Eve service

After Christmas Eve service we went home and had appetizers and snacks.

 

It snowed on Christmas Eve! The kids were excited to wake up to snow (obviously not a lot because you can still see the grass)

Christmas stockings

 

Cousins all together on Christmas morning!

 

 

 

 

My good friend from college came to visit! So fun to see my friends Sarah and Kala and their son.  Last time we saw them he was two weeks old!

 

 

My high school friends were also able to get together at my house while we were home.  25 years of friendship in this picture!

Declan saying good bye to his buddies

Declan and Colt left Sunday with Brent.  I took the girls home on Monday.  We went straight from the airport to the doctor's office and discovered Elliana had a double ear infection! Poor thing had a rough last few days while we were in Michigan.  Even with her pain she did great on the plane.  I think we all got a little nap in on the way home:) 

 

My Mommy Minute: December 16

{this entire post has been sitting in draft.  I was hoping to add more links and then well....Christmas came and went.  but I wasn't just going to delete! There are some great reads. Read Rachel's post if it's the only one you read, because it's a great read for any time of year.}

Hi friend,
Oh boy, this is a busy time of year! We've had birthday celebrations, suffered hardships, welcomed visitors, hosted parties, attended events, shopped, crafted, decorated, and are plugging our way through advent. All while my husband is working a lot of overtime, so that means mama works over time too:)  I haven't posted a MMM in a while because I had one drafted but I guess it was never saved and I lost the links:(   As was reading posts recently they were all about Christmas and the chaotic time it can be.  So this post is all links related to the holiday season.

It's easy to lose sight of the cross and too easy to look inward and forget that this season, or any other season, for that matter, isn't about us.  God is so good.  All the time.  He is the divine creator and sustainer of all things and He is so merciful, isn't He? So, so kind to such an undeserving person like me.  I take so much for granted and I am thankful He is causing me to slow down at times and see that. Even Christmas is something taken for granted.  Something we know so well and we fail to see the wonder.  It doesn't lose it's wonder--we just fail to see it. This is the season we get to celebrate our Savior's birth! There could be no Good Friday or Easter Sunday without first having Christmas.  Just pondering in our hearts the miracle of Christmas and the majesty of the Jesus should produce joy, praise, and worship! 

I pray you are encouraged this Christmas season. Encouraged that our Redeemer has come and taken on flesh for us.  He has humbled Himself so low and was born in "the hay" as my three year old says. He was born in flesh.  Yet sinless.  Sinless for us, because we could not do that.  But God, in His mercy and goodness bridges the gap of our sin that separates us from Him by sending Jesus.  Baby Jesus. Born in a manger.  For me and for you.  I pray you would know the redeeming love of Jesus Christ this Christmas. 


 

Joy to the Whirled by Rachel Jankovic at Femina

What to Expect and Christmas by Nicole Whitacre at GirlTalk

Dear Lydia and Asa by Amanda at Oh Amanda

 

10 Ways We Can Remember to be Christians this Christmas by Kevin DeYoung at Gospel Coalition

Project 52: November 23-29

Sunday Snapshot:

Mimi and Papa are here with us!!

Declan and Raelynn had a sleep over at Mimi and Papa's house so I was able to take Elliana and Colt on a special date to McDonald's to play in the toddler area and get a cookie:) Those little outings are so special.  In fact, because the kids were taking turns spending the night away, we got a lot more one on one time (or on two time) than normal and decided we need to actually schedule dates out for the kids with us.  Having those special times really lets their personality come out, especially in our younger kids who are usually a bit overpowered by their oldest sister:)

enjoying her cookie!

This was later in the week when Brent took a day off and we took just the boys to Chick-Fil-A because the girls were over to Mimi's house.

My little monkey! Climbing on everything!

Colt and I were taking selfies to send to auntie Dre while we were reading a book she gave him. :)

Reading with Papa

Mimi did manicures for the girls:)

 

 

Declan lined all his cars up to read a book with us:)

We went to Winco on Wednesday for some last minute Thanksgiving groceries and on the way out the kids asked Brent to get a ball.  We happened to have some change, so we said yes! Brent got one!! The kids were far less excited than me, as I literally jumped and yelled "You got one!!!" because they didn't quite get that these claw machines are hard work! I think they assume it's like a gumball machine--just put in the quarter and get the prize.  It was a fun moment for us all:)

Thanksgiving Day:

swinging at the park while Daddy plays football

Eating at their own table at Grandma and Tank's for lunch

The kickball game--so fun!!! The toddlers were playing too, so it was a lot of fun.

 

The day after Thanksgiving we moved into Christmas mode! Mimi read the story "The Gingerbread Boy" to the kids and we made gingerbread cookies.  We also did some crafts in the following weeks.

aprons on all ready to bake their cookies!

 

 

That evening we put up the Christmas tree, turned on the Christmas music and enjoyed hot chocolate!

 

Only two bulbs were broken!

It took them a while to sip their hot chocolate....I decided maybe I should give them some in the mornings when I want to just sit and drink my entire cup of coffee