Greetings From Michigan!

Greetings from Michigan!  Snow is on the forecast for today and our family is just lounging around in PJ's all morning.  The baking itch is hitting me.  Lots of people here to eat it so maybe I will indulge myself.

I'll be honest, I was extremely nervous about a 15+ hour car ride with 3 itty bitty kids.  We're pretty adventuresome, but that long of a car ride just seemed like a nervous break down in the making.

But can I give a huge shout out for the grace of God, a hubby who can rig a mini TV in our van, and the world's best travelers for children?!!!  I was seriously so proud of them.  

Would you believe I actually got to relax for once?!  I read magazines {Thank you Tammy!}, talked uninterrupted with the hubs, cat napped, ate cookies with no limitations, knitted, {catching up from last Thanksgiving} and listened to this new CD.

I'm getting hopeful we can save and plan a trip overseas now....maybe a lofty goal?  But I want my kids to learn to be flexible and love travel as much as mommy and daddy.  

You name a place.  We want to live there or at least go see it.

We stopped only twice on the 10.5 hr. drive to Indianapolis.  TWICE people!
We are looking at a super happy and proud parenting moment here.  

{Our lunch stop in the heart of Indiana.}

Can I give you a little secret?  If you have girls about my girls' age and you want to keep them occupied in the car, go up to Wal Mart and get these little $2 Princess Sticker/coloring tablets near the card section of the store.  Steven picked 2 up for me and it kept the girls entertained for HOURS.  He is a genius.

Let's check out the goods...

The hubs and decided to go redneck and took the middle seat out of our van and turned it into a camper of sorts.  We have a huge cooler stocked full of food...and you know my kids love food.  We have lots of kid-sized blankets.  We have mommy's knitting spilling out everywhere.  We have a newspaper basket full of DVD's, book, and toys.  And last but not least, that fuzzy baby blue part at the bottom of the picture is our mini tv Steven rigged.  We thought it was better than those travel DVD players because the sound can be played much louder.  

Anyone else have a hearing issue with the travel DVD players?  

Oh, and Emma is holding one of those princess tablets.  If you're traveling with girls, go get one!

I quickly began having a love affair with Indiana countryside.  

It made it to my list of places I want to live - for at least a summer - before I die.

The city was pretty cool too...

We went here...

...the evening we stayed in Indianapolis.  Mommy got her fill of J.Crew. ;-)

Met up late that night for pizza in the city with our good friend Eliott...

Me and my girls...

The next morning I took Keller outside for more pictures.  The morning was overcast and I had a photography itch to scratch after being in the car for so many hours. 

Elliott gave us a tour of the mission where he works...

Then, lunch in the city at P.F. Changs...

 {Shiloh lovin' some egg roll!}

{Keller tryin' some lime wedges.}

 {Emma coloring her heart out.}

More driving...and now we're here!