Day 2

Our blog hasn't progressed along with our trip like we'd hoped. Once we got out west our cell service has been roaming with no data and in the evenings once the kids are asleep I'm so tired, if not already asleep, too. One child wants it to be completely dark, which means limited screens until he is asleep. It's a quiet afternoon in the hotel so I'll try to catch up a bit.

License plate game: 10 states found

On our second day we got an early start, leaving the hotel at 7:45. We wanted to get to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, Wisconsin before they closed at 4. We arrived at 1:30 and found a picnic table for lunch.
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Part way up there was a votive chapel where we stopped to admire the stained glass images, light a candle & pray. Simeon kept singing "Alleluia" over and over again.  It was really sweet and I was glad that the only other person there was the chapel volunteer who I'm pretty sure enjoyed his singing.

Our Lady of Fatima

Sweet but loud

Along the way we found St. Kateri and St. Joseph the Worker

At the top Simeon was too loud in the church and adoration was going on, so we quickly left.
 
While others stayed in the church for a bit Simeon, Andrew, and I walked over to the Memorial to the Unborn and I prayed for friends who have lost babies too soon and then we walked back down the path while others went further up through the Stations of the Cross.

Mother of the Unborn

...let us run with endurance the race that is set before us

Driving through LaCrosse to our hotel we found a park along the Mississippi River that also had a train, so we stopped to look around.

Our hotel had a microwave and fridge, so we cooked frozen broccoli, macaroni and cheese, and had chicken from the Wal-Mart deli for dinner. Then we headed to the pool so that the kids could burn off some energy before bed. So loud and so fun!