A Visit from Mema and Poppie

We had some special visitors with us for the Thanksgiving holiday...and they came up all the way from Florida!

My in-laws visited this past week and we all had a good time with them- especially our kids. We skype with them about once a week, so when they come for a visit, it's always a really nice treat, even if  our kids do get little hyper around them when they are here. As you can see from the picture below, our youngest really wanted to show them a good time by dancing on the fireplace in his diaper. He, as well as his older sisters, can really put on a show for people!

Our son enjoyed sharing giving things to Mema, only to demand he get them right back. ;) But she didn't mind one bit. It was good that we could all just spend quality time together like that.

The girls got some Christmas window stickers from them that they put up right away. 

And I think the little guy wanted to put some up as well, but we didn't let him have any because like any 15 month old, he would've tried to eat them. That stage seems to last a while, doesn't it?

We all took the kids to Bass Pro Shops where they had lots of fun activities to do. We even did something I never thought I would do- and that was take a picture with Santa. Now, I will say that our girls do know he isn't real. We made the decision early on to tell them the truth about that- especially after hearing this article by John Piper about it.
I particularly love this quote from his sermon about it: 
 
"If being Jesus-focused is a killjoy for your Christmas, you don’t know him well." 

And we do want our kids to know why Jesus has come into the world and that he is the one we should celebrate!

We were also surprised at how many activities there were for the kids at Bass Pro Shops. These activities last through December, I believe...just an f.y.i. for anyone looking for something different to do.
Some of these activities included a ball pit with digger, a camping section to explore with tents (which was quite the hit for our girls), an indoor carousel with animals that fit the outdoor theme, archery, and more.

And of course, our oldest spent quite a bit of time coloring and writing- what she seemed to love most about being there. She was definitely in her element at that craft table!

Since the weather was gorgeous, we spent a good amount of time outside in our yard and even took the kids to a nearby playground.

Our son loves to be pushed around on his bike (something that was given to us by some neighbors)...and so capturing this moment where Poppie was pushing him around was pretty sweet.

And we always try to get a group photo at the end of every visit.  :)

I think my husband and I can both say that we are very thankful for family, the time they spend with us, and for loving on our kids. Because of that, it was a wonderful Thanksgiving and one we are very thankful for!