Thanksgiving! :)

We were so happy to be able to spend Thanksgiving with Matt's extended family. We all met up in Nebraska, where Matt's brother (Jon) and his wife (Chelsea) live. What gracious hosts Jon and Chelsea were! Needless to say, we all made their house a little chaotic, but they handled it marvelously! It was great being together!

Here's a photo-laden recap of our 3 or so days together ... (Yes, we spent about as much time traveling there as actually being there. Ha! But it was certainly worth it!)

We got up early on Thanksgiving morning to begin the feast. We ladies got the turkey and stuffing together

while the daddies watched the kiddos.

Then, we attended Thanksgiving worship together at Jon and Chelsea's church and got a family photo right afterwards (thanks to Jon, our family coordinated in blue/black clothing)!

Chelsea had thought all of the parts of the meal through very well!We put finishing touches on the meal after we got back from church.  Here, Amy and Kim whip up green bean casserole and Chelsea's family's cranberry salad ... while Mom Schleicher and Chelsea work on mashed potatoes and gravy in the background.

Beth got the table all set.

The guys finished up with the turkey when it came out of the oven.

What a fabulous feast it turned out to be!

We relaxed in the afternoon with some naps and cousin playtime (while sporting new Lions gear from Grandma and Grandpa. Our boys were happy to support Uncle Jason's team! :))!

It was especially fun watching the interactions between the three littlest cousins during playtime.

We all loved getting open-mouthed kisses from Jaden. Sooo sweet!

Then, we celebrated an early Christmas by opening presents. Ryan still needed a little help opening gifts, ...

... but Ian certainly knew just what to do! :)

We were really excited to give Jaden and Cody some puppy dogs, since each of our boys has a special attachment to their stuffed doggies.

Ian was super excited to begin building the Lego vehicles that Uncle Jon and Aunt Chelsea gave him. Uncle Jon was a very patient teacher, and Ian worked diligently for a LONG time to follow Uncle Jon's directions. It was so fun to watch them work together!

They got a little help from Daddy and Grandpa, too.

Ian was SO proud to show everyone his completed vehicle!

Of course, we adults spent some time playing games before heading to bed for the night! Some of us played Ticket to Ride,

while others played Cribbage.

On Friday, the guys let all of us ladies go out to get our nails done. We sisters got pedicures,

while Mom Schleicher got a manicure.

This guy (who owned the place) was hilarious! He cracked us all up!

Since this was the cheapest pedicure most of us had ever seen, we all splurged (ha!) and spent $2 on nail art!

What a fun, relaxing afternoon together!

On Saturday morning, many of us headed down to the playground in Jon & Chelsea's neighborhood. It was chilly but just perfect for our boys!

We were amazed at how Jaden and Cody could go up and down the slides almost completely on their own. What athletic, coordinated little guys!

Aunt Amy was such a good sport! She walked along the lines Ian created ...

... and then even let her feet be buried! Ian thought this was SO much fun!

Grandpa and Ace came along, too!

 Most of the rest our time in  Nebraska was spent just "hanging out" -- playing, talking, laughing, enjoying being together! Our boys got so much love and attention from their grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins!

Grandma designed a special, creative dog game just for Ian that she brought from home.

Grandpa was happy to play, too!

Ian got help from Grandpa, Uncle Jon, and Uncle Jason with building more Lego vehicles.

Uncle Andy remembered how much Ian loves hot chocolate, and he brought some from home just for Ian!

Ian loved roughhousing and tickling with Uncle Andy.

Uncle Andy also patiently helped Ian to build a special rocket from oversized Tinkertoys that he and Beth gave Ian for Christmas.

After singing us a new song he had written for his church's school , Uncle Jason let Ian help him strum ... while singing a silly, made-up-on-the-spot song about Ian! :)

Uncle Jon let Ian "help" take Ace for a walk a few times. (Ace was such a tolerant dog ... he had many not-so-gentle touches but was always loving toward the kids. Maybe it helped that they left lots of crumbs beneath their chairs at mealtimes. Ha!)

Aunt Chelsea made Ian's day by playing trains with him.

Ryan was excited to "dance" with Uncle Jon,

and Aunt Beth always thought of fun activities and "games" for Ryan!

Ryan was fascinated with Ace and even attempted to throw the tennis ball to have Ace "fetch" it. Again, Ace had to be pretty patient. :)

Aunt Chelsea always had a knack for seeing just where she was needed and playing,playing, playing!

During our time in Nebraska, our boys were blessed to hear many stories ...

and to give and receive lots of hugs & kisses.

It was also fun for our family of four to get in some cousin/nephew time. Here, the boys point out random objects out the window (like pick-up trucks, mailboxes, and cars).

Ian loved tickling his little cousins.

Uncle Matt and Aunt Kim treasured our playtime with our sweet nephews. We love them so much!

Aunt Kim liked making "Jaden rolls," "Cody rolls," and "Ryan rolls,"

but it was most fun when all three boys could be tickled at the same time!

A bunch of cousins/aunts & uncles gathered to hear Ian talk about his "preschool binder" (things he has made or completed in preschool this year).

Overall, we had a hands-down AWESOME time together. Thanks, Jon & Chelsea! We love you, Schleicher family! :)