My side of the family decided to celebrate Easter the week after. It worked out perfectly because my friend also invited us to a fire at his place that same weekend. On that Friday, we got things in a row. Austin would do a half day at daycare while we packed.
Our first order of business was boarding Maya. This was the first time we had done this, and since her vet also does boarding, it was super easy.
Victoria and I then went to Downtown Belleville. We got breakfast at Lingonberry Llama.
I got the Bagelwhich.
After eating, we headed home and packed up. By then, it was time to pick Austin up from daycare and get lunch. We made a quick stop at Taco Bell. Their new chicken tacos are pretty good!
We then hit the road. There was plenty of blue skies.
As we made it further north, you could tell they got more snow.
We had some time to kill before checking into the hotel, so we stopped at Nasonville Dairy and bought some goodies.
This trip was a little lighter for packing. We didn't have Maya's stuff, and Austin also got a new pack-and-play.
We found the perfect room space-wise. The queen studio suite provided tons of room for Austin to roam.
He wasted no time in doing that.
We set up his pack-and-play.
We then visited my grandma. After that, we went to find dinner. That proved to be a bit of a challenge. We first wanted to go to Nutz Deep. It looks like you had to park a few blocks away. Then the Lumberyard said they had almost an hour-and-a-half wait. Our next stop was Casa Amigos. You couldn't find a parking spot there either.
We figured Hardee's would hit the spot. Marshfield's Hardee's is pretty top-notch, and it was good!
Another top-notch thing is the breakfasts at the Hampton. I'm always impressed with their variety. It's one of the best hotel breakfast selections I've encountered on my travels. This was my breakfast on Saturday morning.
Grant School is also across the road from the Hampton. This gave us a place to let Austin expel some energy.
We then headed to Walgreens for some caffeine and other essentials. When you're traveling with a toddler, Walgreens is a lifesaver.
Our next stop was my uncle's house. The family was there, and we ate lunch soon afterward.
After visiting for a while, Austin was getting tired. We went back to the hotel, and both Austin and I took naps. After some shuteye, we dropped by Kwik Spirits (Kwik Trip's liquor store). I picked up some drinks for later that night.
We then headed to Chip's for supper. We met my parents there.
We then went to my friend's house for a fire. Austin surprised us, and he seemed to hold out until about 9 p.m. We left then and got a good night's sleep. In the morning, we had another good hotel breakfast.
It was a cloudier day.
That didn't deter Austin's antics. When we took things to the van, he wanted to ride the luggage cart.
From there, we headed to Walmart to pick up a take-and-bake pizza for lunch at my parents' house. We made a pit stop at my other grandma's house. She had recently passed away and had a large record collection. I was able to take some records for my collection.
Soon, we were out at my parents' house having pizza.
When Austin was showing signs of being tired, we hit the road. It was a soggier drive back.
After we got home and unpacked, I went to get Maya. She was definitely happy to be home with us.
Since it was getting later in the evening, we decided to order JonnyO's. I tried the Pizzaghetti baked pasta.
Overall, it was a pretty jam-packed weekend. We saw a lot of people and did a lot of things. It was nice seeing everyone, but getting home and relaxing a bit was also nice. I am happy the new pack-and-play is working well. We also found the perfect room size for our future stays. Our next big family trip will be to Texas, so that will be interesting when the time comes.