Our First Roadtrip

Hello there America!  Okay, so not everyone in America is reading this blog...but they should!  Isaac and I wanted to tell you all about a trip our parents took us on about two weeks ago.  It ROCKED!  Mom and Dad took us all over the world (it seemed like it at least).  We kept a journal in the backseat during the trip and Isaac said it was okay if I shared it (though he tore out page 11, something about a fiery butt and something he ate, I couldn't read it after that).

So, without further ado, here is our journal:

Pretrip - Hey, we are going on a trip!  Dad just came and told us we will be going to 5 different states, so we asked him what a state was.  He told us.  Then he said, we will be visiting the St. Louis Arch, so we asked him what the St. Louis Arch was.  He told us.  He said we were going to see the horse that won the Belmont Stakes.  We asked what a horse was (and then asked what the Belmont Stakes might be).  Dad didn't answer this time, he looked kinda pissed at all the questions.  Eli and I just laughed.  Got em!  Dad was fine after that.  We are just excited to go see some of mom's family in Kentucky and then see Uncle Russ and Aunt Andi in Nashville.  That also means seeing our cousins Tyler, Ian, and ?.  Sweet.

Day 1 - What the heck man!  Mom and Dad loaded us into the car at 3:30a.m. to start the trip.  Ummm, hello, middle of the night?  Sleep?  Cranky?  Anything of these things ringing a bell?  Actually, we were so darn tired, that Isaac and I slept all the way to St. Louis before getting up around 7:30.  We got to eat at McDonalds and then Mom and Dad took us to the St. Louis Arch for some pictures, aren't we cute? The rest of the day was a blur.  We raced through Illinois, Indiana, and into Kentucky before pulling into  our final destination around 5 in the evening.  It was a long, long day for us.  Isaac and I were tired.  I bet Mom and Dad were tired too though.  So, we took it easy on them that night.  We let our relatives Gladie and J.D., and Sarah, and Kathryn, and Jordan, and Marisa hold us and look at us while Mom and Dad got a quick break.  But we also had someone more our size.  Ella just smiled at us, and fed us, and held us and just gave us lots of love.  She was awesome.  And she is only 6 years old!

Ella with Eli in Versailles, KY

Day 2 - We are starting the morning off by going to Winstar Farms.  Mom and Dad told us how their good friend (and now OUR good friend) Daryl from our Church set us up with a private tour of the farm.  This is the farm that produced the Kentucky Derby winner SuperSaver and the Belmont winner Dorselmeyer.  We got to tour the whole dang place.  Saw the stallion barn, the mares and foals barn, the brand new track and training facility, and the main office.  Pretty darn cool.  Later that day we went and visited our mom's friend Emily in Georgetown, Kentucky.  Met some cool students from other countries and then made a trip to see one of mom's friends from her old job, Sonya.  We had a great time there too.  Got to hang with Sonya, Chuck, and their daughter Audrey.

The Boys with the Kentucky Derby Trophy at Winstar Farms

Sonya, Audrey, and Kristi with the boys

Day 3 - Today was a moving day.  We hung out at the house in Versailles in the morning, visiting, smiling, and see some more friends, the Etherington's.  We really love it when people come out to see us, makes us feel important.  Dad says that is why Isaac has such a big head (literally) because it swelled up with his ego.  I don't know about that.  I know I am pretty much the coolest kid ever, and my head is still pretty small.  Maybe Dad is just trying to pull the wool over our eyes (and if so, ouch, that stuff is scratchy).  Anyway, we stopped in Lexington at a fun pizza place for lunch with Emily before heading for Nashville.  Mom and Dad seemed a little worn out so we decided to sleep for awhile.  On the way to Nashville we stopped at a cool restaurant called the Whistle Stop.  It was in Glendale, KY.  And, holy cow, the pie!  We saw mom and dad each ordered a piece of pie.  Now, I had Isaac start kicking up a storm, and while they weren't looking, I stole a taste of peanut butter pie.  Yummmy.   Then I played the greatest prank of my life (so far!) by taking a scoop of the chocolate pie and putting it my diaper.  Then I started crying, and Mom and Dad had to deal with me while Isaac got to steal some pie.  We work pretty well as a team.  Then, after about 4 hours, we finally pulled into Nashville.  Aunt Andi and Uncle Russ were excited to see us.  We got to hang out with our cousins Tyler and Ian that night.  It was great!  Okay, we are tired, goodnight all.

Our cousins, Tyler and Ian holding us in Nashville, they are strong!!

Day 4 - Breakfast at Lovelace Cafe.  Oh my, the biscuits!  My biscuits were warm and soft...Why are mom and dad laughing at me?  Oh, I get it, my biscuits...haha.  Anyway, it was a great breakfast.  After that, we went back to the house so we could nap and Dad and Uncle Russ could work on a playset for our cousins.  And then in the afternoon, we went to Adventure Science City.  It was great place for kids, though we weren't quite big enough to do the activities, but we will be soon, so watch out Nashville, we will be back!!!  We finished the day by going to a Mexican restaurant.  Isaac and I declined ordering some tacos, those things tear us up and sometimes we stink out the room, so we spared everyone this time.

Day 5 - The trip home!  We don't remember much about the trip home, other than it was long, hot, and tiring (those were mom's words actually). Dad was stoked when we stopped in Columbia and he took us to his favorite restaurant and bar when he was in college.  It is called the Old Heidelberg, and it was great!  I mean, how many other 2 month old kids can say they were hangin in a bar in Columbia on a Saturday, chatting up the chicks?  We can!  Then we took some pictures by the famous columns and tried to get home, but a massive storm stopped us for about an hour near Boonville.  But we finally made it.  The trip was great!!!!!

Okay, this was a long post.  I hope you enjoyed the photos.  We had a great time and thank you to all our relatives who made us feel welcome.  We hope to make at least an annual trip to Kentucky and Tennessee.