Trip to the Twin Cities

Hello All!

As promised I am here to report on our trip to Minnesota. Liam and I left early Friday morning (poor Mommy and Liam had to get up at 5:30 AM) and we arrived in Minnesota around dinnertime. As you can all understand I was a little nervous about the car ride up there and how Liam would handle being confined to his car seat for 10 straight hours. But he did AMAZING! I couldn't believe how laid back he was about the whole thing. He slept a lot and we only had to stop three times: once for lunch, once for a short bathroom break, and lastly for dinner. He did awesome.

Let me just say it was so nice for Liam to be able to meet his Great-Nana and Papa Kessel and the rest of the Kessel clan for the first time! Friday evening we were able to relax for the night at my Nana and Papa's house...and we were lucky enough to have my cousin, Ali, stop by with her two little ones, Kai and Addie. They are both absolutely adorable and it was fun to see them all interact! It was just so nice to all be together since it doesn't happen very often. Here are some pictures of the little ones trying to pose for a picture together...


Liam with his Second Cousin Addie, 6.5 months


Liam with his Second Cousins, Addie and Kai, 2 years old


Mommy Introducing Liam to Addie

Saturday was also a special day because my family got together for my Nana's 87th birthday...and we celebrated by having a family dinner. Liam was lucky enough to meet my cousins, Ali and Sean, and their families; my second-cousin Glenn; and my Uncle Steve. It was really great to have everyone together...and we all had a good time visiting with each other. Here are some pictures of that night...


Liam Smiling with Nana


Liam with Nana and Papa


Liam, Nana and Mommy


Liam, Nana and Pops

After lunch on Sunday we left to go to LaCrosse, WI to see my parents' childhood friend's, the Stugelmayer family. My sister and I grew up with their two daughters and son, and we spent many a summer together hanging out in Ashley, ND. It was nice to see Les and Glen; their daughter, Alison; her fiance, Adam; and her little girl, Taylor. It was so nice that Liam was able to meet more people that mean so much to my family and me. Liam of course was a hit, and everyone just loved him. During the whole trip we heard how much personality he had and what a good baby he was...of course we already knew this, but it was fun to see everyone's reaction to him. Unfortunately I didn't get too many pictures that night...we were all too busy catching up...but here are a few...


Liam and His Buddy Taylor, 9 years old


Gigi and Les Making Liam Laugh Before Bath Time

Then the next day it was time to head home. We traveled eight more hours during which Liam did awesome again! We only had one tiny meltdown where we had to pull over at a rest stop...and the rest was smooth sailing. I was so thankful for how great Liam did...and just glad that we decided to make the trip.

All in all we had a great time, but I have to say it is nice to be home and back in our routine. It takes a small army and many bags when you are traveling far from home with an infant. Hope all is well with you all and I will post more soon!