All Over Illinois!

Kathleen was literally all over Illinois last week. She flew into Peoria and then visited Kewanee, Bloomington, Dwight, Joliet (okay, that was just lunch), and Morton. She's a well-travelled little girl, that's for sure. But Kathleen didn't just see lots of Illinois, she saw lots of people!

For one, Kathleen got to see her Grandma and Grandpa Golby in Kewanee.

Plus, Grandma and Grandpa Golby organized a lovely open-house event, so Kathleen got to see a lot of extended family, too. While we were in Kewanee, we stayed with the Gustafsons, so Kathleen got to see her cousins, Matt, Ali, and Lizzie. Kathleen had lots of fun playing with the vanity at their house. I can only imagine how much time she'll spend getting ready when she's sixteen, since she has spent a considerable amount of time playing at it already!

Kathleen thinks her cousins are the best entertainment ever. When we went to pick her cousins up from school, Kathleen was getting a little fussy. But when they piled into the van, she lit up like a Christmas tree.

After staying in Kewanee for a few days, we headed to Bloomington, so that Mommy and Daddy could go to Tom and Lannie Boswell's wedding. On our way there, we stopped at Tanner's Orchard, so we could have a full autumn experience. Kathleen checked out the pumpkins, discovered that she adores apple cider, and fed some goats.

The fun continued for Kathleen. While Mommy and Daddy went to the rehearsal dinner and the wedding, Kathleen stayed first with Aunt Angela, and then with the Stewarts. Aunt Katherine, Uncle Eric, Sarah, Ethan, and Melissa Stewart came to Bloomington from Dwight and spent the whole day with Kathleen. She even took her first trip to the zoo!

(Special thanks to cousin Sarah, who spent the night at the hotel with us, so that Mommy and Daddy could stay and dance at the reception.)

From Bloomington, we headed up to Dwight, so Kathleen could continue playing with the Stewarts. Upon arriving at the Stewarts', Kathleen was excited to discover not one, but two dogs! It really was Kathleen's own version of heaven. Our time in Dwight was too short, but long enough for Tim, Shannan, and Megan McFadden to stop by for a visit.

We met friends Paul and Alison Krattiger for lunch in Joliet, then stopped back in Dwight before heading to stay with Aunt Angela in Morton. We flew out the next morning, narrowly missing the storm that closed down Denver airport (which was one of our layovers). Wow! We're tired just typing about all that!