We loaded up a rental car for a trek to Wisconsin to see the great grandparents. Despite having told myself I'd limit our drives to six hours, I knew I'd be disappointed if I missed this trip. It had been a couple years since EJ had seen them all and was the perfect opportunity to introduce them to her little brother.

cj in the middle

After a twelve hour drive we made it to Chicago. The majority of our driving was through the night so the kids got to wake up to the windy city. We stretched our legs a bit along Shoreline Drive before we completed our last three hours to see the great grandparents.

the windy city

 We arrived in Appleton and stayed in the house my mother had grown up in.

meeting great grandma

two peas in a pod

great grandpa

After visiting my mom's parent's we headed to my cousins wedding at a beautiful farm on the border of WI and MN.

a picture with the "princess"

exploring the garden

The last stop on our road trip was Madison, WI to visit my dad's family. GiGi was as spry as ever at 96 years young. She played ring around the rosy (even fell at the end) with EJ and cooed with CJ.

four generations

EJ met aunts and uncles she never realized she had and could tell she was wondering why she had never met these wonderful relatives before.

picking raspberries with uncle steve

We stopped in Chicago one last time before the long leg of our drive home. We were thrilled to find out that the Shed Aquarium provides free admission to military and their family. The Beluga Whales were her favorite. It was a great place to spend a few or a lot of hours.

checking out the map

watching the fish

After 2,500 miles on the road, I can still say I'd be happy to make the trip again and hope to soon!