A Theme?

After going through the pictures from our trip,

 I found it kind of comical as to which child always 

seemed to end up on the lap for a picture. 

He might not be on his cousins lap,

but he sure could not get any closer

(and bless this cousins heart, he was so kind to him)

He is our snuggle bug!

I don't think any one above minded

him being in their laps.

Love this guy so much!

9 Hour Trip Home

Kids were getting a little restless in the vehicle,

although they honestly did a wonderful job.

We made one last stop to visit another

great Grandma (and Grandpa) on the way home.

Nathan's grandparents live about 1.5 hours from

our home and were right on our drive home.

Climbing the wall is always a highlight.

Playing with Grandma's toys

And playing cards.

It is so neat that both my grandparents and

Nathan's grandparents are card players.

These two loved playing with the cats

and dog

It was a nice visit and although it was too short, being

that we needed to get on our way and home, we really enjoyed

our time.

Basketball Game

As it turned out, my dad, who we had 

come to visit the week before, was in Michigan

the same weekend we visited. 

So he stayed with his mom and came down

to my brother's on Saturday with Grandma.

So, kids got to see their Grandpa two 

weekends in a row, which is very rare.

We went to Cousin's basketball game.

Cousin had 2 games, with an hour between.

I had cards in my purse, so we took advantage

and played.  Not that it matters, but Aunt D and I 

made a huge come back and won : )

Nice picture of 7 grandchildren with Great Grandma

and Grandpa below

So Much Fun with Cousins

We visited Great Grandma's during the day

and spent time with cousins in the evening and on 

Saturday before we had to travel back to Michigan.

Aunt D brought out this fire truck.

We often saw him carrying this around.

He wanted to bring it home and hold it on

his lap for the 10 hour car ride.  

These two enjoyed playing basketball 

and of course video games together.

These two were inseparable.

These two and the girls built forts in the basement.

So Much FUN!

early morning

breakfast together

And lots and lots of playing

Picture with Aunt and Uncle.

Excavator Man was not so happy.

But in his defense, it was bedtime and he

had missed several days of nap.

So we let him leave the picture and 

got a nice one below

Our kids were so sad to leave.  They

had so much fun!  It is such a blessing that 

even though we live miles apart and don't

see one another often enough - when they get

together they jump right in

and have a blast together.

Great Grandma

The next morning, we went to visit my other Grandma.

And once again, we love to play cards!  

It is so special to me to get to watch our children

play cards with their grandparents - just like

I did (still do) when I was younger.

Excavator Man loves playing the matching game.

He kept telling his Great Grandma "I beat my daddy 2 times!"

He was quite proud of this victory.

We brought along a few toys, one of which was these

magnetic tiles.  And true to this lady's love, she was

building things to show her Great Grandma.

And true to these two loves - they

enjoyed coloring pictures for their Great Grandma

More cards

Our to lunch

and more cards

A good bye picture

I told them they could do one silly picture

after they did a nice one.

And here is the silly one

Love my Great Grandma so much.  I have

so many memories with her and my Great Grandpa.  

They used to take us on trips and my Grandpa 

would always find ice cream shops along the way for

us to stop at.  They both love(d) ice cream just

like I do.  

I am so blessed to have such wonderful grandparents!!

Next Stop - TV STATION

While we were in Michigan,

we stayed at my brother's home, which is about

an hour from both Great Grandma's.

So after leaving Great Grandma Frieda, 

we stopped by the TV Station where my brother

works and got a tour.

The kids enjoyed pretending to the news anchors

However, once this boy saw his face was on the screen, 

the face below was quick to come out.

Quick Trip to Michigan

We took a quick trip to Michigan to visit

some very special Great Grandma's! 

First stop - Great Grandma Frieda!

It was so fun to get to play games with her and

our children got to play with her. 

The same games I used to play with her 

when I was young

Trying on Great Grandma's

Happy New Year hat.

Lots of card playing

Love this Grandma so much!

When I was younger her and I enjoyed the song,

"Don't Worry Be Happy!"  It was our saying to

one another and whenever I wrote her letters,

I would always end with 

"Don't Worry, Be Happy!"