Please Drive Faster

Indianapolis, IL
We spent the night in the Crown Plaza thanks to hotwire.com. I ran out to get some dinner, so Zach gave Owen a bath. Apparently, Owen threw the worst fit mankind has ever seen, and then completely passed out. He was in the deepest sleep when I returned. I'm not sure if Zach would think it was worth it or not, but Owen slept great that night.

As we continued driving, Owen reminded us of the superiority of cloth diapers as he blew through disposable diapers left and right. There's something special about washing out a poop-filled onesie in a sink at a rest stop.

We then moved on to Champaign-Urbana so that we could visit University of Illinois, alma mater of many of my family members and former home to Zach's favorite band, Braid. We toured around, washed out another onesie, and discovered that beloved Moonstruck coffee shop is now closed. I have so many memories there, yet somehow I retained very little of how to get everywhere. Zach was able to navigate much better than I was, yet he had never been there. He's just good like that.



Against my better judgement, I tried to nurse my sweet babe in public, and he constantly tried to uncover himself. I have a feeling a few summer students got a free show, but I shouldn't have, heaven forbid, try to feed my child who needs to see everything at all times. I am curious how much longer I can nurse before this kid calls it quits. He tries to nurse sitting up now (not pictured).
Onward, onward. We passed through the town of Ashton, just to grab a few quick pics,
then we made it to White Pines for the MANNING FAMILY REUNION! Mannings (and former Mannings) gathered from across the country and stayed at a state park in some very nice cabins. We played lots of outdoor games, took turns cooking, and got to spend time with the matriarch, Grandma Manning. It was so fun to see all of the cousins and second cousins together.


Read on, dear friends...