My First Thanksgiving!

The wheels on the van go fast, fast, fast
Fast, fast, fast
Fast, fast, fast
The wheels on the van go fast fast fast
All the way to Grandma's

Philip in the van will drive, drive, drive
Drive, drive, drive
Drive, drive, drive
Philip in the van will drive, drive, drive
All the way to Grandma's

Mommy in the van will read, read, read
Read, read, read
Read, read, read
Mommy in the van will read, read, read
All the way to Grandma's

Daddy in the van will map the route
Map the route
Map the route
Daddy in the van will map the route
with the GPS

Judah and Mommy will play, play, play
Play, play, play
Play, play, play
Judah and Mommy will play, play, play
All the way to Grandma's

Judah in the van will sleep, sleep, sleep
Sleep, sleep, sleep
Sleep, sleep, sleep
Judah in the van will sleep, sleep, sleep
All the way to Grandma's

This is the song (to the tune of "The Wheels on the Bus") we made up in the van on our way to Ohio for Thanksgiving. Judah spent his first Thanksgiving in Ohio seeing Great Grandma Coleman and other relatives. Uncle Philip went with us for the week, helping drive and play. Judah did very well on the two-day 10 hour trip both directions. Both ways we broke up the trip by stopping at the Fairfield Marriott in Bloomington, Illinois.

Swapping vehicles with my folks, we traded our Escape for the full-size van for our traveling nursery. Packed full, we left on Sunday afternoon in time for Judah to take his long nap. Stopping at Steak 'n Shake for dinner allowed Judah to have a break from his car seat after the three hour drive. After getting his wiggles out, we finished the two-hour drive to the hotel for the night. Judah experienced the pool for the first time. Dipping our feet in, he thought it was pretty funny when they came out of the water splashing. Judah also enjoyed jumping in his swing at the hotel, especially being in his seat for five hours.

Getting a late start on Monday morning (since Judah was worn out from the travel), we finally took off only to stop at Wendy's for lunch. Judah took a stroll with me around the parking lot with the stroller while the guys played Frisbee. We arrive at Grandma's that evening after the three hour drive. Great Grandma got to see Judah for the first time and what a proud Grandma she was. She wanted to hold him right away but was surprised at how big Judah was. Eating a light meal BBQ sandwiches, we lounged, visited, and looked at pictures.

We spent Tuesday resting at Grandma's. Grandma treated us to Der Dutchman Restaurant for lunch and then later with wieners and sour kraut with homemade apple crisp at home (my favorite Grandma meal).That evening we took Judah to Tuttle Crossing Mall for a Black Friday preview and a stroll. Each evening we slept in the big bedroom with Judah in his Pack in Play.

Wednesday just like the other mornings, when Judah woke up we would go out and say good morning to Grandma. When she responded, he would always get a great big smile on his face. We introduced Judah to his Great Uncle Bruce while we visited that morning. For lunch we also met my cousins, Michael and Karen, at Bob Evans in Springfield. Judah talked to his cousin William (Will) who was two months younger than him (4 months) becoming fast friends until mommy held William and Judah appeared jealous. After resting for the afternoon (a common theme), we went to the Thanksgiving Eve Service with my Uncle Roger and Aunt Linda. Judah enjoyed the music, dancing around and watching people clap.

As Thursday rolled around, Judah experienced his first Thanksgiving. Grandma had us busy peeling potatoes, making green bean casserole, and carving the 12 pound turkey in the kitchen while she finished the rest of the fixings of a fine homemade meal. Judah spent his morning getting a bath in the big tub for the first time, making him look very small. Uncle Roger and Aunt Linda joined us for the Thanksgiving feast at 1pm, but by that time, Judah had fallen asleep from all the excitement. Finally, Judah woke up to participate in the afternoon visiting by amusing us with his playing. The rest of us topped the day off with leftovers, more homemade apple pie, and Christmas movies.

Judah spent most of Friday morning playing with his bucket of toys while the rest of us read or made Christmas cards. For his six month birthday, Judah really matured on the trip. Sitting by his bucket of toys, Judah liked taking his toys out one by one to explore. By the end of the trip, he would nearly empty the bucket every time and surrounding himself with toys. Judah also started scooting more both frontwards and backwards. We caught him getting up on his hands and knees, rocking back and forth and then land back on his tummy where he would lunge forward or backward reaching out his arms for whatever he was after. Judah often became more silly as he laughed at funny things or carried a conversation with Grandma.

Later on Friday, my cousin Darrin came over to help us finish off the pie and ice cream. We visited all afternoon about the Kreis Family. Then we enjoyed a quiet evening with Grandma as the trip neared the end. Tim hooked up Grandma's flat screen to the computer so that we could watch It's a Wonderful Life.

Finally we took off on Saturday for the trek back to Iowa. We did stop in Springfield again to have lunch with my Aunt Maxine and Uncle Dwayne. Judah managed to be good for the entire trip except the last hour on Saturday. It was a good thing we stopped to overnight in Bloomington, Illinois, again. Judah played with his bucket of toys while we ordered pizza and watched football before nodding off for the night.

Judah and I opened the Continental breakfast at the hotel Sunday morning while we waited for the guys to wake up. Finally, we got on the road only to stop for a break in Williamsburg at the Outlet mall. Maestro was excited to see us when we arrived Sunday afternoon, vying for our attention as soon as we walked in the door. The guys unloaded the van while we put things away getting ready for another week.