Yep, 2000 miles and 35 hours in the car later and we have been to Minnesota and back! What a great time it was. We went back & forth between flying or driving. Flying is quick and easy. However, we have 2 carseats, double stroller, not to mention a gazillion other baby/kid items. Plus, we would need a car for the week anyways. So we decided to go for it. We left on a friday at 3pm. Arrived at friends in Illinois around 1am. On Saturday, we drove to MN. The kids did awesome. I figured Graham would be ok because we could bring things for him to play with, plus he could watch movies on the dvd player. Eden, I wasn't so sure about! I knew if she got fed up with riding and decided to start a scream-fest there wouldn't be much we could do about it! But, they both did great. A few minutes of fussing here & there...but not bad at all. 
First stop was at my brother & family's house. We had such a fun weekend with them! Their cousins are so sweet with them and they all love to play together. Aunt Katie, the great family photographer, was hard at work. :)
Every time I turn around, this child is in to a new sport!
Next, we spent the rest of the week at my grandma's house in Minneapolis.
I love how snuggly this girl is!
Rainforest Cafe in the Mall of America with my brother and his girlfriend!
The thunder & lightening startled Graham and after it went off the first time, he spent the rest of his meal plugging one ear. Crazy cat!
If you notice, he still has one ear plugged after we're long gone. =)
Some pics at one of our favorite spots in Minneapolis
With Grandma & Grandpa
my sister's favorite subject :)
Heading home.
As we prepared to come home, I figured we would really be in for it. Eden had let us know several times during the week that she did not want to be in the car anymore. :) As we hit the road Sunday morning, we knew the kids really needed to be home. So instead of stopping at another friend's home as we had planned, we decided to just go for it.
Best decision we could have made, for sure! It took us 17 hours total. We had to stop about every 3.5 hours for Eden to eat, Graham to potty...all that fun stuff. {Speaking of pottying....I knew this week would be the big test for Graham. He did great, no accidents, and though he wore a pull-up in the car - he stayed dry the whole time!}
Halfway thru the trip, Eden started getting a little fussy and wanted someone to sit in back with her. So I spent much of the trip scrunched between 2 car seats in the back seat. so much fun. :-/ But in the end, it didn't matter. We arrived home around 1:30 am and everyone was very excited to be back in their own beds! **************
Good thing we have the monk....gps. :)
Seriously, if you don't have one of these gizmos, it might be the best money you could ever spend.
Talk about taking headaches out of travel!
trying out big brother's seat at a rest stop.
I think she wants to stay.
I'll be so glad when she can be front-facing!
thankful for a great trip. Wonderful to see all my family & a few friends.
I'll have more pictures to come!
3 comments:
one of the things I miss most about Minneapolis is the Stone Arch bridge. (and the coffee everywhere, as well as the wading pools in all the parks.) glad you had a good trip. how long were you in Minneapolis?
I know...isn't it the best city? :) we were there for about 8 days. sure didn't seem the same without seeing you guys though!
How fun! That's quite a large trip you undertook & I'm impressed at how well it went! Glad you all survived WITH your sanity :)
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