Vacation!

We haven't had a vacation in a LONG time and we were so ready to get away for a few days. We decided to take a few days off from work and visit our friends, Kenny, Kat and their daughter Sarah, in the big town of Makanda, Illinois. They recently took over a golf course there and have been running the show there for nearly a year. We drove down on Father's Day (the perfect distraction for what is normally a very difficult day). We had a bit of a late start since we were out pretty late the night before. We went straight to the clubhouse when we got in town and Sophie and Danny were ready to hit a few balls.

After stretching our legs for a few, we drove to Giant City State Park and had a fried chicken dinner with all the fixin's. It was fun to watch our girls get to know each other and play together. After dinner, we headed back to the club house for a guided tour of the course. We turned in pretty early Sunday night. Sophie needed some rest for sure!

Monday, Danny decided to play a round of golf while Kat, Sophie and I headed to Cobden, IL. There were supposed to be some shops to visit, but everything was closed since it was Monday. We stopped at Flamm Orchards for some fresh peaches and then decided to visit Rustle Hill Winery. Kat and I did a wine tasting and ended up splitting a small pitcher of sangria. The girl working was so nice and brought Sophie a bowl of cheese, crackers and grapes (no kids menu there). The scenery was really beautiful! After Sophie's nap, we went to Kenny and Kat's house for a cook out. The girls had fun playing with sidewalk chalk and the water table.

Hanging out on the deck in our pj's. 

Sophie's favorite part of the trip - rocks

Golf lesson!

Playing with Sarah

Sarah "helping" Sophie smile for the camera!

Tuesday, Kenny took the day off work. It should not be so difficult for a group of adults to decide on something to do for the day. Oh, but it was. We finally decided to check out a toy store in the mall and then headed to Kenny's parent's house in Paducah. Best. decision. ever. The pool was exactly what we needed - a time to play and relax. They have a very nice set up and Sophie had so much fun playing with the rafts, slide and her new friends. Later that evening, we ordered pizza and just hung out with Kenny's family. It was a great day!

Sophie and Hayden

I couldn't get all three girls to look at the camera at the same time...this is the best we could do.

We came home on Wednesday, after having lunch with Kenny and Kat. Sophie had a rough car ride - very restless! She slept through lunch so she was awake the entire way home. It's very difficult to keep a 15 month old entertained for 4 hours, but we tried!

All in all, it was a really great trip. We are so glad that Kenny and Kat are so much closer now and we can visit them more often!