Day 3

Day 3 – Wednesday – June 23, 2010

0615 Bella is up.

0630 Ryan is up.

0645 Felisa is up and they have all gone upstairs where I am sure Grandma is still asleep so I guess that means I have to get up and make sure they stay quiet. Apparently they are not very tired and they haven't adapted to the new time zone yet. I tell them to look at the scrapbooks quietly while they wait for Grandma to wake up.

When Grandma gets up she gives me my birthday present – a card and some new jammies. Felisa gave me the card she made at home and brought with her. Breakfast is Count Chocula for the kids and Multi-Grain Cheerios for me. Then the kids disappear downstairs for a while. I'm on my way down to get dressed when Felisa tells me I have to stay upstairs.

A bit later Felisa comes back to get Grandma and I for the unveiling of my present… A re-creation of Big Trip with Lincoln Logs, Thingamajigs, and plastic cowboys and Indians. At the end of the trip there is even a scrapbook a la Etch-A-Sketch. I love it – very creative!

0830 Time to get dressed.

0859 Leave for our day trip to see the Lincoln site at New Salem.

0900 Jo wants us to cut the corner through Bushnell but after yesterday's cornfield adventures, I'm a bit worried about flooded roads. We'll go through town instead.

0940 Ryan is testing out the cinnamon jolly rancher candy we bought at Hersheypark on Saturday. He says it is very good.

0951 Crossing the Illinois River. The water is definitely high.

0953 Stop at Hardees for a snack. Ryan must be in a growth spurt because he has been eating non-stop so far this trip. Maybe a more substantial snack will hold him for awhile. We can save the snacks in the snack box for cornfield emergencies!

1004 See a lady on a riding mower wearing a pioneer bonnet.

1019 Sangamon River. This one is high also.

1040 Arrive at New Salem Historical Site.

12:28 p.m. Done with our tour. It was a nice place but the heat has definitely set in for the day. Hot, hot, hot!

Our favorite parts…

Felisa – Bay (the horse)

Ryan – watching the person chiseling the bowl

Bella – the small boat in the museum

Sheila – coming here again (I came here on a 5^th grade field trip as a kid)

12:42 p.m. Lots of bugs hitting the windshield today.

1:03 p.m. The "water on road" sign is almost underwater.

1:10 p.m. Hit the McD's drive-thru for lunch. See Herbie the Love Bug in the parking lot.

1:14 p.m. Bella's chicken wasn't in the bag so we stop at Hardees before we cross the river to get her some chicken.

1:17 p.m. Illinois River

1:26 p.m. Felisa says she needs to go to the bathroom. Why didn't she tell me when we were in town? Hope she can hold it – not sure how far the next gas station is.

1:36 p.m. Stop for gas in Ipava. $2.70/gallon. It was one of those "we're not from around here" type of stops. I love how friendly everyone is but hate feeling like I stick out like a sore thumb sometimes. It's like that sign we saw in Texas… City dogs go to one side and country dogs go to the other. I'm definitely a city dog around here and do not blend in very well.

2:20 p.m. Finally make it back to Grandma's.

We watch TV for a while – Game Show Network – then the girls convince me to take them all to the park even though it's hot outside. In the shade, with the breeze, it's bearable. After the park, more TV then dinner. Beef and Noodles – yum! While we were eating a thunderstorm blew in. Thunder, lightning, and more rain! After dinner, Mythbusters on tv and a few birthday phone calls for me before bed.