Roadtrip Part 2: Madison, WI & Minneapolis

We left Chicago Wednesday morning and started our drive to Minneapolis by way of Madison, Wisconsin. Our stops in Madison included a restaurant to try deep fried cheese curds and Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream for delicious Wisconsin-made ice cream. And don't forget a stop at a cheese house!

What our walk through the streets of Madison looked like for a few minutes. Super Dad!

Cheese heads!

Cute road trip buddy!

One of the 2 naps Colin took during all 1,900 miles we drove on our trip

 We got to Minneapolis later that night, and the next day met up with the Robisons to explore the Mall of America. AWESOME! One of our first stops in the mall was to Brookstone to try out some massage chairs. Even Colin got in on the action.

The babies, on the other hand, had to sit and watch :)

Another part of the mall includes a huge amusement park. Colin got to pick 2 rides, and he had a great time.

Katie and I with Isla and Kiri, who is 17 days older than Isla. Those babies are so cute (and both love their fingers)!

I think the Lego store was the favorite store for both Colin and Matt

Colin fell in love with Kiri and just couldn't get enough of her while we were there. He kept giving her feet kisses (just like he does with Isla), and basically wouldn't leave her alone. I assured him when they both grew up he could marry her ;)

And then Friday morning we headed home. We stopped for a bit in both Des Moines and Kansas City, then got home late that night. The kids did great pretty much the whole time, but Colin and I both have an even deeper appreciation for the iPad now. In fact, our trip was so great, we can't wait to start planning our next one!

Aug. 2013 Roadtrip Part 1: St. Louis & Chicago

We started our trip off really early Sunday morning, and drove to St. Louis. We went to the gateway arch...

We didn't ride the little elevator (replica seen above) up to the top because it was an hour long excursion, not to mention the long wait, but we looked around the museum and walked around outside and under the arch.

Next stop, we went to Crown Candy Kitchen for lunch, made famous by Man vs. Food because of their "5 malts in 30 minutes" challenge. It was an interesting little joint, but maybe not worth all the hype :)

And then we went to Grant's Farm (owned by Anheuser Busch {free beer with your entrance! ;)} and named after Ulysses S. Grant). You go on a little tram ride through many acres full of over 100 different species of animals. After the tram ride, they have a small zoo and other attractions  where Colin thoroughly enjoyed bottle feeding the goats!

Monday we drove the rest of the way to Chicago to spend a few days with our awesome friends, the Bagwells! Colin loved playing with his new friends, Millie and Louis, and we all loved seeing some of the sites, and spending time with Buck and Niki, just like the old Provo days :)

backyard water fun

trying out the awesomely giant carts at target

train ride to the city!

The Bean

Top of the ferris wheel at Navy Pier (where I learned that Matt doesnt like heights)

We also ate at a Chicago classic, Portillos, and of course experienced Chicago-style pizza. Yum! And have you heard of Chicago-mix gourmet popcorn? Combination of caramel and cheese. I can't say it's my new favorite, but it was worth a try, especially while in the awesome city of Chicago!