Thanksgiving in Michigan...Part 1

I think LD and I both agree this is one of the best trips we have ever taken to Michigan.  It was just great all around!!  We headed out the Friday before Thanksgiving ready for our big adventure.  I have to admit I have gotten pretty good at packing us and packing our van to have everything we need for the trip.  The girls handled the 12 hour drive with ease and were great!  We arrived early evening in Reading at LD's parents house and set up shop for the first half our trip.

We got to spend a lot of our time in Reading with our sweet great nephew Tyce.  He will not be one until December, but he is bigger than Elle as you can tell and all over the place.  They had so much fun together and it was incredibly sweet to watch them play.

On Saturday evening LD's sister, Lei and her husband Greg treated us all to dinner.  There was a big group of us with lots of kiddos at a nice place, but everyone did great.

That night was our neice Kara and nephew Evan's semi formal dance at school.  So we got to see them at the restaurant all dressed up and ready to head to the dance.

Then we had a big treat and got to visit Greg and Lei's house and their farm (Gunthorp Farms). Their farm has turkeys, ducks and pigs and has grown a TON in the last few years. This year they butchered 4,800 turkeys!!! LD was incredibly into wanting to see all the insides of where they butcher and things and the girls and I had no interest in that..haha.  Their fam is all free range, organic and they sell to a lot of high end restaurants in Chicago and Detroit.  LD and I are both so proud and in awe in all they have accomplished! It was so fun to be able to be there.

But, our big highlight were these incredibly cute and sweet blue heelers.  There were 8 of them and they were so fun.  They all run around the farm like pros and hop in with the pigs and the turkeys.

Here are the many many turkeys.

And this is where the chicks live.  It was in this little building and Lei told us not to go in because it was so smelly, but LD insisted and I wanted to see too.  We got Clare in there and after one gag she announced she could not stay.  We are definetely city girls who were on an adventure.

Here's LD and Clare with a few of the pups

Then on Sunday we went to the church where LD grew up and also where LD's mom and grandma both go.  It was fun to be able to be in church with them.

And after church we had our first Christmas of the season!!

Clare got a Noah's ark and this is where she sat for the next two days.  Seriously!  She loves her Noah's ark and has spent a lot of time with those animals!

Another picture of such sweet and cute cousins!!  Love them.  Elle doesn't realize how blessed she is to have a cousin so close in age.  I have no doubt it will be a highlight to see Tyce every year when we go to Michigan as she gets older.

At the Jacksons the girls share a bedroom.  I have to admit, I was incredibly nervous about how this would work since they have never shared before.  You can see at the bottom of the picture Clare's big girl bed is right up against the crib.  The first night was rough because Elle kept touching Clare's hair through the bars.  But by the last morning I woke up to sweet giggles and walked in to find Clare, her blanket, and her pillow all in bed with Elle.  It was so sweet to see them playing in bed together.  And also some encouragement that they will be able to share a room down the road.

More to come......