Juliana and Olivia's First Thanksgiving

For Thanksgiving this year, we decided to go to Uncle Doug's and Aunt Anika's home in Catalua, GA. The trip for us would be a total of 6 1/2 hours one way. We started off at about 3:00PM on Tuesday and arrived at our location at 11:30PM. We ended up stopping for a bit to visit with a friend and pick up an item we left at their home the last time we visited. We arriving at J+O's uncle's home (Mike's brother), the girls were wide awake. We ended up staying up letting them play for about another hour.

The next morning, Wednesday, we spent the day relaxing and getting settled. Mama went for a 4 mile run without the girls while daddy entertained them for awhile. When the evening came around, Juliana and Olivia's cousins, McMillen (10) and McKinnon (8), spent the time holding the girls and feeding them. The rest of the family arrived shortly after putting the girls to bed. Oma and Opa, Uncle Dave and Aunt Marlene and Elliott. There was quite a houseful and a lot of noise. Mike and I were really surprised on how good our girls were. We knew they could sleep through noise, but it was definitely proven on this trip. We were very proud of them.

 

McKinnon with Olivia

 

McMillen with Juliana

 

Cousin Elliott

On Thanksgiving day, Aunt Nik and Mama ran 2 miles in the morning. It was so nice to get out in the fresh air and prepare for the day ahead of us. Lots of food! The girls were spread out on a blanket with a toy. They actually did really well with sitting up. We have been trying to practice this for several weeks, but the girls would refuse to sit up. They wanted to lay down. Not on Thanksgiving! They wanted to sit. That is a huge step for our little ones. As the girls played on the floor, Uncle Doug was giving motorcycle rides to Oma, Uncle Dave, and the boys. When Uncle Dave got back from his ride, he tossed a football around with Daddy and cousin McMillen. Oh what fun everyone had!

 

Olivia

 

Uncle Doug with Cousin Kinnon

Uncle Doug and Oma

When Friday came around everyone had their fill of excitement and it was time to wind down. Some went shopping, others stayed behind doing homework, kitchen work, or taking a nap. That evening the family gathered in the living room to practice for the church service that we were putting on. This is when it became rough for Juliana and Olivia. They wanted to stay up but they were so tired. They were completely off schedule and were crying. We felt so bad for them, but eventually they gave up and let us put them to bed.

Saturday was nice, we went to Sabbath School, which consisted of mostly the Colburn kids. Juliana, Olivia, and Elliott (2). We had a fun time singing songs, but it wasn't long before the girls were taking a cat nap. After performing the church service, we went back to Doug and Anika's for lunch. The girls went down right away and slept for 2 1/2 hours. I think they were really tired and needed the sleep. That evening, we celebrated Christmas. Juliana and Olivia had to go first since we were putting them to bed right away. They received so many precious gifts. They were very excited to receive their very own cell phones. No, not real ones, but the toy kind. Juliana and Olivia have been playing with them for about 3 days straight. They love that they can be like Mama and talk on the phone.

 Olivia in Sabbath School

 Juliana in Sabbath School

Mama and Olivia

 Olivia

 Olivia and Juliana

Great things come in small packages!

Sunday came in a flash and it was time to go home. We ended up getting home around 8:30PM. We changed the girls into their PJs and fed them a bottle. They went to sleep really fast and slept really well. Overall, it was a really good trip and the girls did an excellent job traveling. Our next big trip is to Michigan for Christmas. It will take us 10 1/2 hours. This will be interesting, but the girls look forward to meeting their Grandpa and Grandma for the first time. It will be fun.