Two weeks ago we set off for Missouri - a 17 hour, 1090 mile trip. Here are our kiddos in the car, in no particular order. They're smiling because we hadn't yet discovered that the DVD player was broken

Emi's first road trip!

This one made me take her picture half a dozen times before I got a decent shot,

But this one posed willingly :)

And this guy couldn't get any cuter if he tried, IMHO :)

Our drive took us thru West Virginia, Kentucky, Indianna, and Illinois -4 states we had never been in before. At a Kentucky rest stop, the kids spotted out this cool looking moth:

It's dead of course (see the big piece missing from it's wing right above my thumb?) But I took a picture anyway, planning to look up it's name when we got home. Um yeah, haven't done that yet  If any of my illustrious readers can name it, they'll win, um...well,... something cool for sure . I'll spare you the pics of the dead cicadas littering the ground. Crunch, crunch.

We made it to Louisville, KY the first night, and after eating at The Old Spaghetti Factory  we went to the Waterfront Park  - it was so cool! If you're ever in the area I highly recommend it. There was TONS of playground equipment and a Splash Park all in one big area (probably an acre or more) with plenty of seating for parents. I know what you're thinking, but it was surprisingly un-overwhelming considering it's size and the amount of kids there. There are grown-up things too, if you find yourself sans children.

One of the playgrounds.

We did not feel like digging though our suitcases for bathing suits,

so we got a little wet.

Not the best shot, I know. But I have this thing for bridges and train trestles - I don't know why. The park is along the Ohio River (get it - Waterfront?), So those houses you see on the other side are in Ohio, a state we unfortunately didn't get to visit on this trip.

So that's it for day 1. Stay tuned for Part II - St Loius, MO here we come!

*Edited to add: good catch, Kathy D.! That is indeed the Ohio River, but that is INDIANA on the other side, NOT Ohio. And I'm sorry we missed you, maybe next time... :)

Posted by barrellfullofmonkeys

I'm so sad I missed you!! I live just outside of Louisville in Indiana! We visit the Waterfront splash park as much as possible. It's a fantastic park, our kids favorite. (By the way, if you took that bridge picture while in Louisville, you're looking at Indiana. It's the Big 4 bridge. They're planning on making it a pedestrian bridge within the next couple of years.) The moth looks like an Io moth. The males are beautiful, the females are a dull reddish brown color. Maybe I could win a postcard from Tennesse :)

Kathy D.

Posted by sahmto4orMore

We have a bridge just like that in Little Rock and they are making a playground and splash area down by it right now. I can't wait for it to open.

I'm looking forward to part 2!