We decided to break in Big Bertha and go on a roadtrip to visit Keith's brother and his family.
Our journey started here:
and ended here:
3300 miles, 7 states, 48 hours of driving, one blizzard, $600 in gasoline.Spending time with Nathan, Andrea, Luke Gabby and Lily-Priceless!
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It was definitely an epic roadtrip!
They were the greatest hosts and we had so much fun. Andrea worked so hard and cooked for the whole clan. As you know, she is a fabulous cook and so we ate really well. The cousins played and played and then played some more. The parents chatted, laughed, played games and a good time was had by all.
Here are a few things I learned along the way:
1. New Mexico has the bluest skies I have ever seen.
2. Oklahoma has the worst roads, ironically they are toll roads so you have to pay to drive on them.
3. Missouri has an adult video store and gentleman's club off every freeway exit. Although I think you would be hard pressed to find any gentlemen there.
4. Indiana and Kentucky are beautiful. I definitely want to go back there when we have more time to explore.
5. St Louis has terrible freeways, even with GPS you get on the wrong one, twice!
Here are some fun pics from the trip:
Cool McDonald's over the freeway
Ella peeking out the window at the St Louis Arch. You are 629 feet up, it is pretty amazing!
The family at the top
The St Louis Arch is amazing!Leaving Oklahoma we decided to call and get tickets for the arch. We got the last tickets for the 4:10 ride to the top. Our GPS told us we would arrive with 45 minutes to spare. Well an unplanned bathroom break and massive St Patrick's Day party delayed us. Keith dropped us off, I ran with all four kids up a gazillion stairs, Keith parked a mile away and had to sprint back. But we arrived with a few minutes to spare and got to ride to the top. All the stress and rushing was so worth it because it is truly an incredible wonder.
Our hotel in St Louis had a playland, full gym, and huge pool all inside. It was the kid's dream come true. I think they would have lived there forever.
A happy sight for us, all the kids sleeping. Considering how long the drive was, the kids did really well.
One day in WV we took all the kids to a indoor bouncy house place. They had so much fun. Those kids played until they were exhausted! Ella was a bit hesitant at first, but she finally decided to give it a try and had so much fun.
Another day we went to the park. Lauren and Gabby were instant friends, two peas in a pod really. They love to dress up and had so much fun playing together. Andrea did their hair matching, it was so cute.
Lily wanted a push so Eli stepped up and pushed her on the swing for a long time. It was so heartwarming to see them together.
After the kids go to bed, the parents play. A few nights we played the Wii and had a lot of fun. The guys would stay up long after Andrea and I went to bed and keep on playing. One night we played card games and laughed and laughed until way too late. Sorry about the lack of sleep guys!
Brothers
Popsicle Night
Our hotel in St Louis had a playland, full gym, and huge pool all inside. It was the kid's dream come true. I think they would have lived there forever.
A happy sight for us, all the kids sleeping. Considering how long the drive was, the kids did really well.
One day in WV we took all the kids to a indoor bouncy house place. They had so much fun. Those kids played until they were exhausted! Ella was a bit hesitant at first, but she finally decided to give it a try and had so much fun.
Another day we went to the park. Lauren and Gabby were instant friends, two peas in a pod really. They love to dress up and had so much fun playing together. Andrea did their hair matching, it was so cute.
Lily wanted a push so Eli stepped up and pushed her on the swing for a long time. It was so heartwarming to see them together.
After the kids go to bed, the parents play. A few nights we played the Wii and had a lot of fun. The guys would stay up long after Andrea and I went to bed and keep on playing. One night we played card games and laughed and laughed until way too late. Sorry about the lack of sleep guys!
BrothersKeith and Nathan have so much fun together. I really enjoy watching them together because you can tell there is the greatest love and admiration there.
Luckily Andrea and I got to visit a lot. We always have so much to talk about, and even though we go awhile without seeing each other we are always able to connect instantly.
Popsicle NightThanks again for everything. We know you worked so hard and we had a great time!
7 comments:
It looks like you guys had a ton of fun! You are SO brave to drive that far! Kansas is only 13 hours from here and that is way too long for me. (and we don't get to drive through beautiful places like Kentucky. I've been there--its gorgeous.) That is a great way to break in your new van!
I , well WE, are sooo glad you guys came! It was a much needed break and so so so much fun!! You guys are welcome ANY TIME, but hopefully we will get to come see you guys first! Thanks again, we love you guys!
That is awesome. You guys are amazing and brave to take a road trip like that. You'll have such great memories from that.
Looks like a lot of fun. You guys are so brave to drive that far with 4 kids and one on the way! I can't believe how fast the kids are growing up.
I love road trips. You weren't too far from us. We're within an hour or so of the border. Kentucky is very pretty - Matt's parents live across the river from it and we would drive through the state on our way from Texas.
AMAZING! That's what you are ! How did you do it so far (both ways?) And back!
Wow...I am impressed! I will stop complaining about our 20 hour drive to Albuquerque. It looks like you had a ton of fun!
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