Well, well, well. The time has FINALLY come to share the pictures of our road trip from Sweet Home Alabama to the North Pole. Ok, almost the North Pole. It was actually Minneapolis. But, still. The boys did talk about the Polar Express quite a bit and we didn't even have that movie playing. So, see? They thought so, too!
But North Pole or not, it was a super fun time and we made so many wonderful memories! Here's a look back at our drive from home to St. Louis. Enjoy!!
The night before:
The minivan was packed and ready to go for our week long adventure with PLENTY of room to spare! Clothes laid out and everyone to wake up quite early in the morning.
Ready to go at 5:30 AM!!! Already ahead of schedule! Go us!
The
boys are loving the sunrise! Every few minutes we hear, "Wow! The sky
changed again! The stars disappeared!" Love it! And check it out, Venus
is still in view (tiny dot on top right of pic)
Super tiny travel guy having fun with his toys
Goodbye Alabama! Hello Tennessee! (the welcome center for those traveling south instead of north for the winter)
Nashville! Also, check that building out (just under the word Knoxville). Thanks to Janice, we showed the boys the "batman" building! Very cool!
Hello Kentucky! There are so many beautiful farms in the area.
The boys LOVED the cool bridge going over the Tennessee River.
Hello Illinois!! One more state to go until we stop for the day.
Now you know I had to... Or I wouldn't be the cool boy mom..
We TOTALLY stopped in Metropolis, Illinois. That's right! Home of Superman!
We TOTALLY stopped in Metropolis, Illinois. That's right! Home of Superman!
Super Parents
Boo lame. Apparently because it is too cold up here to do the construction at night...they do it during the day. Ugh. Not cool. What shall we do?
Why, we GPS our way through the farmlands and travel down road that have no lines, of course. That's what an adventure is all about, right? So cool.
We made it! Hello, St. Louis!!
Rams Stadium room view....hmmmm, how about... GO PACK GO! LOL
This picture took some effort. I had them standing on a bench while I had my phone's camera flipped and laying on the ground to get this done. But, who cares how I did it!? This picture will be getting blown up and placed on our gallery wall in the hall very soon! These guys were completely fascinated with this amazing structure. They thought it was one of the coolest things ever.
That's it for Day 1 of our trip! It was a fantastic time and they boys did GREAT!!!
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Our suggestions for traveling with 3 little ones under 4:
1. DVD player - that works...ours died (it was also about 8 years old) somewhere in Kentucky. But, honestly they were fine with it.
2. Leapsters (or some other video game - BUT EDUCATIONAL). That is key for us. They were learning math, science, and spelling while we traveled. We also had certain times that they could play with these games. They were not allowed to play the whole trip. We wanted them to see the sights, too.
3. Books: When the games were not in use, we made sure to have Waldo Books, Seek and Find Books (thanks for the Batman one, Mom!) and a few others things.
4. Prizes were handed out every time we entered a new state. They loved it! Andrew would ask if we were in a new state every couple of hours, but that's it. It was great to not hear that annoying question, "Are we there yet?" Prizes included: new color wonder markers and books/paper, small toys, special treats, and glow sticks (if it was dark - Thanks for that tip, Jenna!!).
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The idea to hand out prizes is GENIUS! Maybe I can convince my husband that I deserve a prize for each province we cross???
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