Catching Up.... A Moehman, Minnesota Thanksgiving...

I know, I know. It is almost Christmas and I am just now posting things from Thanksgiving, but DEAL WITH IT! =) hehe. Life with a 7 month old is busy! But Ill get to her more in the next post or so... I am trying to catch up on blogging tonight. but we will see how I do inbetween Christmas cards, a 7 month old, a husband, and one tired mama =) But I do have Christmas music and lights to help me along.

Alright... So Thanksgiving. Well, lets just say we had a fantastic time! I literally have been dreaming of this trip since Mark and I got married almost 4 years ago! I have always wanted to introduce him to my family and also show him a special place, the hometown where my mom grew up. I have so many wonderful memories here and I couldnt wait to show him! But a bonus to that, was I also got to show Hatley this special place and show her off at the same time...

I tried to choose just a few of my favorite pictures, but as always a few turned into a lot, so enjoy the pics! And the captions will explain our amazing Thanksgiving Vacation! 

We started off on our trip driving from the Twin Cities to Menomonie, WI. My cousin and her family live here and it was a great overnighter... look at their amazing back yard! After our night stay in WI filled with cinnamon rolls and coloring with the kiddos we drove another 4 hours to Park Rapids, MN. Home of the Moehlmans, my mom used to be called Judy Kay Moehlman!

Hatley and her second cousins in WI; Javin, Thalia, and Kieren! My cousins kiddos!

My Aunt Joanie and Uncle Jon rented a few hotel rooms for their family so we werent all so crowded at my Aunt Janies home. The Hotel had a pool and we were able to enjoy it too! Hatley has definitly kept her love for water all the way from Saipan!

Park Rapids, MN. A view out my Aunt Janies Window... Breathtaking!

For Thanksgiving dinner there were going to be 18 of us, just missing 5! So my Aunt had a table built and we had Thanksgiving dinner our in my Uncles Shop! It was so much fun!

Nana (my mom) bought Hatley some special PJ's just for her Minnesota trip... isnt she adorable in red! Why are these PJ's so special? Wait for the next picture in her PJ's and you'll see why!

My Uncle Mel. Uncle Mel and I have always been pretty close, so it was very special for me to see Hatley playing with her great uncle!

Already playing piano with her Nana, When I was little and we were visiting MN. I once asked my Aunt if I could play the Plianimal... also known as the piano...

Many hours of our vacation were spent around the dinning room table drinking Hot Cocoa, eating pie after pie, and playing games.... Javin and Thalia shure fell in love with their cousin Mark... I think he liked them too =)

My cousins dog, Girl. Isnt she beautiful!

When my mom was a little girl, my grandfather began purchasing land just north of town... On this land he built a cabin where my mom grew up most of her elementary school years. As time went on grandpa eventually bought all the land surrounding Rose Lake... so the public lake, became private =) When they sold the land and cabin, they sold it to a family that my family became very close too. Lucky for us. To this day we still have a key and are allowed to go back there and enjoy this beautiful place. It is such a special place too... Lots of memories for my mom and her sisters, but also a place that brings my mom childhood and my grandparents alive for me... I was so excited to show Mark this land! Not farming land, but beautiful wooded land with a beautiful lake.

The Cabin...

We got there right at Sunset. and the lake was completely iced over. Mom used to tell me stories and grandpa ice fishing and her and the girls ice skating... what a wonderful place to grow up!

This is my moms tree. As a little girl, she used to sit on the L shaped trunk and read for hours!

Dad, Mom, Me, and Mark in front of moms tree, and Rose Lake.

The Moehlman sisters. =) I am so proud to be part of this family!

Okay, here is Hatley and her red PJ's again... can you see why they are so special? Nana found them for her at Cabellas and the brand name of the PJ's was HATLEY! and it was even embroidered into the neck! So cute!

Hatley got lots of love from her Great Aunties, Uncles and Cousins!

Playing games with Cousin Tracie and Aunt Joanie!

Cousins! My cousin Jay with his wife Jen! So good to finally meet Jen. They got married while we were still in Saipan.

The Moehlman sisters cooking up a storm!

The Sawyer family ready for the scavenger hunt! My Aunt set up a great scavenger hunt through their snowy timberland. The family was split into two teams and you had to go find special clues that led you to the next... at the very end everyone ended up back in my uncle shop eating smores, drinking hot chocolate, and enjoying a nice warm fire. Hatley loved the hike through the woods!

My team! My cousins Todd, his son Josh, Todds wife Tracie with their dog Girl, Schan, and my Cousin Shari!

Mark got stuck on the team with all the kiddos =) They all sure had a blast! Mark with Javin, Thalia and my dad!

Brother and Sister. My cousins Shari and Todd. I just had to post this picture only because Shari got stuck with this Hat and it is sooooooooooo Minnesotan!

On our Scavenger Hunt! I couldnt believe  how hot i got walking through the trees and snow!

Another special place. The Minnesoda Fountain Shop. My mom used to come here as a teenager after school to get a treat with her girl friends. THey would play pinball and listen to music on the Juke Box... Who would have though that 45 years or so later that her granddaughter would be sitting in the same place with her daughter enjoying ice cream...=) Mom says not much in the place had changed. Here is Hatley sitting at the same counter mom used too =)

It was a very special Thanksgiving to remember. Here is the Moehlman Sisters with all their hubbies and kiddoes, and grandkiddos!

Happy Thanksgiving! So thankful for my Grandpa Art and Grandma Elizabeth for having three amazing girls and giving us kids an amazing family to be a part of!