Thanksgiving 2011

For Thanksgiving this year, we traveled to Washington state to visit my in-laws. It was an important trip for us to make since some of Jaime's family had never even met Maddie, let alone Brooklyn. So on Monday, we headed to Dallas and stayed at the Embassy Suites. We would be able to leave our car there for the week and take a free shuttle over to the airport the next morning so it was the perfect hotel for us. That night, we braved a torential downpour and went to the Rainforest cafe! It is such a fun atmosphere and I had not been there since after my wedding, almost 5 years ago! At first, Maddie thought it was "too loud" but then loved it!

The next morning, we got up extremely early and headed to the airport. It took a little more patience and a little extra time lugging all our stuff around (luggage, carry ons, kids, car seats, etc...) but luckily the process of getting through security and making it to our gate was relatively smooth! Now it was just time to wait on our flight. We ate breakfast, then I took Maddie to the restroom and made sure Brooklyn had a fresh diaper on. We finally boarded the plane. Now one thing you must know, is I absolutely HATE to fly. I don't enjoy it at all and usually feel bad due to me being so nervous. I was even more nervous this time since I would be traveling with my little girls. But as always, they did great! I nursed Brooklyn on take-off to help with her ears and she fell asleep instantly. Maddie also took a nap. Once the girls woke up, Maddie colored and Brooklyn played and talked. Luckily, we were surrounded by great people and a wonderful flight attendant. Jaime and I were very pleased! After about 4 hours, we landed in Seattle!!!

After landing, we rented a car and drove to Sumas (a town right on the Canadian border) where Jaime's sister and other family members live. We headed straight to his grandmother's house and met some family, while we waited on the rest of them to get off work. We stayed for several hours, then headed to a mountain lodge where we would be staying for the week. We were all exhausted, and even though Washington is 2 hours behind us, we still tried to get to bed at what would have been a "regular" time for us since we had been traveling all day.

Meeting our nephew for the first time!

We spent the next several days, cramming in as much family time as possible from both sides of the family. Jaime was able to get 2 different generation pictures in (his mom and dad's side) amongst many other pictures. We played games, took Maddie to see some horses (which she fed an apple to) and enjoyed each other's company. On Friday, we drove back to Seattle and stayed at a hotel across the street from the airport. We flew out Saturday morning and after a very bumpy flight, landed safely in Texas sometime Saturday afternoon. We had a great time, got some great pictures, and are now enjoying being home! Next up: Christmas!!!