April 15, 2010 - Illinois visit

So cute!

Riley had fun playing with Grandpa Leon's tractors

Great Grandma Annetta and Riley

Fun with Grandma Cheryl

Grandpa Leon took me on a real tractor ride!

A little playmate! Cousin Kendall is just a few months younger than Riley

She's really in to dolls these days, and Grandma Cheryl had plenty of those

This was Grandma Cathy's little rocking chair!

Mommy, Riley and Great Aunt Winnie

She couldn't crawl in her dress, so she improvised.

The family on Easter

Playing with Grandma Cathy

Riley breezed past the eggs on her way to the dirt

At the Burdzilauskas house she had quite an audience to cheer her on

Cousin Sophie tried to explain that she was supposed to be hunting for eggs

Is this one?

Great Grandma Charlotte, Riley, Mommy and Great Grandpa John

Aunt Amy said I could do it!

Riley, Lizzie and Mackenzie in the Avanti's kitchen at the Children's Discovery Museum

Smocks to keep them *relatively* dry at the water station

Riley, Mackenzie, Lizzie, Jen and Heather

Amy at her exit seminar - she now has a Ph.D. in Animal Sciences from U of I!

Dr. Kelly pushing Riley around in a laundry basket. Yes, this requires an advanced degree.

Hanging with Grandpa Kelly in my bunny ears

Aunt Amy, Riley, Grandpa Kelly and Mommy

I had a wonderful time in Illinois!!!

We had a great visit with family and friends in IL. The 3 of us traveled back a few days before Easter and enjoyed spending the holiday with our families. Riley wasn't very interested in egg hunts, she much preferred to play in the grass and dirt.

Chad left a few days after Easter (someone has to fund this party!) while Riley and I stayed in Normal for another week. My roommate from college, Heather Sidman, brought her daughters Lizzie (4) and Mackenzie (20 months) from Chicago to Normal for a visit. We went to the Children's Discovery Museum where the girls had a fantastic time. It was great to catch up with them.

On Friday I went to Amy's exit seminar. She had defended her dissertation work the week before and gave a fascinating presentation on Chronic Wasting Disease, a prion (pronounced ˈprē-ˌän) disease affecting deer. She was an excellent speaker and fielded the questions with ease. I am so proud of her accomplishment!

In some ways this trip was more difficult than others because Riley is comfortable with her routine at home. Every few days we went to a new house and she was always very stimulated and needed to check out her new surroundings. After Chad left she became very clingy to Mommy, obviously upset at Daddy's departure. It didn't help that a new tooth popped through near the end of our trip, I imagine that was causing a lot of pain. So she wasn't quite her usual easy-going self that we're used to. But we still had a lot of fun and we're so happy we got to spend time with everyone.

I was nervous about the plane ride home since it was just Riley and I but she was an absolute angel, it was her best flight ever. She got many compliments, I was even stopped in baggage claim by appreciative passengers. Chad met us at the airport and she was so happy to see her Daddy, her excitement and happiness was absolutely priceless. And I'm now getting a break; after a week of Mommy-clinginess, she is all about Daddy!