Thanksgiving Crowd - Vredenburg Farm

Over the Thanksgiving week, Mia, Deb and I took a trip
back to Lowell, Michigan to see friends and family.

We spent most of the week at our centennial family farm near Bear Lake, MI. The weather was perfect for a trip north - cold and snowy. We had the entire Vredenburg and extended families staying with us (crowded house). During Thanksgiving dinner we had 38 people sitting down for dinner.

Thank you Leah (Mom) for pulling off another wonderful trip to the Michigan, the Vredenburg Farm and awesome Thanksgiving dinner - Matt officially gained four pounds on my trip to Michigan.

Mia showing Grandma how she can make bubbles with her lips!

Angie and Leah

Julia (Mia's only other girl cousin on the Vredenburg side of the family)

Mitch and his team of hot shot "go fish" players

Big cousins Brad and Kyle Jackson
(can't believe that Brad was two weeks old during our wedding and
Kyle was about 2 years old running around during wedding)

Jim and Adam Breach

Sean and Michelle (my sister)

Ben and Hanna (Hanna was another one in our wedding at about 5 years old)

Debbie and Leah (Mom)

Dr Martin Vredenburg enjoying his beer and football

Mitchell Jackson demonstrating his snowmobile jumping skills

Kyle and Michelle

Michelle and cousin Molly

Mia and Uncle Andy enjoying some grub

Mia and Grandma still eating

Aunt Linda and Leah (sisters)

The next generation of hunters. All enjoying the fun in the snow and on the lookout for bears!

Uncle Andy, Uncle Marty, Alec, Brad, Johnny, Kyle and Uncle Matt

Thanksgiving at the Vredenburg Farm

Photo is missing Mia Paige Vredenburg

Mia's Marching Band

This is just some footage of the fun we were having enjoying the new instruments that Lisa gave Mia for her birthday. Matt was in marching band and he elected to stay out of the cameras eyes. GO Mia and Debbie!

My hand made baby

Nana made Mia a baby size Mia with diaper, cap and matching onesies. Mia has warmed up to having another baby around and is starting to cuddle her like her own.

Mia's First Birthday

We traveled to San Diego for the Gonzalez birthday party for Mia. We had a great time visiting with Audrey, Wyatt, Aunt Lisa, Welo, Nana and Great Wela. To top it off, Vic and Rosie hosted a joint birthday party for Audrey and Mia and there were about 40 people at the event. It is amazing that a 1 year old could draw such a crowed.

Mia had a great time walking up and down some stairs and eating her first cake. Yes, Rosie picked a red cake - made the experience even more interesting. As you can see Mia really enjoyed getting Mommy into the action as well. Nana knit her a very special dress. Luckily she wasn't wearing it when she ate her cake!

We had a awesome weekend with family and friends, and Mia left town with some great pictures and an arm full of gifts.

Celebrating Daddy's birthday at Hidden Meadow Ranch!

Last weekend we drove up to the White Mountains to celebrate Matt's birthday at Hidden Meadow Ranch. It's truly "in the middle of nowhere" but beautiful! (www.hiddenmeadow.com). We passed the last small town of Showlow and drove 35 miles north and then another 15 miles on a dirt road through open range with lots of cows! Mia loved the horses, cows, aspen trees (they make a really cool noise!) and the bears (the wood ones, that is). She was quite popular with both the guests and the staff, as the only baby at the ranch. Matt went fly fishing, did some woodworking and just hung out with his girls. For his birthday dinner he had elk! It was really good and definitely a first!

Cool enough to try on some warm clothes

We have received so many beautiful gifts over the past year and we wanted to try on some of the winter clothes prior to heading up Greer, AZ this weekend and before going to Michigan for Thanksgiving.

Here are some pictures during the process. We loved the gift that Aunt Angie, Uncle Marty and cousins (Logan, Ethan and Parker) bought Mia in the spring, and as you can see she is a little taller then expected at this age. The snaps on the jumpsuit legs unsnap when Mia sits down.

The outfit is so cute though, and it's fun to see Mia in her big girl clothes. I love the cupcake on the front!

Fall has arrived in AZ!

Well, it's October in Arizona and we can finally go outside (even though we're still wearing tank tops and shorts!)! Mia is learning to kick the soccer ball. Does that make me a soccer mom? Oh no!