Cross Country Chronicle III

Day 6

After stopping 45 minutes outside of St. Louis due to driver fatigue, we woke up in our stinky, dirty Foristell, MO Best Western. Henry spilled three cups of orange juice, two on purpose, in the lounge. Then on to the Arch. Saw the arch. Henry had a urinary explosion at the museum under the arch (don't ask) resulting in a Griswald-esque moment of Katie and me chasing the mostly naked, pee-covered, screaming boy around the museum with Maddie and Caleb, confused and hungry, running behind. Lovely. We lunched "on the water," stopped by Walmart, then headed to Champaign. Dinner with Brent and Holly. Thanks, Holly. More Wii for the kids. Trampoline. Going down slide on a sled. That was new. All followed by another evening drive to Mt. Vernon.

Day 7

Foristell, MO convinced us to ditch Best Westerns. Upgrade to Fairfield Marriott. Felt much better. Katie lamented that "upgrading" has come to mean staying at a Fairfield Inn. Sigh. I promise I'll be employed soon. No spills at breakfast. Not really loving these free continental breakfasts. On the road to Memphis. Lunched at Central BBQ in Memphis, then stopped by the Kimball residence. Maddie painted. Caleb and Henry wrestled with the quadruplets. On to Birmingham.

Day 8

Thanks to me sweet negotiating skills (thanks, Dr. Money) we finally stayed at a real hotel in Birmingham for less than we paid almost anywhere else the whole trip. The kids loved the floor-to-ceiling window on the 11th floor. On the road again by 8:30 a.m. Alabama is pretty. Next stop: Lilburn, GA to see the Golds. Met new Max. Saw giant spider. And, finally, on to Charleston.

Cross Country Chronicle II

Day 3

Discovered Chocolate Cheerios. Thanks, Dina. Drove through crazy hail storm in Eastern Colorado. Stopped at McDonalds in WaKeeny, KS. Kids fought about Happy Meal toys. Swimming at WaKeeney Best Western.

Day 4

Free Continental Breakfast. On to Matt and Beth's in Kansas City. Kids messed up Lily and Thomas' bedrooms. Polly Pocket. Lightning McQueen. Thomas introduced kids to Wii. Kids were grateful.

Day 5

Henry introduced to Naked Green Drink. Henry was grateful. More Wii. Star Wars reenactments in the back yard. Lunch at Gates. Thanks, Matt. Night driving to Saint Louis.

Cross Country Chronicle

Day 1

Idaho Falls to Provo. Lunch with John and Maria. Kids played with cousins. Then Provo to Moab. Dinner at Moab Diner. Kids fought at Moab Diner. Kids had timeout just outside Moab Diner. Night swimming in heated, outdoor pool at Moab Sleep Inn. Chased Henry all around Moab Sleep Inn for about 45 minutes. Watched Jazz beat Nuggets!

Day 2

Hiked around Arches National Park. Had a picnic in Fruita, CO. Told Caleb there would be tunnels on I-70. He fell asleep and missed the tunnels. Major problem when he woke up and wanted to see tunnels. White out conditions at Vail Pass. Stayed with Chatwins in Denver. Trampoline, hamburgers, s'mores.