Our Mini-Vacation

Last week a wonderful thing happened. After not going on any trips for two years, we took a mini vacation. It was a whirlwind, to say the least, but it was well worth it.
We visited with family and friends in the Quad Cities (Moline, IL area). Yes, laugh it up. Hubby and I met in the Quad Cities and we now have quadruplets. Keep laughing... the area used to be called the Quint Cities, but apparently East Moline doesn't hold rank any more.
We made the decision to make the 12 hour drive there overnight. It worked out, to an extent. We avoided construction and truckers. We only had to make two stops... one for gas and potty, the other just for potty. Hubby was exhausted when we reached our destination. I was exhausted, too. I managed to sleep in the car... in 10 minute intervals. Every time I would fall asleep I would be awakened by "MOOOOOOM.... are we there, yet?!" Let's just say Wednesday night I fell into a coma very early in the evening and slept for a looooong time.
We only spent two full days in the Quad Cities, but it was nice to visit with family and friends who we don't see very often. We went to the local zoo where we rode the train, rode the carousel, rode the ponies and fed the lorikeets. Our zoo has a lorikeet feeding area, too, but apparently our birds are spoiled. The birds in the Quad Cities acted like they had never been fed, hence the pictures of Hubby covered in lorikeets.
We also had the chance to visit the local children's museum and the John Deere Pavilions, where there are tons of tractors, combines, etc. to climb on. (Moline is the home of John Deere). Oh, and Hubby's friend who is a firefighter gave us a fantastic tour of one of the fire stations, even letting the girls climb on the trucks.
Now it's back to reality...