Great start to 2014!

1,620 miles later, we are home from another incredible road trip. Our trusty Camry got us to Indiana and northern Michigan and back home. We spent five days with my dad, stepmom, brother and my brother's sweet girlfriend in Indiana. We all had such a fun and relaxing time! We took tons of naps (uhmm, every day) and we played in the snow a lot. Our first day involved a Christmas celebration that the boys adored.

Isn't Uncle Joel so cool.

Joel and Bree are the perfect gift givers. Sammy loved his pirate telescope and Elijah LOVED his Lego RV.

Something I did not capture any pictures of was our trip to a state park to go tobogganing! Oh my goodness, what an adventure! The toboggan track was 70 years old and went 30-40 miles per hour. I knew Sammy wouldn't dig it, so he sat in the chalet with Grammie at first and then Gramps. Our first trip down the icy tracks involved me in the front, GRAMPS in the middle (so proud of him for doing this!) and Dan in the rear. We got our speed up to 31 mph! Wooo! Elijah even willingly went down himself three times! Once with Uncle Joel/Bree, once with Grammie and Bree and the last time with Dan and me. I was so proud of him! I could definitely see his anxiety building up before each "race," but once we were moving he had a blast!

We had tons of snuggle time on the couch in the house we rented in Indiana, which will be perhaps my favorite memory of the trip.

Dan started a fire a couple days in a row. It was COLD, so we needed warming...but we also wanted to be outside, enjoying the fresh air and newly fallen snow.

Our lucky boys got to make and eat s'mores by the frozen lake!

Some silly Elijah faces..

Does anyone see Dan? I think he went inside. Oh wait..

I LOVE this photo of the boys with their Grammie and Gramps.

More snuggle time.

Another photo I love! Elijah and Gramps!

Bree and I made an awesome snowman in the freezing cold. Sammy named him "Sammy."

Fun times inside.

Story time with Gramps.

We sadly departed our rented Indiana home and said good-bye to Joel and Bree. I miss them! We drove up to northern Michigan to attend my niece Emily's wedding. We stayed right on Lake Michigan. It was beautiful!

The boys were ring bearers in the wedding. They did great and they looked even better. Look at these handsome boys!

We are back home and adjusting to the normal routine. Kind of. Tomorrow is our school-has-been-canceled-because-of-the-cold-temps day and Tuesday Elijah is having surgery on his ear. We are dreading it, but it is necessary. Thanks for checking in! Wishing you all the best!