We loaded up the car for the long drive home to Kansas City for Thanksgiving. I have a picture of William asleep in the back seat tucked in between boxes of Christmas wreaths and computer bags, but I won't do him the disservice of posting it. I will just say that teenager + hoodie + headphone over hoodie might be one of the funniest looks ever. Even before a phone and headphones we wouldn't hear a peep out of him....now there is no chance we will hear anything from that kid when we travel!
John's sister, Amy, was gracious enough to host all of the siblings and their spouses and kids on Thanksgiving Day for a meal. And everyone was gracious to let me pick Joe's Kansas City BBQ as the meal. Apparently everyone else actually likes traditional Thanksgiving food though, so we ended up having both! Sorry for all the work Amy! Our contribution was a giant box of assorted chocolates from Paris. You know...the traditional Thanksgiving dessert!
The kids are all growing up! This year there are three 8th graders, one 9th grader and two adults with jobs! Time flies!
We also got to celebrate Addie's 10th birthday. I got to deliver some Disney Magic with Grogu earrings for her newly pierced ears. We also enjoyed spending time with Willie the Westie, whom we likely won't get to see again. We don't know Willie as well as his predecessor, Casper, since he has only been around post-our-move, but of course he's family and we were happy to get some snuggles while we were staying there for the long weekend.
While John and I stayed with Koudeles, William stayed with Jake at Grandpa and Grandma's house. We picked him up on Friday afternoon for some outdoor time. We went to the Overland Park Arboretum and found not only a beautiful day, but an entire trail of fairy houses!
Afterwards we drove to a brewery in Belton, MO for some refreshments. The snack selection wasn't amazing, so the kids and I wanted something else. Belton is a tiny town and the brewery was on the main drag (I don't recall if it was actually called Main Street). There was a bakery next door, but it was closed. We wandered down to the end of the street where we found a sticky diner that had an ice cream counter and ordered shakes and cones. Another excellent save!
Saturday was John's birthday, so we celebrated with a fun dinner out! And then Sunday we drove home. All day. And then we began the craziness that was known as December!
