Adventures in Thanksgiving

Here's hoping that everyone had a happy, healthy (relatively speaking of course) and wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. The Volkers Clan loaded up and went to Columbus Ohio for the holiday, and yes, we wore of U of M gear. So there crazy Buckeye fans!It seems like there are so many challenges that so many people face right now, to find things to be thankful for. Too many people are jobless, homeless, hurt and unhealthy. The world seems scary right now, but underneath it, there is hope. We realize how fortunate we are to have a home, to have jobs, to have family and friends to share the holiday season with. I believe that the prospect of healing, of better times, of a better world is a good reason to have an especially joyous holiday. It does not take a ton of money or a ton of energy to do something nice for someone. Not just because of the time of year, but because we need to be nicer as a people, as a world.

It's my blog and therefore my soapbox. I'm done now :~)

There are tons of pictures to share, and I selected a few...and accidentally erased some really good ones, but, if you're interested in seeing all the fun, feel free to check out my Facebook page, there are TONS there. (Aren't I sooo social network savvy?)

Awww...I hate this picture, but then I hate most of them that I am in. We had a great day on Thanksgiving. Honey and Grandpa Kelly dished up a load of delicious food, including the fabulous homemade cheesecake for dessert (and pumpkin pie and apple pie and mmmmm)

Joe and Em were there, along with Noah and Levi. The kids played, had a blast, though as you can tell by the picture below, Levi was not always thrilled with having his picture taken!

And it appears he wasn't always thrilled with Max either. For some reason, the kids thought it was hilarious to lock each other in the dog cage. Poor Eddie couldn't escape kids even in his own space! Now I'm considering it for disciplinary purposes. They can breathe while they're in there...bowl of water...I just got an hour to myself. Love it!

Avery gave us a series of hysterical moments. I'm sure all are shocked by this news. She was more than willing to tell anyone and everyone exactly what she wanted for herself, for them and apparently the universe. She's a strong-willed little girl and I am more than thankful for that!

We waited patiently, and not so patiently for the best turkey ever. Perfectly juicy, perfectly delicious. Too bad the stuffing had mushrooms in it....I heard that was awesome as always too!

We stayed in a hotel very near Honey and Grandpa's house, a hotel with a pool. Avery was thrilled with "our new home". She does not discriminate when it comes to pools, any one will do, and she still has not developed fear of any sort. Avery and Max had a blast each and every time we went swimming! (And so did me and Kurt...but don't tell anyone, then Kurt might lose his curmudgeon status).
And then because swimming alone is not enough, we went to COSI, a children's science and industry museum that is without doubt one of the coolest places ever! Noah and Honey tried their hand at the hoola hoop. We saw a live show where Max was called up to help light up some christmas lights by pedaling. Imagine that, Max did not hesitate for one second to be the center of attention. He had no fear of being in front of the audience at all and I am more than thankful for that. The best part was the red "rudolph" nose on the helmet and the sound it made when it started to light up. That distinctive sound from "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" cracked me up. There were lights, explosions, and more during this live show...and....it was all educational.

At the corner of Hope and Fear Streets, Avery pulls me toward Hope. All credit for that picture goes to Honey.

Boys will be boys and play with engines.

Something tells me that Max could totally have a future in a career like this. He very much enjoyed looking at himself in the "monitor"
And at the end of the night, all were happy and tired and ready for good sleeps.
The next day was as warm and beautiful as the previous 2. The guys took the kids to the park while Honey took the "girls" to the Eddie Bauer Outlet/Wharehouse. A beautiful experience for all parties.

After a couple more swims, a viewing of "Space Chimps", tons of coffee and more than a few drinks, it was time to say goodbye to Honey and Grandpa and our "new home" and head home. Home into the freezing rain we hit outside Ann Arbor, the stop and go traffic, the snow, the many vehicles off the road, the broken windsheild wipers and the 3 hours worth of delays. After 8 hours in the car, even Avery didn't care that our "old house" doesn't have an indoor pool. What a great time we had for what was probably the last Columbus field trip for the whole gang. Watch out Chicago.....we're coming!!!!