Summer is here! And what better way to kick off a summer vacation than with a road trip? The kids and I loaded up in the van and headed out for a week on the road. We have been planning to go to Iowa to see Dixie and Scott and decided that we should make a couple other stops since we're going all that way. So off we went!
We started out really early Sunday morning so that we could get some good hours in before the day really began. I had a cooler with snacks and drinks packed and the kids each had their spot in the van picked out for the long hours on the road. We were set with movies, books on tape, coloring books, toys and pillows and blankets. We made it to Rock Springs, Wyoming before we needed a potty break and breakfast stop. McDonald's, throwing rocks into the small stream and stretching our legs out in the parking lot of the gas station did the trick and we got back on the road. We were headed to Nebraska where we planned to stop for the night before continuing on the next day. The kids did awesome in the car and loved getting to the hotel where they could swim in the pool - the highlight of the day for sure. We crashed early at the hotel and had a good night sleep. I picked hotels along the way that had breakfast included so we wouldn't have to make an extra stop to eat.
Back on the road and headed to Nauvoo the next morning. We had 8 hours ahead of us that day and the kids thought that seemed really long after traveling already the day before. But we stopped enough along the way that it went by pretty quickly. We pulled into Nauvoo just as the sun was setting and it was so beautiful along the Mississippi River. We stayed in a bed and breakfast inn that was actually a house that was built and used by the pioneers while they lived there. It is one of the few original houses left in Nauvoo. It was really really cool. The landlord showed us around the house and took us down to the small basement with tiny, narrow stairs. He told us that Joseph Smith was good friends with the owners of the house and they helped hide him in the basement one time while the mob was looking for him. It was an awesome old house and we loved our time there!
I got up early Tuesday morning and went for a run around town. The temple is gorgeous and the scenery is just amazing. Our landlord made us a yummy breakfast of dutch waffles and then we spent the rest of the day visiting all the sites. The kids loved the wagon ride around Old Nauvoo and seeing those huge, beautiful horses that pulled the wagon.
Favorite sites? The pioneer kids games were a hit and watching the play that we got to sit inside and cool off for an hour. Keen got called up on stage to be a part of it for a few minutes! He was so cute and shy to be up there. We also loved the brickyard, the bakery and the smith shop. We stayed out all day long and made it to the Sunset on the Mississippi concert that night. We were exhausted by the end of the night and slept like babies!
Wednesday we celebrated Rease's 11th birthday! We had dutch waffles for breakfast again and she got a treat and a drink to go along with her breakfast. We love our girl and were so happy to celebrate her birthday on the road! We took a couple more pictures of our cute house before we got back on the road. Off to Kansas City!
The kids were glad to have a day between driving and also happy that when we started driving after leaving Nauvoo, we only had 4 hours in the car to get to Kansas City. Best invention of the week - Liev's head hammock for sleeping in the car. I'm not sure why no shirt? But I was impressed with his mind for figuring this hammock out!
We met up with our friends Bill and Debbie when we got to Kansas City. They live just 20 minutes away from the hotel we stayed at and met us at the park with pizza and cookies. It was a BLAST to play at the park and catch up with them. They were our very first renters in our basement apartment and we grew to love them in the few short months they lived with us. They are so kind and loving and we were so happy to be able to see them!
Kansas City is also where Joe and Meghan live so that was our main reason for making that one of our stops. Our kids don't get to see these cousins too often and they were all excited to be together. Baby Paige is just a couple months old and my kids could not get enough of her. She is the sweetest little thing! We spent Thursday at the water park with Joe and the kids and had such a fun time cooling off in the water. The kids were all super brave and went on the big slides over and over and over. We loved our time with Joe and family and were so grateful for their hospitality while we were there.
Thursday night we finally made it to Iowa and Scott and Dixie's house. Oh how excited we were to be there and know we were staying for the next few days! We could not get enough of the farm life and the gorgeous land that they live on. They own 700 acres of terraced farm land and farm corn and soy beans. They kids thought the chickens and tractors were amazing! Desh spent 3 days chasing those poor chickens around. And I just loved being able to slow down and enjoy being with family. We spent a lot of time in the swing in the big tree up front.
Friday night Josh surprised us all and flew into town to spend the rest of the weekend with us! We were so happy to see our dad! We caught frogs, rode the side-by-side, shot the bow and arrow, ran around the farm and caught fireflies at night. What could be better?
Saturday we spent the morning at the lake with Dixie and the kids. We loved being in the water and the kids had a running contest to see who could get to the water from the shore fastest. They did that over and over and never seemed to get tired of it. That night Dixie's kids babysat for us while Dixie and Scott, Josh and I went to dinner. We went to a yummy sushi restaurant and then to ice cream for dessert. We had the best day with them and were so grateful for them letting us crash at their house for a few days. Our trip to the farm could not have been better! We can't wait to go back. Since Josh was there to help me drive home, we decided to jump in the car late Saturday night and drive home while the kids were sleeping. I'll be honest, I slept most of the night too while Josh drove. It was really nice to get up in the morning and know we were 8 hours into our drive home. Josh saved the day and we were so happy he spent the last couple days with us on our 1st annual road trip! The kids are already asking where we are going next year!
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