Family Vacation #1 In the Books

We recently returned from our first "real" family vacation.  We had traveled a couple of hours away before, but this time we ventured 4,500 miles in a minivan.  Talk about some family bonding time!:) 

I thought about trying to make a trip book on Shutterfly with my 400+ picutres.  Sounds like a nice idea, but in case it goes like my kids' baby books or other picture books I've dreamed of creating, I'm going to document it all in detail here for the time being. 

Day 1:  We started out bright and early and headed for our first stop at the John Deere Museum in Iowa.  Jon laughed because I was munching on our trip treats before we made it out of the driveway.  I justified my actions...1) It was my breakfast.  2) We have a longish driveway.   3) A kid asked, "Are we there yet?" before we even made it to the road, and I started to stress out.  

(I found out later that Jokester-Grandpa had put them up to this.)

I told the kids that we would save the electronic devices for the afternoons and try to do some summer learning/reading/flashcards/alternate activities during the morning drives.  

That went as planned for the first hour.  However, by 9:00 a.m. of the first day, we had succumbed to this...

Scott had high hopes and as we were walking into the John Deere Pavilion he said, "I hope that we see an articulated quadruple track grader."  Ummm...yeah...let me know when you spot it, Scott.  ??!?  

He informed me that they did not have one on site, but they did have several other cool machines to explore and climb on.  

They even had a few simulation machines in which you could try to drive an excavator, bulldozer, or backhoe.  We laughed as we watched our totals for machine damage go higher and higher as we bumped into fences and dumpsters.  Scott would like for me to note that he did not cause equipment damage while driving the bulldozer.  

It was a fun, first stop.  Free, air conditioned, on the way, and perfect for our tractor-loving son!

Shortly after leaving, we were trying to find a place for lunch.  I was navigating and Jon was driving in traffic.  He then said a line that haunted me the rest of the trip.  He needed to make a turn and I was supposed to tell him which direction.  It doesn't help that I am directionally-challenged, plus Siri kept screaming, "RECALCULATING" every two seconds at me.  I was panicking and couldn't figure it out.  Jon said, "But honey, YOU are looking at the map!"   For some reason, the kids thought Jon's line was hilarious and kept repeating it to me throughout the remainder of our vacation.  :/

Jon was excited to spot a KFC Buffet for dinner.  The girls requested a picture with Colonel Sanders.  :)  

We ended almost every night with a trip to the pool. 

This first pool was one of the kids' favorites since it had a waterfall separating their indoor/outdoor pool area.

Squeeze!  The three rascals shared a bed each night, and they discovered that Kate likes to kick and do acrobatics during her sleep.  I think they were all grateful to return to their own beds at home after 10 nights of snuggling.