August 10th, 2014

• This week's post is all about our road trip to Wisconsin for the past eleven days. Since our van does not have a DVD player in it (which I love on a day to day basis) I bought all the kids their own DVD player for the trip. It worked out so well. Here we are on our way! We drove from our house to the Little America in Cheyenne, WY on day one. I told everyone we should drive a few more hours but everyone else wanted to stop, eat, and swim.

• Kids at Little America!

• Since we only made it to Cheyenne on day one we had a LONG way to drive on day two. We actually couldn't sleep very well so since Todd and I were both awake at 5am we ended up just waking up the kids and heading out. You learn a lot about people on a road trip! We had lots of laughs during our endless hours on the road. Todd could not stop drinking beverages which meant he needed to stop every other exit to use the bathroom! The kids thought this was so funny especially since never once did they ask to stop to go to the bathroom! After a torrential rain storm in Illinois we made it to Gerren's house late Friday night.
• We had a great time hanging out with Gerren, Andrew, Koty and Kailei! They have a great new house with an awesome pool and hot tub which the kids loved!
• Gerren and me having a dance party!

• Todd took the girls golfing at Evergreen Golf Course. Kailei, Bodee and I drove in a separate cart and followed them around.

• Here is some cousin love as we drove over to Lake Geneva for brunch.

• After brunch we hiked around Lake Geneva for a bit. The kids were amazed at some of the mansions built around the lake. They thought Stone Manor was pretty amazing!

• Bodee couldn't even make it all the way home.

• We planned on driving into Milwaukee to attend the State Fair but the rain would not coming down that day so we ate lunch at Kopps and then took the kids to a fun zone for the day. Not as great as the State Fair would have been but the kids had a good time.

• Some great shots of the kids being tossed in the pool by Uncle Andrew! They had a blast!

• We loved visiting with Great-Grandma Pinch during our time in Wisconsin. Selfie at Grandma's house:)

• Bodee thinking he was so funny pretending he was asleep.

• One day after lunch with Grandma at the Grist Mill in East Troy we stopped by Grandma and Grandpa Pinch's old house. 

• Grandma Pinch also showed us exactly where Grandpa Pinch is buried. I never knew the location in the cemetery.

• Grandma with the kiddos! They were so good talking and visiting with her. It means so much to both her and I that the kids get to know their great-grandma.

• Todd took pictures of the pictures in Grandma's house. This is Beverly with her mom and dad, Helen and Elmer McIntyre.

• This is a picture of Barbara (my mom) with her mom and dad, Beverly and Merrill Pinch. The reflection in the photo throws me off:)

• Grandma on her front porch as we drive away. 92 years young next month:)

• After leaving Wisconsin we drove down to Nauvoo, IL. Todd had never been there before so we thought it would be a good stop on the way home. We pulled in just as most things were closing so we stopped in the Visitors' Center and watched a video about Nauvoo and spent some time in there. 

• By then it was time for dinner so we found a local stop known for their shakes ate a quick bit before heading over to the temple for the evening and then going back to the hotel.

• The next morning it was POURING and pretty chilly which totally put a damper on our day in Nauvoo. We visited the bakery, blacksmith, the gun shop, brick yard and the family center among other places as well took a wagon tour of the city. We also watch a play that was put on just for the kids:) Had the weather been nice we could have visited so many more places and taken advantage of all the kid activities they offer but we did enjoy all the things we got to do.

• The temple, which has been rebuilt since I was a kid is such a beautiful focal point of the city. I hope to bring the kids back soon as I know as they get older they will value learning more and more about Nauvoo. The spirit in the city is strong and I've always loved visiting the old town. Todd enjoyed the visit more than he thought he would...he said we need to go back when the weather is better:)

• My forever:)

• Selfies behind the statues of Joseph and Hyrum and looking out towards the Mississippi River. So beautiful!

• We left Nauvoo in the early afternoon and drove to Omaha. This meant we had a super long day the next day to get back home. Here we are taking a dancing break to get our bodies moving at one of our stops.

• We might have gotten bored! Bodee thought Dad was hilarious!

• Todd loved to make stops and insisted we stop for soft serve at the Little America...again! I just kept insisting we drive towards home. Todd always won since he played the bathroom card every time. It made us all laugh. Lots of fun memories made on this road trip.