Peoria in July

Just pics for now....

OK! Dev's taking a nap, so I get a chance to catch up. (On blogging anyway)

We piled in Ga-Ga's car for the trip, every inch of that Honda was filled! Our goal was to leave the Ville' at 8:00am, so Matt could play 18 holes with his Dad.

Official time of departure: 7:58...not bad.

Super-easy drive, with one short pit stop and a "picnic," in the car.

Luckily, we beat this weather...


The Indigo Bunting. My first sighting...this dad was pretty mad at me for taking pictures...


of his babies.


I guess everyone else in the Peoria area decided to golf, so the girls had some time to kill before dinner.

Grandma helped Devin put on a necklace...a very cool froggy.


Then, they were off to pick green beans. These aren't just any beans. These are, "Grandma's Beans." Just picked off the bush and quite possibly, the best I've ever tasted.





We lost count of how many Devin ate. I think 2-3 full Cups wouldn't be an exaggeration. Eventually, we turned down her request for "more," thinking she would get a stomach ache.



I mean, she'd already had 2 ears of corn and some cheeseburger.



The boys had a great time golfing, but gave up due to slow play and hunger!! We had a wonderful cheeseburger dinner (with beef from the farm).

The clouds got worse and eventually it stormed. Lots of rain (3" according the gauge) & very loud lighting/thunder. Devin had an awful time getting back to sleep and screamed her head off at 4 o'clock on the am. We tried to take her downstairs, but once we did she screamed to get back in bed. (Repeat times 10)

Then, she was screaming for her "binky wash" like 5 million times. I obliged 10-15 times, dutifully "washing" her binkies in the sink and handing them back. (This all started during a spring cold. Her snot was getting on the binkies and we had to do a "binky wash)

Eventually, I laid down in the bed near her crib (refused the toddler bed) and let her scream.

Sorry everyone. Eventually, the actual storm and the Devin storm passed & we slept.

The rain stopped just in time for a trip to:

Wildlife Prairie Park

Your life isn't complete until you've seen the "Elkmobile."

The storm must have kept the animals up all night, too. Most critters were fast asleep and difficult/impossible to see. This was fine with me, as I appreciate the privacy the habitat gives them. But, Devin was wondering where the animals were...




The bear was the most active animal we saw...Devin liked seeing it and talks about the, "BIG bear!"


The good news is, they had a choo-choo. Which makes the trip 110% awesome for Devin.


Turns out, our best looks at wildlife came in R&A's neighborhood. We saw the fox up close on our way out in the morning. When we returned from lunch, these 3 were in the back yard.

Makes me sad, in a way. All the housing developments have clearly disrupted some long-established animal homes. (We saw this in St. Louis) They thrive on everyone's birdseed, trash, and expensive annuals.


Couldn't get enough bean picking/eating.


One of her favorite tricks....JUMPING!!!!

Check out my awesome new camera's ability to stop action.




I think if Ray had played for 2 hours, she may have sat still for the duration. Listening to live piano is mesmerizing.


My stomach overtook my brain and I forgot to get pictures of our amazing Saturday night dinner. Ann fixed a standing rib roast from the farm...pretty much our all-time favorite dinner. (I think it would be my "last meal.") All the fixins' of course & Ray made Peach Cobbler.

Dinner & wine (D2) led to ping pong & pool. Followed by Scrabble. We ended up keeping score, even though my score prediction ESP was 100% accurate.

Ray: 300

Everyone Else: not 300.

We had a great day, but everyone was tired. Thankfully, we had a thunder-less night....




Pa-Pa cooked pancakes while Devin found her new favorite game. Well, that and the fishing game. She's just beginning to learn about taking turns in a game. She loves smashing the ice with Gramma.



We got back on the road to home Sunday morning. The weather was perfect...very cool and crisp for mid-July. Another super-easy drive home.

Record time with the wind at our backs.