Our Thanksgiving Vacation
We've just returned from a week away for Thanksgiving...
Starting last Sunday morning, bright and early.... well, not really bright since it was 4:00 a.m.! We drove through South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, and finally Illinois on our way to my sister's house in Champaign, Illinois. My parents joined us all there two days later.
Everyone still had work and school through Wednesday, so we ventured out a bit on our own.
Monday was rainy, and most of the indoor places were closed (as seems typical on a Monday!). We concentrated on getting ourselves settled, and took the boys to the mall a few times. They are fortunate to have there not only a kids play area, but also a carousel! That was so much fun!
Tuesday was just overcast, so we drove about an hour to Bloomington, Illinois. Our destination there was Miller Park Zoo. The boys especially enjoyed the sea lion feeding and training. In fact I think they would have thought the trip worth it if that was all they had seen!
After leaving the zoo, we decided to drive along part of Historic Route 66. We wound up at a little town called Atlanta. Greg got a kick out of seeing the giant Paul Bunyan statute. The boys got a kick out of the historic grain elevator, and the railroad car sitting next to it. So I guess you can say, "We got our kicks on Route 66!"
Wednesday, Greg needed to spend some serious time working on homework, so Pop Pop and I took the boys to the Children's Museum in Decatur, Illinois. The Museum was a lot of fun. The boys always like the pretend grocery stores a lot! Just be careful driving through downtown Decatur. There's a big factory there, and depending on what they are processing, it can really stink! They must have been processing dog food when we were there. Yuck.
Thursday was the big Thanksgiving day. We all contributed something to the meal, and it was great! Kristine made these amazing stuffed oranges. Alan made some of the best stuffing I've ever tasted! And Mom Mom made pies. Ahh pies! Especially pecan!!!
Friday we just did this and that. Mom Mom, Kristine, and I went for a little bit of shopping in the morning. But after the first store, we decided not to wait in the massive lines in the other stores. I went out to a WalMart later, and found that the one way outside of town was no busier than a regular weekday! Note for future Black Friday shopping days!
Saturday we drove home, and were happy to sleep in our own beds again. Everyone slept so well.
We did discover a key to driving long distances with kids. Although it might be nice to stop at a Cracker Barrel or something for lunch, it really doesn't work well with a preschooler and a toddler who have been cooped up all day. They want to move. But there's not much running around to be done in a restaurant.
So we looked for fast-food places with indoor play-areas. Usually means McDonalds. We can always pick up food elsewhere, but at least the kids have a chance to burn off some energy. In warmer weather, a picnic at a nice rest stop would work well too.
I've put pictures up on our website. Go to http://www.theleibys.com and click on Thanksgiving.
Starting last Sunday morning, bright and early.... well, not really bright since it was 4:00 a.m.! We drove through South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, and finally Illinois on our way to my sister's house in Champaign, Illinois. My parents joined us all there two days later.
Everyone still had work and school through Wednesday, so we ventured out a bit on our own.
Monday was rainy, and most of the indoor places were closed (as seems typical on a Monday!). We concentrated on getting ourselves settled, and took the boys to the mall a few times. They are fortunate to have there not only a kids play area, but also a carousel! That was so much fun!
Tuesday was just overcast, so we drove about an hour to Bloomington, Illinois. Our destination there was Miller Park Zoo. The boys especially enjoyed the sea lion feeding and training. In fact I think they would have thought the trip worth it if that was all they had seen!
After leaving the zoo, we decided to drive along part of Historic Route 66. We wound up at a little town called Atlanta. Greg got a kick out of seeing the giant Paul Bunyan statute. The boys got a kick out of the historic grain elevator, and the railroad car sitting next to it. So I guess you can say, "We got our kicks on Route 66!"
Wednesday, Greg needed to spend some serious time working on homework, so Pop Pop and I took the boys to the Children's Museum in Decatur, Illinois. The Museum was a lot of fun. The boys always like the pretend grocery stores a lot! Just be careful driving through downtown Decatur. There's a big factory there, and depending on what they are processing, it can really stink! They must have been processing dog food when we were there. Yuck.
Thursday was the big Thanksgiving day. We all contributed something to the meal, and it was great! Kristine made these amazing stuffed oranges. Alan made some of the best stuffing I've ever tasted! And Mom Mom made pies. Ahh pies! Especially pecan!!!
Friday we just did this and that. Mom Mom, Kristine, and I went for a little bit of shopping in the morning. But after the first store, we decided not to wait in the massive lines in the other stores. I went out to a WalMart later, and found that the one way outside of town was no busier than a regular weekday! Note for future Black Friday shopping days!
Saturday we drove home, and were happy to sleep in our own beds again. Everyone slept so well.
We did discover a key to driving long distances with kids. Although it might be nice to stop at a Cracker Barrel or something for lunch, it really doesn't work well with a preschooler and a toddler who have been cooped up all day. They want to move. But there's not much running around to be done in a restaurant.
So we looked for fast-food places with indoor play-areas. Usually means McDonalds. We can always pick up food elsewhere, but at least the kids have a chance to burn off some energy. In warmer weather, a picnic at a nice rest stop would work well too.
I've put pictures up on our website. Go to http://www.theleibys.com and click on Thanksgiving.
posted by Susan | 12:53 PM
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