home again home again jiggity jig

YAY!!!! AFTER A WHOLE YEAR WE MADE IT BACK AS A FAMILY HOME TO MICHIGAN AND WISCONSIN!

Well here's how this trip started out... PANIC AND OVER PACKING! All of our trips start out with over packing but not usually panic. The panic, of course, due to the magnitude of the trip that we were about to go on with a baby and a dog for 11 days in a car! We thought of all of our options for making it home... drive a night, leave really early, just wing it... the choices were tough but after some advice from co workers and thinking it through we decided that we would leave on thursday the 17th and drive through the night. We got on the road at about 6 o'clock after we had dinner and finished packing. THE DRIVE WAS GREAT!!!! we had 653 miles to drive. Brad drove for the first 6 hours and I drove the second 6 hours. we stopped only two times at rest areas along the toll road and Bennett did just amazing. When we stopped the second time it was about 2:30am and he was really wide awake... we were a little concerned that he wasn't going to want to go back to sleep but alas he did and didn't wake up until we were about 30 min from home. We got to my dads house at about 6am. We saw NO DEER (amen) and no car accidents or anything, God richly blessed us with a safe drive to and from home!

Once we got to dads Brad and I were both exhausted (we had been up since 5 am on thrusday) I was able to catch some Z's while brad was driving but Brad doesn't sleep well in the car so he was even more tired than I. But alas Tristin and dad were just waking up when we got there so they took baby B and we got to go to sleep! didn't get up for the day until noon! what a great start to vacation!!! 

We were at my moms and Dads from friday morning until tuesday afternoon when we headed to chicago. Here are some pictures from Mom and Dad's :)

Grandma and Bennett!

Brother Drake!  11 years old :)

Bennett playing with uncle Drake

We spent friday at dad's house and then on Saturday we went to moms to visit with them because they all had to be back to work and school on monday. It was so wonderful to be home with no schedule just visiting with family. I really missed seeing Drake and he was so happy to see us. We spent some great time together, he is just growing up so fast!!

Here are some pictures from monday when we spent all day at Dad's house.

always a motorcycle at grandpas house

Bennett loved the horn!

Love you babe! We'll get out of the city life soon!

Checking out the log cabin
grandpa and Tris are building

"hello, hello... i can't talk now i'm doing the dishes"

<3 this picture!

Driving though the pine trees

We also made it to chicago to see Momma Liz and Anna on Tuesday evening. We had merry Christmas time and Bennett got some new toys and books! Brad and I got pots and pans (which i promptly have burned numerous things in already...)

Wednesday morning we made it to green bay to see grandma Karla and great grandma and grandpa smith came down from the yoop to see us and have thanksgiving as well. We had a great time at Papa Dave and Mom's new house. They have a great backyard that Lulu got to play in! The Christmas tree was up and decorated all lovely. Bennett was enamored with all the lights and bulbs on the tree but he was such a good boy and only one time (in the three days that we were there) did he touch the tree. He would look at it every time that he walked by it, sometimes stop and think about touching it but decided that he would keep going, so that was nice. Thursday was turkey day mom made it look so easy to make a complete thanksgiving dinner, I'm not even sure I saw her break a sweat! and Papa Dave is the best at doing dishes! though by day two he mentioned to every one where the paper plates were located and to go ahead and use them ;) haha.

Karla and I decided that we would go black friday shopping!!! HOLY CRAZY!!! We were up until 2:30 am (shopping started at midnight and we got some great deals!!! Bennett got a University of Michigan fleece blanket and Brad got a Green Bay Packers one. SO COMFY! 

Being home was just so wonderful. I can't say enough how nice it was to see our family again and how much we miss not being able to see them more (notice I didn't say every day ;) hehehe) but... GRANDPARENTS CAN NOT BE TRUSTED TO PROPERLY RAISE THEIR GRAND KIDS!!!!! They were all up to no good and were letting Bennett get into all kinds of trouble!!! Here is just a few of the most memorable moments that verified they can't be trusted:

(all grandparents identity will be kept secret)

1. Grandparent A wanted to wake Bennett up from his nap to they cold play with him! seriously! you never wake a sleeping baby!!!

2. Grandparent B though it would be a good idea to put root beer in Bennetts sippy cup! UMMMM NO! Who's going to stay up and watch him when he's still awake a three a.m.?!?! NOT ME :)

3. Grandparent C decided to let the baby loose on the dinner table in the middle of dinner to 'see what he will do' WELL OBVIOUSLY HE'S GOING TO KNOCK A GLASS OF MILK OVER!!!, Grandparent C also buried the baby in a sand pit on a chilly winter day to see if he could dig himself out (just his legs, not up to his neck at least... oh my goodness...)

So maybe one day I'll know what it's like to be a grandparent and let my grand kids do whatever they want BUT NOT TODAY! haha, we love our crazy family :)