Knoxville Trip June 2012

Road Trip!!! Boy was it a long one, but totally worth it to get to see family. 



 We left Tuesday morning, headed for St. Louis to see my college roomie, eat lunch, and then drive to Metropolis, Illinois, for a pit stop and some SUPER fun. The kids did well staying in the hotel, mainly because I INSISTED on getting two adjoining rooms. Won't ever do it any other way. Nice to be able to put them down and not have to go to bed at 8:00.  (And enjoy a beer. Or two.)

 Obviously, we HAD to go see the giant Superman statue in the town square. I do believe this is what Preston's Heaven looks like. He loved every second there.

 This seems about right, doesn't it???

 Super kids!

Look! Up in the sky! It's Superman's crotch! 

 Stopped at DQ for dinner. Does he look happy or what??

 This meal was one of my favorite parts of the trip- just a nice dinner together as a family.

 We left Metropolis Wednesday morning to head to Knoxville. I had commented about how you can tell how clean a hotel is by the color of your kids' feet after walking on the carpet. Needless to say, the place we stayed was FILTHY. So imagine my horror when I looked into the backseat and saw this.

 I can promise you that they didn't look like this for much of the trip, but it was nice while it lasted!

 We made it! Went to the pool for some fun before the rest of the crew arrived.

 Everyone else came on Thursday, and the cousins had a great time together.

 Awwwwwwwwwww

 Callie's first time swinging all by herself! She may or may not have landed on her head a few times, but hopefully she'll get the hang of it soon.

 Water table = the greatest invention EVER. Sara brought hers, and I bought one the second we got home. A great entertainer for kids!! (And Mommy can sit down. Yes, SIT DOWN!)

 Some beautiful trees I saw on my walks there.

 Friday night we went to Mary Nell's parents' lake house for some swimming, tubing, and dinner. Callie wanted to go have a snack and watch everyone through the windows.

 Who has two thumbs and is pumped for their first tube ride?

 Swinging with Mimi.

 Saturday night their neighborhood had a pool party/potluck dinner. The kids had a great time! (Minus Callie, who was a mess and had to go home less than 10 minutes in.)

 They even had someone making balloon animals- Preston is holding Marjorie's hand because she was scared of him...sweet.

 A sword! (Yes, it IS a sword. Nothing else.)

 The best pic I got of all the cousins. Pretty typical that my kids are the only ones not cooperating!

It was wonderful to be able to see everyone, and we really appreciate The Pruitts letting us invade their home. They were wonderful hosts, and a fabulous time was had by all.

Unfortunately, I did a terrible job getting video footage, but here is the small bit I managed to take.

 We left Sunday and decided to drive all the way home. Over 14 hours in the car isn't exactly a picnic, but we stopped in St. Louis again for a little breather. Thanks, Andrea, for letting us stretch our legs, eat, and destroy your house!

Yes, I'm tired, too. (Out of the 28 hours total we spent in the car, the two of them slept for maybe a combined 4 hours. I do believe we deserve a medal!)