Our Family Road Trip Continues (M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I)

Yesterday, We spent a good portion of our day in Shreveport, Louisiana, where we enjoyed lunch at Cheeburger Cheeburger (Yes, really. I couldn't resist the name, and it was a great family restaurant experience - I'll write a real review sometime soon).  After that, we took the kids to Sci-Port, which is a large science/kids' museum nestled on the Red River.  If the weather hadn't been so bitterly cold, we probably would have checked out the steamboat ride, but it appeared to be dormant, waiting for a warmer day.

We drove into Jackson, Missisissippi last night, where I sit writing this now.  If I had it to do over again, I would have stopped in Vicksburg instead, since it sits right on the Mississippi River, right at the state line between the two states.  According to our GPS, the state line is actually in the middle of the river itself.  Vicksburg looked so charming and clean and it had some interesting attractions, so we may actually backtrack a bit and check it out more today.

After arriving in Jackson last night, we had dinner at Keifer's (review also forthcoming).  It's basically the best Greek restaurant in the area, which may not be saying a lot by itself, but their success is well-deserved.  We're staying at a Hampton Inn, which is nice enough, although I wonder why the ceiling in the bathroom is only seven feet.  :)

Our baby, Jenny, remains supremely good and non-fussy, which is part of the reason that the trip so far has been a breeze.  She barely cried at all yesterday, which is a blessing in and of itself.  The timing also worked out well, since she recently started walking, and she is really enjoying exploring new areas and places.

I had a sudden revelation last night that we will be visiting every state capital in the four states we see during our trip, which is at least moderately cool, right?

Here are some of the funniest/cutest quotes from my children (and one from my wife Pam) during the car ride:

In Shreveport, they have some lovely murals on some of the downtown buildings.  Abby said, "I like the murals.  Maybe WE can make a mural on some buildings.  But not on our house, because we live inside our house.  We can't paint the walls." 

Abby later saw a couple of "No Right Turn" signs, and she exclaimed, "Look, there are NO arrows allowed, Dad!  It says No Arrows Allowed."  This actually seems pretty intuitive for a girl who's not quite four. 

Later, when we were trying to find a place to eat, Abby observed that "We have a big family, so we need a big car.  We won't fit in a small white car with a blue flag on it."  Indeed.  I have no idea where she saw a small white car with a blue flag on it, or if she just made it up.  Either way, it was funny to me.

When we crossed the river into Mississippi, my wife said, "Part of the mystery of Mississippi is wondering what ever happened to Mister Sippi."  Yes, it's a groaner, but clever nonetheless.

My son responded with this original joke of his own:

Q. Why is Mississippi like a Martian?

A. Because it has four eyes! (Think about it.)

Thanks for reading!  Next stop: Birmingham, Alabama