Omaha Easter Extravaganza: Day 1

We packed up and rolled out of the house a little after 10:00 am, bound for Omaha in our new set of wheels {That' right. It's Caravan number three for a girl who said she'd never own a minivan.}. Auntie T rode with us in the "nanny seat" between the kids and me, or more accurately, between the kids and all the books/movies/snacks I had in the front seat. She was a good sport about her role as the human conveyor belt.

After five hours of trying to spot an Iowa barn quilt from the Interstate, but seeing only wind farms, we arrived in Omaha. We checked into our hotel and hurried over to Dan's cousin's house to get in position for a surprise party -- we were celebrating Dan's aunt and uncle's 40th wedding anniversary as well as their 60th birthdays, all happening this year.  Here's a fabulous picture of the birthday girl (center) and her siblings.

While the adults ate a lot of amazing food {did I mention there are professional cooks in the family?}, our kids had a great time getting to know their cousins... 

and their cousins' toys.

In total, there were eight kids age eight and under,

and a great time was had by all.