Road Trip Part 4: Mackinac Island!

While we were in Michigan, we took a little mini road trip (within our mega road trip!) to Mackinac Island.  This time my dad got to drive (phew)!

We needed a break so we stopped for a picnic lunch (this photo was also taken by Chloe, with her new camera!):

We stayed in St. Ignace for the night and had fun swimming in the hotel pool:

The next day we took the ferry to the island...

...which took us under the Mackinaw bridge!

When we got there we hopped on a carriage tour...

...which stopped at the Grand Hotel stables, which was cool:

And of course the kids wanted "souvenirs:"

Then we hit up For Mackinaw!

We ate there, which was fun.  Grandma and Grandpa had cool hats on...

So I had to try to be cool, too:

The gift shops turned out to be fun places to explore, too!

And of course no trip to Mackinac Island is complete without fudge....

Some chocolate was (and I never thought I'd hear myself say this) too good to eat....

I hadn't been to Mackinac Island in a really long time, so it was cool to revisit it with family, and spend more time with my beautiful niece Rhianna.  The whole trip was truly a treat!

Road Trip Part 3: Michigan!

The last leg of our journey to Michigan was on Father's Day!

We walked right into a family dinner when we got there, which was a wonderful welcome!  I know my dad loved having so many grandkids there to celebrate the day!

We got to hang out with family we hadn't seen in a long time, and the cousins had fun bonding at the splash pad:

We also went to a sweet little children's museum...

...and piddled around town looking for my school mascots:

The kids loved my parents' dog so they just had to talk her for a walk with Grandma!

One really exciting thing about the trip was that my niece Rhianna flew in to spend a few days with us, and we hadn't seen her in years!  Her plane was delayed so we had some time to kill in Lansing.  We stopped by a bookstore, where Chase flipped out when he saw this coloring book:

That's my boy!

Then the girls just had to stop by DSW a couple doors down!  Chloe picked out these shoes for us to try on.  The girl has taste!  Fabulous!

And then we had some fun with hats:

After picking up Rhianna we headed home and it was time for a big summer birthday party, where I got a little glimpse of what will soon be my new T-shirt quilt!

That photo was taken by Chloe with the new camera Grandma and Grandpa got her!

While in Michigan we also got to attend my niece Courtney's baby shower, just the girls:

Within this big road trip of ours, we took another little road trip, to Mackinac Island!  That will get its own post ("Road Trip Part 4"), but on the way there we stopped at a fun donut place that I just had to share with you.  It was called "Cops & Doughnuts," and we had way too much fun taking photos there!  Here you go!

(Those shorts say "D.W.I: Doughnuts Were Involved."  And yes, I bought them.)

And this photo of my mom is the best!!!!

It was such a fun time.  The drive home to Texas felt way longer than the drive up north, but we finally made it back home:

Phew!  We survived the drive!  What a great trip it turned out to be!

Road Trip Part 2: Chicago!

Day 2 of our road trip was all about driving to Chicago!  We spent the weekend with one of my dearest friends, Nicole, and her family.  Saturday we spent the day downtown and we had so much fun!  We took the train, which the kids thought was cool:

From Union Station we walked to Millennium Park.  The coolest was watching Chase walk by the Sears Tower and just staring up at it.  He was amazed by it, saying it made him dizzy.  So cool.

The kids got to play in the fountains at Millennium Park...

...and we visited the giant bean (officially named "Cloud Gate").  I didn't take a picture of the whole thing because I had seen it so many times before, but if you aren't familiar with it and need the perspective, I stole this one off the internet:

And here we are in it!

The last Millennium Park stop was the ampitheater, which I have always loved:

Next stop: Navy Pier!  After getting a free sample of Garrett's popcorn (mmmmm...) and giving the kids their first taxi rides there, we had to eat:

And then we went on a lake tour!

Someone fell asleep....

But ice cream perked everyone up!

Sunday it was time for part 3 of our road trip: The drive to Michigan.  But first, on our way out of town, I thought it would be cool to take the kids by the townhouse where Chase spent the first year and a half of his life!  He thought I was crazy for taking a picture of them on the porch, but hey....  No harm done!

And then there was no way I was leaving without some Oberweis ice cream!  Yummmm....

Their root beer shakes are my favorite!!

After that it was time to start Road Trip Part 3!

Road Trip Part 1: The Drive to St. Louis

I took the kids on a road trip to Michigan, which was a completely terrifying decision!  I decided to break it into chunks.  Day 1 was a long one: the drive to St. Louis.

We hit the road in positive spirits!

I was so thankful for electronics.  The $85 I spent at Best Buy on chargers were a lifesaver.  The kids were amazing!

I have no idea how parents did road trips before electronics.

We took our time and stopped at all the state welcome centers on the way:

(I think my kids really appreciated my Rodgers & Hammerstein serenade at that stop....  Ha!)

Of course we stopped for meals and the McDonalds playland was a great place for the kids to stretch their legs.  It's a good place for ice cream, too....

We got into St. Louis late, but we got up early the next morning to have breakfast with their Grandpa W and Aunt Lauren!  Of course Grandpa came bearing gifts....  More entertainment for the car (thank you, Grandpa)!

We also got to see them again on the way back home!  Bonus!

After breakfast it was time to head to our next destination....  Chicago ("Road Trip Part 2")!

Happy Birthday to Me!

The kids and I spent my birthday in Houston with my dear friend Katie and her daughter, Ashlyn!  It was super fun.  My mom and I did our annual joint birthday tradition of FaceTiming with cupcakes!

From my mom's point of view...

And here's the view from mine.  We couldn't find a birthday candle so we lit a Hello Kitty on fire.  I love my mom's face in the background!

The kids painted some pottery for me, which I love!

Katie took me out to the Melting Pot for my birthday dinner.  Mmmmmmmmm...!

We had a lot more fun that weekend, including water balloon fights...

...and seeing James and the Giant Peach in the park!

Who could ask for a better 39th?