We just finished our 3rd day of driving and we are exhausted. We’re over the hump, though. Two more days to go!

Yesterday we drove from Cheyenne, Wyoming to Council Bluffs, Iowa. The highlight of that day was our stopover in North Platte, Nebraska where we went to the Fort Cody Trading Post. I liked this store because it reminded me of so many times on vacations growing up that my family would stop at one of these places in the middle of nowhere for a break. There were things to buy like moccasins, raccoon hats, toy guns, key chains, and tons of other funky little things. I remember looking at all the cool stuff with my brother Mark and we would all try and find a cheap souvenir to take home. What was also nice about this spot was that since it was a fort, there was a totally enclosed space outside where Nathan could run around and get all his two-year-old energy out. He had all kinds of fun things to explore like a tepee, covered wagons, a giant 40-foot indian, a jailhouse, and lots of rocks. Since it was all fenced in, Rob and I could just sit back and watch him be curious. It was great. Another stop we made was to Mormon Island State Park. I don’t know what the significance of the place was, but it was very pretty with lots of large trees and hills. One thing we learned this day…it is NOT a good idea to bring BBQ back to the hotel room and try to eat dinner there without a high chair…

Today we drove from Council Bluffs, Iowa to Tinley Park, Illinois (just outside of Chicago). It was a long day where not much went according to schedule, but we’re fine and we made it. The good news is that Nate slept for a whole hour in the car!! That’s twice as long as ever before, if you can believe it. We’re excited to make a trip into Chicago tomorrow for a couple of hours and will let everyone know how it goes.

Love you all!