Christmas in Michigan!

After Texas, we came back to Frankfurt for 3 days, and then it was time for our next trip to the USA! We were really excited to see Brian's family and to spend the week before Christmas with them in Michigan. We hadn't seen most of his family in almost 2 years, so we couldn't wait to spend some quality time with everyone!

Our flight into Midland was unfortunately a little late, but the timing ended up working out really well! Right when we came to the arrivals area of Midland airport, some of Brian's friends from church were coming into the terminal for a wedding reception. The best part was we got to see MaryBeth and Chris that night because they were attending the reception! So being late had its benefits :)

We went back to the Rentsch's house in Midland for some delicious barbecue and some fun with our niece and nephew, Alyssa and Evan. They had grown SO much since we saw them last, so we had a great time playing with them!

Brian and Evan were instant buddies

We had brought home a lot of goodies from the Frankfurt Christmas Market, so we snacked on those after dinner. Alyssa loved her chocolate Santa!

It was so nice to catch up with Janet and Stefan and to be in Bri's home. It's always so relaxing and fun!

The next morning, we drove to Elk Rapids in northern Michigan to enjoy a couple of nights at the Rentsch's condo on Elk Lake. I absolutely love going up there ANY time of year, but winter up north is really special because it reminds me of 2005 when Brian proposed. Fun memories :)

When we arrived, Brian whipped up some hot cocoa, and Janet and I decorated the Christmas tree. Her ornaments were really cool - they were mostly German and really unique!

We spent the afternoon hanging out around the house while Stefan cooked sauerbraten for us for dinner. Which reminds me, I need to get his recipe! It was so yum. That night we watched the movie Top Secret and just enjoyed each others' company.

Pretty, wintery view from the condo

The next day, we walked into downtown Elk Rapids to do a little shopping and to enjoy the nice weather. I always love walking through that little town. All of the shops have fun things to look at, and it feels like everyone knows each other. Very quaint and cute.

For dinner that night, we drove to Traverse City and had dinner at Red Ginger, an Asian fusion restaurant that served a variety of really delicious food! We all shared some great sushi and enjoyed some fun cocktails.

We spent the next morning working on the difficult puzzle that we had purchased on our walk the day before. I hadn't puzzled in a long time, and I had forgotten how rewarding it is!

We drove back to Midland later in the afternoon and met up with MaryBeth, Chris, Alyssa, and Evan for dinner at Pizza Sams. The pizza was really good, and I always love seeing Brian's old hang out spots. After pizza, we walked to Midland's Santa House so that Alyssa and Evan could see Santa! I had never been to the Santa House, and it was really amazing! The community has a house that is completely decked out in Santa's toy shop decor. There was quite a long line of kids, but it was definitely worth the wait! Evan loved finding all of the trains in the shop, and Alyssa took in every detail.

In Santa's Sleigh

Alyssa had brought her letter to Santa, and the house had a special table where all of the kids left their letters. I loved how they had the letters sitting out - some of them were so funny. One girl had the serial number of the American Girl Doll that she wanted on her list. Another kid said that his aunt needed a man. Kids are so great :)

Leaving her list so that Santa would know what she wanted

There was also a book for the kids to sign - Alyssa signed for her and Ev

Alyssa was on cloud nine after talking to Santa because he told her that she was on the good list! While we were in line, she had mentioned that she wasn't sure if she was on the good list because she had been to time out a couple of times this year (so funny!). After Santa confirmed that he knew she was a good girl, she was elated! It was the cutest thing ever.

We went to Chris and MB's house after the Santa House. The guys built a really cool bowl in Chris's wood shop, and MB and I played with the kids. It was a fun evening, and we really enjoyed our time with them!

The next day, Andrew and Kate came into town! Brian and I picked them up at Kate's house and went to Starbucks to catch up on wedding planning and their new life in Texas. Later, Chris, MB, and the kids came over to the Rentsch's and joined us for a fun family afternoon.

Typical boy time, comparing smart phones

The next morning, we geared up to go tobogganing! I didn't really even know what tobogganing was, so I was really excited about this adventure!

Getting ready to go!

When we got to the park, we unfortunately found that it was kind of under construction! Darn. I'll have to test out my tobogganing skills some other time. MaryBeth taught me the basics, so at least next time I'll know what I'm getting myself into! The park had some beautiful trails, though, so we went on a nice, peaceful walk in the woods. Peaceful until the snowball fight started!

After a nice long walk, what better cool down method than a game of Scrabble? Brian and I were losing pretty badly, but who knew that the word "Quark" could win you over 100 points??

Later that evening, Stefan and Janet took Andrew, Kate, Brian, and me to dinner at the new country club in Midland. We had a great time seeing the Rentsch's new hang out spot!

On Christmas Eve, Eric and Alicia came into town, so the whole family was in Midland just in time for Christmas festivities!

Sidenote: Living in Frankfurt makes me excited about weird foods when I come back to the States. For some reason, I had been craving Buffalo Wild Wings, so Brian and I went to get an early afternoon snack with Eric and Alicia - I love BWW's fried pickles and delicious wings! It was fun to hang out with them and hear about Alicia's new job and their new apartment.

For Christmas Eve, everyone came over for a champagne toast, and we all enjoyed a delicious Christmas dinner with the entire family! Janet and Stefan made a delicious roast, and I loved having us all together.

After dinner, we went to Christmas Eve service at Midland Reformed Church. MaryBeth is the worship director there, and she did a wonderful job with the service! It was beautiful. We came back to the house after church to exchange presents!

Evan is so cute - one of the things he's really into right now is candles and fire. If you play along, he'll have you light a candle and then he'll blow it out over and over again! The excitement never fades for him. You can see his pure awe and wonder in this picture.

Opening presents with little kids is so much fun! They were so excited about all of their presents.

We got Evan this board that has all of these different locks on it that he can open and close. I thought it was appropriate coming from his uncle who is famous for his lock-picking skills :)

Reading Alyssa's new Fancy Nancy book

Christmas Eve was so much fun - we all stayed up late talking and hanging out. I love Bri's family!

On Christmas day, we went for a walk, went over to Chris and MB's to check out the kids' loot, and just hung out at the house together. Stefan had received fondue sets for Christmas, so we had fondue for dinner. It was funny because we thought the sets had come with fuel, but they hadn't, so we used tea lights instead. Also, Kate's family came over that evening, and Brian and I were really glad to finally get to meet her brother and parents.

The day after Christmas, Brian and I had to fly back to Frankfurt. Before we left, everyone came over one last time for lunch before we took off. Chris made some really good egg rolls for us! We were sad to go but were so thankful for a wonderful week with all of Bri's family! We felt like we really had some quality time with everyone, which was the best Christmas gift of all!