New Winter Clothes

Even though it is only September, it has already been in the 50's and 60's here in Peoria.  (I don't think this is a good sign as far as the weather goes.)  Anyway, I went shopping to get some warm clothes for Anderson, and I think he looks pretty darn adorable. 

Tower Park

Last weekend we decided to head over to Tower Park in Peoria Heights.  Well, actually, first we went to the Lakeview Museum since they were having a free day, but there wasn't very much to see there, so we didn't stay long.  Anyway, we went to Tower Park and it was a pretty awesome view.

 (Guess which one of us was in charge of getting Anderson's socks and jacket?) 

Morton Pumpkin Festival

As a lover of fall, I was super excited when I heard about the Morton Pumpkin Festival.  In case you don't know, Morton (which is a city near Peoria) is the pumpkin capital of the world.  They had rides, a parade, and a lot of other things that Anderson would probably have been more interested in if he were older.  As for me, I had a pumpkin soft serve ice cream cone and it basically made my day. :)

Twenty-nine

It's hard to believe, but I turned 29 this year!  I distinctly remember thinking, not so long ago, that people who were in their 30's were old.  Now, 30 is only 12 short months away; I guess that makes me almost old.  :) 

Anyway, we were in Orlando the weekend before my birthday, so we celebrated at my dad's house with a delicious Publix cake (I can't even describe how much I miss Publix now that I live in Peoria) and a fun time with family.  I guess I'd better party it up this year while I'm still young!

Orlando

So, after being in Peoria for barely a month and a half, we headed back down to Florida.  We were excited to attend a friend's wedding, but I decided to go earlier than Wayne and make a week out of it.  We had a great time!

Here are some of the things that we did:

We ate giant marshmellows!

We went out to eat a lot and had some delicious food!

 

We climbed in a dirty lake to retrieve some random kids' football (and by "we," I mean Wayne):

We went swimming.

We attempted to take a picture with all of the Rich family cousins.

But mostly, we had lots of fun with family!

The Peoria Zoo

Since we're now living in a new place, Wayne and I want to try to get out and see what the city has to offer.  Recently, we decided to check out the Peoria Zoo. 

It was a little pricey, especially because we stayed less than 2 hours.  It was okay, we just think that we've probably been a little spoiled by living in Orlando with its many attractions for so long.  Wayne described it as the "Water Mania of zoos."  (If you're not from Orlando, Water Mania was a pretty crappy, but relatively cheap, water park that eventually closed down.)  That sounds a little mean, but there just didn't seem to be too much to see.  They did have a really nice, new area that was pretty cool, so we'll probably go again when Anderson gets a little older.  Unfortunately, he was tired and cranky during our zoo experience.  Still, it was fun to get out and check out something new!

Love

I love this guy a bunch:

Well, both of them, but in this case I meant the older one.  He works hard and puts up with me and I think he's pretty great. 

I just love him.  So, I made him this:

Messes

Anderson makes a lot of messes these days.  Ever since he mastered crawling and using furniture to pull himself up, he's been all over the place.  He seems to enjoy making messes so much that I sometimes just let him have fun with it and then, while I'm cleaning the mess up, he's usually making another one.  At least he's super cute.  :)

Hello, Peoria!

We had some challenges getting here, but we are officially in Peoria now.  (I wonder what the proper term for us would be?  Is Peorian a word?  Illinoians?  I have no idea, but it doesn't really matter since I still/will probably always consider myself a Floridian.) 

Anyway, we loaded up a 26 ft. moving truck (with the help of our wonderful family and a few friends) and Wayne drove it from Florida to Illinois with two friends (who were also driving my car) and our dog, Wally.  The trip was going pretty well until the truck broke down about 70 miles away from Peoria.  In the middle of the road.  On a single lane ramp to the Interstate.  Completely blocking traffic.  Nice, right? 

Apparently the people in the cars behind them where less than thrilled about the situation.  Luckily, a tow truck driver arrived within the hour and towed them all the way to our house in Peoria.  (Imagine a tow truck, pulling a 26 ft moving truck, with a Mustang on a trailor behind it.)  Needless to say, the trip took a while, but they made it safe and sound.

I flew to Peoria the next day with Anderson and my mom.  We spent the next few days unpacking like crazy, but we managed to squeeze in a little sightseeing as well.  And now, we are officially residents of Illinois.  (Hey, I can say that without crying now!)  #Imissfloridasomuch

Anderson after a bath

Bridge at the Peoria Riverfront

Farm field in Peoria

Anderson and Grandma

Bye, bye, Orlando!

Unfortunately, we said good-bye to Orlando this month.  It was pretty heart-breaking for me, actually.  Wayne and I have both only ever lived in Orlando, so while the move will be an new adventure, it is also a huge change for us.  We spent the month of July spending time with our family and friends, as well as packing. 

Playing with Grandpa

Rexford and Wayne on Wayne's last night in Orlando

Anderson and Austin

Anderson eating while we packed the house

Anderson and his Grandma Vanessa

Anderson and Pop

Shannon, Anderson, and Grandma Danner

Wayne's mom and his siblings

Joey and Anderson

Anderson and his Uncle Caleb and Uncle Carter