Illinois Vacation

We found some cheap tickets to Chicago that we couldn't pass up.  My mom came with us also. Chris was nice enough to pick us up late at night and drive us to his house 2.5 hours away in Dunlap.  We had such a great time!  On Thursday, we went to the Caterpillar Visitor Center.  Jace got to go inside some big tractors and pretend to drive.  They also had tractor simulations you could play.  We also went to see the Illinois River.  On Friday, we visited Tanners Orchard.  We had apple doughnuts and went to the playground.  It was such a fun playground.  Jace got to ride on a pony, ride pedal cars with Amos, play in a little hay maze, and play in a real bus, truck, tractor, and wooden boat and plane.  On Saturday, we drove to Nauvoo which is about 2 hours from Dunlap.  In Nauvoo, we went on a wagon ride pulled by oxen, visited the bakery, the cultural hall, the brick maker, the gunsmith, and the print shop.  We got yummy lunch at a café and visited some shops. On Sunday, we went to church and went on a walk.  The trail was covered in trees.  The trees were starting to change colors when we were there.  They are very vibrant orange and red.  I wish our trees in Utah looked like them. On Monday, we went on a walk around the neighborhood and went to a nearby park.  On Tuesday, Memorie and the kids drove us back to Chicago for our flight home.  We had a little bit of time before our flight so we visited Navy Pier to see Lake Michigan.  We also got deep dish Chicago pizza at Giordanno's for lunch. Jace was great on the airplane both times.  The Deas were great hosts. Memorie made us yummy dinners, and Jace loved playing with his cousins. I'm so glad we went.