Day 3 Ohio, Indiana, Illinois

Day 3 and the kids have asked today more then the last two combined "ARE WE THERE YET"???? My kids are such good road trippers but 3 long days strapped into the backseat of a car will get the best of travelers antsy. Can't give enough praise to our hotel, fun time swimming, great nights sleep and then a killer FREE breakfast. Kids and I hit the road by 8 and headed the 2+ hours to the Toledo Zoo. Kept time tighter today unlike yesterday so we had 2 hrs to get through a pretty amazing zoo, only did half the zoo but got to see a 16 day old baby elephant (SO CUTE) a white lion, tigers and bears. The primates at this zoo are fantastic, orangoutangs, gorilla, and many others. We were bummed that the Hippo exhibit was under renovation, it was one of our favorite stops last year :( Below are some pictures of our day at the zoo








We made it in good time to Dan & Bete Krause's house just outside Chicago late this afternoon. Kids were so happy to see Dan and Bete, they immediately pulled out all the 70's Fisher Price houses and people and were busy for the next few hours. They are now snuggly tucked in bed and mommy is drinking a well deserved margarita :)


It's been a fun adventure so far. It's funny the things that the kids talk about while in the car for such a long time. Emma wants to know if we can someday drive to Paris so she can visit the Eifel Tower! We talked about how Paris was in France and France is in Europe and that was across an ocean but she still wanted to know if we can drive there :)

I really enjoy having this time with my children, I know most people would be horrified at the thought of getting in a car for 8 + hrs a day and driving half way across the country with a 3 & almost 5 year old but I truly enjoy this time with my children, the days are long, routine is out the window, they eat junk, stay up late, and I'm beat from juggling it all but I'm away from all the distractions of daily life. There is no laundry to fold, meals to cook, errands to run. We are driving through some beautiful countryside exploring America together. We snuggle at night more then normal and if they fall asleep with me in bed they stay there something I fear they will soon not want to do anymore :( I look forward to making road trips across this great country an annual event that I hope we'll all look back on fondly in years to come!