This is the view just mere meters from their house
Buddies already
This trampoline got some fabulous foot time
2 hours later, Shane got the 'bug bite'. It laid him up for about 6 hours so right before bed he was himself again. Showered and Shane.
Onto turkey day!! Started with a wyland orchestrated neighborhood 5k that culminated with a field side rocket launch. - notice, no direction reading.
Ready Shane?
Safety officer Robbie
Tentative Nick
We echoed fire many times but finally found the safety key =)
Drew was thrilled
The Rocket launched really high and sent us all running an additional 500 meters!
the weather that afternoon was AMAZING - perfect for a little front yard football, porch sitting, fort construction, and food making. A fabulous bird hit the oven at 11.
Right before the big dinner Shane was telling dad how tired he was...
He wasn't kidding
We all sat down at 5 for a fabulous family dinner well orchestrated by Shannon...
Almost all of us, Shane and Nick needed a bit of a nap, Shane recovering from the previous day and nick.... Well we were still concerned about nick.... That night the adults stayed up and tackled a fabulous round of scattergories!!
11:30 that night he came into our room and validated that concern. He got sick only once (but a mess non the less, darn toilet seat cover). Chris won the award for best clean up and nick slept by my side that night in case. Another toilet close by was currently occupied but drew and his play and play and his desire to achieve man cave status...... but I digress
Friday morning and we were hoping it was all over. The ladies took a quick jaunt to the closest store in hopes of soaking in all the Black Friday hype. Lowes didn't quite deliver in the hype department, but fun non the less. The boys ran to a quick hair cut.
The entire crew loaded up for a chilly afternoon at the beach.
Drew enjoyed the beach mommy style by staying the the papypus for a long stroll with Chris, grandma and grandpa down the the pier.
Nick wins the award for having the most fun imaginable.
Shannon was prepared with tons of shovels and fabulous beach toys
Shane took his much needed nap (doesn't that almost look heavenly - can you just hear the ocean?)
Going to the beach in November when you are used to scroching it out in August means you can be a bit unprepared. Wyland obviously forgot his fleece and his son's just wasn't quite cutting it
Barbara has spent so many child hood days at the beach that i could tell she was enjoying reliving it with the grand kids after her walk to the pier
The perfect relaxation
Nick ended his beach tour with several cartwheels in the sand and much resistance to putting his clothes back on.
We all headed back home to regroup for some bowling. I begged to stay home with a napping Robbie but than debated my decision. Within 20 minutes of my quite house enjoyment, Wyland and Shannon walked in. Wyland was victim #4, five minutes later, Robbie was victim #5. Shannon was tackling both munchkins in separate rooms and I helped out a bit. The rest of the family tentatively came home for a small dinner and a final night 'together'.
Saturday morning with the washing machine running it was time to pack up and head home. The Leadbetters popped over for a quick goodbye and we packed up our car full in hopes of hearing the Michigan game as entertainment. A bit of traffic and a stop for lunch and we were home. We are all wearing Michigan gear in this photo. The photographer was not - I can only pack for so many right?
A huge THANK YOU to Wyland and Shannon for pulling off a fabulous Family Thanksgiving. A mist the leadbetter bug, you managed to keep us all busy, fed (relatively for some) and loving life at your home. We are so lucky to have you driving distance and are crossing our fingers that it only gets closer. Barbara and Wyland, we are so lucky to have you both such an active part of our lives as well. It was truly wonderful to be with family for thanksgiving - bugs and all!
