Cadillac Ranch and then Home, Sweet Home!

After we crossed out of New Mexico in Texas I knew where our next stop would be. I had told the girls for weeks that we would do Historic Route 66, so what better place to travel it than to the Cadillac Ranch outside of Amarillo, TX! It gave new meaning to the term bumper crop. A wealthy millionaire put these Cadillacs in the ground in 1964. And ever since then people are leaving their mark with cans or spray paint. We didn't partake in any of the painting, but we did use them as jungle gyms, LOL! And again, it was  good excuse to stop the car and take a quick stroll.

After Cadillac Ranch, I let Ellen take over the driving for a bit while I found us a place to stay for the night. I knew the girls would need to move a bit, so I got us a hotel WITH an indoor pool right outside of Oklahoma City, OK. We didn't get much time in the pool...but it was better than no time at all. On Wednesday morning we hit the road around 9AM. We still had just over 9 hours to go. It was a long haul, being in the car for the second day in a row. And we didn't really make any stops. We just wanted to get back to the Land of Lincoln. We rolled in around 7 PM and were so happy to see Daddy and the dogs.

3000+ miles
13 days
9 states
5 girls
1 van
Memories to last a lifetime!!!

Hello and Goodbye to New Mexico!

New Mexico, we hardly knew ye!!! Okay, so I'd driven through New Mexico a number of times. But I'd never really stopped and spent time there. It was usually just a "get through it" state on my way to Arizona. But this time I had good cause to stop. My friend, Lauren Morris, and her family live in Las Cruces. A quick 4 hours from Tucson. Lauren had mentioned wanting to do a Plexus Event when we were together in Las Vegas. I told her I'd stop and help and I'm so glad I did. We had a great time catching up...it was awesome to see our kids together. Chloe and Leah quickly became best friends!!! They watched Star Wars, played on iPad's and all bunked together in Coltrane's room. It was great fun! We will definitely plan a get together again soon...whether it be in St. Louis or back in New Mexico.

After we left Las Cruces we headed to Roswell and when to a Space Museum...because when in Roswell!!! It was pretty cheesy and a total waste of time, but it got us out of the car for an hour or so. We really wanted to stop at the White Sands National Monument...you know, where they do missile testing. But would you believe it, the park was actually closing at 10 AM that day for testing. What are the chances. So we will have to put it on our list for next time. And there will be a next time!

Day 10, Wrapping up our time in Tucson!

Sunday night, Leah chose not to go to the pool with us. Made me a little sad, because I didn't get a cute picture of her pool side. But it is what it is. The girls wanted to get one last swim in before we got ready to head out on Monday morning. And I was happy to oblige. The view of the Catalina Mountains from my parents house never gets old. The first picture is Sunday night, the second one is Monday morning. I mean...it never gets old!

Sunday night we ate a simple dinner at Gigi's house, and headed to the movies. We started out at Tarzan...and let's just say it wasn't exactly appropriate for little ones, so we snuck in to Secret Life of Pets instead. They had already seen it on Friday night with Gigi and Cece, but they were happy to see it again. I was happy for a more kid friendly showing!

Day 10, International Wildlife Museum

Day 10, Laura was wanting to find another indoor activity for the kids. We love Saguaro National Park, so we decided on the International Wildlife Museum located in Saguaro. Its a pretty drive on it's own, and fairly easy to get to. We've done the Desert Museum numerous times so decided it would be fun to try something new!

And I'm so glad we did! They had amazing exhibits. The girls were getting a kick out of the the statues before we even got inside. They had insect and butterfly displays that filled giant rooms. And then the real fun began. Taxidermy that you could touch was around every corner. The girls had a great time checking out all the different antlers and such.

The giraffe was a big hit because they had a walkway so you could go UNDER him. It was really impressive. And since it was and International exhibit there were so many animals we would have never had the opportunity to see otherwise. Laura and I both like the Alaskan exhibit and realized Alaska is on both of our bucket lists. We see and Alaskan cruise in our future.

At the end of the tour, all the girls got stuffed animals and then we headed back to Gigi's for lunch. Laura had to leave early that evening to head up to Phoenix to catch a red eye to Jersey, so we said our good byes. Always a hard thing to do, and leaves me wondering when our next trip will be.

Girl Cousin Fun!

It never feels like we have enough time with Laura, Jeff, Nat and Jo. That's one of the reasons I was happy that we were able to spend a few days in Tucson with them again this summer. It was great seeing them in Illinois in June...but Nat and Bug have a special relationship. And Hattie thinks she is teaching baby Jo so much. It's fun to see them all together.

Thursday (day 7) was pretty low key. We went to Laura's and had a playdate and lunch with the girls. Once they went down for a nap, Ellen and I took my girls to the Omni Pool. That night we went back over and ordered pizza for dinner.

Friday (day 8) was HOT. Laura wanted to find something indoors for the kids. So we took them to AZ Air time, a trampoline park. You pay for 2 hours at a time and we knew it would wear them out good. They had so much fun jumping, doing the rock wall, the ball pit and the inflatables. Ellen and Leah were all about the dodge ball courts. It was money well spent.

Saturday (day 9) we decided we needed a pool day. We got there at 11 and made sure that we got chairs under umbrellas. Sarah Robison joined us for a bit and the girls were mermaids. They were loving the water and all the attention from Gigi, Aunt Laura and Uncle Jeff. Of course Gigi ordered them lunch and smoothies pool side. Who doesn't love that?!?! We stayed until after 2. We had some red cheeks. After we cleaned up and rested for a bit, Ellen and I went to see a few houses with Laura and then back over to their place for dinner.

Day 6, Red Rocks in Sedona

We routed a little different way this time from Grand Canyon to Tucson. I figured since Ellen was seeing new things, it would be worth the extra 30-45 minutes to detour through Sedona. We had been in the car for roughly two hours or more and it was the perfect opportunity. We got out of the car at a scenic viewing area and did a little hike. Which of course led us down to a river. The girls wanted to get in and splash around, but with 4 more hours to go in the car it was a NO GO! So we hiked it back up to the van and continued on our merry way.

We finally arrived in Tucson around 10PM. The girls made themselves right at home at Gigi's house. they always do. They are just as comfortable there as they are in Illinois. They know who is going to sleep where. They know where to find the toys and the coloring books, and of course they love chasing and trying to catch the geckos. Makes me think I'd love to make this an annual trip. We'll see...its so hard for me to not have Mitch there with me.