Chicago

Saturday in the park, I think it was the 20th of July...

I dragged my kids (not kicking and screaming, but whining and moaning) to Chicago last Saturday. Having lived so close to this BIG city, and all its iconic structures, I knew that we needed to go see and do a few things before we moved away from the area. I had originally thought to take us all on the train, but when I found out that they no longer let 2 kids ride free per paying adult, that killed that idea (it would've been $80 for a round trip!)

We drove to Navy Pier and parked, then hiked it back to Millennium Park. We were looking for the Cloud Gate, better known as "The Bean". You can see why in these pictures:

It's a trick finding yourself in the mirror. Can you find us?

Now can you find us?

Notice Travis' shirt. His shirt is the Bean showing a reflection of theembryonic form of an animal.
(cuz I know these pics don't have that much detail!)

Where's Waldo- Chicago Style
Can you spot Travis and me? I'm wearing red, Travis in black and we are standing together.
There are multiple places...

We had fun playing with the curves and reflections.

The other structure we walked to was the Crown Fountain. There are these two tall towers that face each other, and they have faces on them. Even more cool is that they have water falling off the sides. And, at one point, they open their mouths and water pours from it! or so it appears. We had fun splashing in the water, which was warmer the closer to the center of the fountain you got. Miranda and Nana were the only ones who didn't get wet. It felt great, tho', cuz it was HOT!

Gonna getcha!

They walked right into the water!

Nica didn't shower, but she did lay down in the (warm!) water and splash in it.

After seeing Millennium Park, we walked back to Navy Pier and walked and walked and walked. We looked at the stained glass hall, which was pretty cool. By this time, we were all pretty tired, and we didn't want to spend the $100+ it would cost to do anything, so we sent the kids back to the van with Nana and Travis and I walked to the (almost end) of the pier. It was a beautiful day, and we enjoyed seeing the skyline and all the ships out in Lake Michigan. We didn't go on the Ferris Wheel, but opted instead to go get dinner and ice cream treats at DQ!

I'm glad I tortured my kids with this trip. I was glad that I got to see these things, and I know we will remember them and the time we spent here in the midwest.

Soon we'll be exploring new places! and we welcome you to come and stay with  us in New York (not the city!) and explore with us.

Chicago's Shedd Aquarium

Being a mom is hard. I don't say that to be trite or patronizing or condescending. It's just the truth.

It is especially difficult when you have to discipline. Even worse when the threat you have to follow through on means you have to give up something you really really want.

So, when I threatened that we wouldn't go to Shedd Aquarium in the morning if the girls didn't stop talking and settle down for bed, knowing how much we all wanted to go, I didn't think I'd have to carry out my threat.

I did.

They didn't go to sleep until almost 10pm. Aside from the fact that I was frustrated they were STILL talking at 9:30 at night, and that I had to tell them we weren't going and hear them cry (and my heart wasn't broken at this point because I was so frustrated and angry with them for not settling down), I was also upset because I didn't know how to extract myself from enforcing this punishment.

I made them work it off.

They had to finish ALL their chores, homework, and even clean out the van. I think they actually had more fun than I did doing their "make-up" work. Oh well. I got a clean van and still got to go to the aquarium. It turned into a win-win situation.

We got the aquarium in record time. It wasn't very windy (which is almost unheard of in the "Windy City") and so we opted to enjoy the sunshine and warm weather by eating our lunch outside. I LOVE my picnic backpack (but not as much as I love the second one I helped my friend make). It holds EVERYTHING I could want on a picnic! We had fresh bread, cheese, plums, mini colored peppers, and juice pouches. The bread also fed the seagulls...




Because the dolphins were being observed (a baby dolphin had died within 24 hours of its birth; unknown cause) there was no "Dolphin Show" just a Beluga demonstration. It was still fun. It was especially exciting to see Veronica get into the action and observe and participate.

We then walked through the AWESOME Jellyfish exhibit they had. It was so amazing to see tiny baby jellyfish. Their lifecycle is really cool! Maybe we'll study that for Megan's project at Kennedy when they ask us to focus on an animal... Here's a video Zoë took of them:

We then headed down to the lower level and to the penguin play place. They have little penguin suits for kids to wear and this rock-like playground for kids to run out. All 4 girls had a great time. It's definitely Miranda's favorite, but the other girls loved it almost as much!










It was REALLY hard to get a shot of all 4 girls. Miranda was jumping around the lighting was poor, and they really just wanted to go do something else. Still, I got a couple of all 4 girls.


It was really a blessed trip. We got there at the right time, and got home (eating CiCi's pizza on the way) at a decent hour. It was a 10-hour round trip, with only half that being driving time. The girls behaved BEAUTIFULLY and we all had a really good time.

These are the times when I love being a mom! even if it is hard other times.

Aunt Becky's Visit

Where do I start? We did so much, and had great fun!

We so loved having her come spend these last 10 days with us. We hated to see her leave, and my girls are already planning on having her come back next year (for her birthday!?!)

So, I'm going to try and recap, but do it with only ONE or TWO photos per day. Whew! Let's see if that's possible?*

Saturday- Airport and Field Museum

Sunday- Church & easy afternoon

Zoë was bouncing Veronica on the chair
and they were cracking each other up.

Monday- Amish Country, including the famous Quilt Garden Tour; we stopped for lunch at our favorite picnic place, Krider Gardens. They have these awesome mushroom statues that are so fun to take pictures on. Becky tucked the Rhodadendron flowers into the girls' hair and we got some great shots of them.






Tuesday- Silver Beach in Michigan, on the eastern boarder of Lake Michigan. The weather was PERFECT, and we were so glad that Travis was able to join us, too!

Veronica hated getting her feet in the water.
Every time her feet got wet, she'd start crying in a way that'd break your heart.
But, she loved her Aunt Becky!

Wednesday- Trip to Indy for Megan's doctor appointment, but we managed to make it a super fun day with visiting the Indianapolis Zoo, swimming at the hotel, and eating dinner at a restaurant.

Veronica hung out in the stroller for the most part, but she didn't nap until late afternoon!

Miranda loved watching the antics of the Lemurs playing "leap-frog"
over the turtles on the log that is behind us.

We chose to get wet at a splash pad, but soon after we saw the Giraffes,

... we needed those umbrellas!

Becky was great to help Miranda see things over the fence.

We ate dinner at a Mexican restaurant. Miranda saw this carousel pony, and wanted a ride.
She named the horse "Taco".

We needed to work off some of those chips! Swimming was a great fun way to do that.

Miranda begged to go swimming the next morning.
Sadly, we did not have any more time.

Thursday- More zoo, the drive home, and Becky's Happy Birthday!

Becky's Birthday Cake- I made it before we left for Indy.
Megan was as excited as Miranda (see above picture).
I can't remember why Zoë was so upset.

Friday- We went to the Farm, where I have the co-op garden, and then the girls painted their pets that Megan picked out at the hospital gift shop.

If any of you have spoken with Miranda after we've gone to the farm,
or mention anything about a "cat"
you will have already heard about "MY Calico Kitty Cat!"
Above, you can see how Miranda absolutely adores her Calico Kitty Cat.

Zoë was so sweet holding this little rabbit.
"It's ears are so warm against my face!"

This is where Veronica was most of the time- and she loved every minute!

We picked strawberries and I let each girl eat one on the way home.

Megan and Miranda ended up with juice dripping down their chins and arms!

Zoë named her fish "Prism" because she was rainbow colored.

Megan named her lizard, Lizzie.

Saturday- We were exhausted! and decided to have a low-key day. The rain helped our decision. We watched a friend run the end of a 1/2-Marathon, and then Becky made paper boats with the girls. They didn't get to float them, tho', because the rain came pouring down. So they had a "picnic" in the entryway watching the rain and the puddles.


Sunday- Church & Family Pictures

Monday- College Football Hall of Fame after a picnic lunch, chocolates from the South Bend Chocolate Company, and a family bike ride with a second picnic (dinner) on the Notre Dame campus.

It was fun to see the girls actually kick the ball.
They must get their athletic talent from extended family...

The BYU school song was playing when we came out of the museum.

Veronica and Miranda enjoyed riding in the trailer.
Our neighbor let Becky borrow a bike,
and we had a great time riding around campus in the sun.

Travis took Becky on a tour of the lab and the fish facility.

This picture of Becky was taken by our budding photographer, Miranda.

Tuesday- originally we planned to go to Amish Acres, but it was raining (again!) and so we decided instead to pick up some supplies for some projects: painting umbrellas and making slipper socks!

The girls ran downstairs to check on their socks the morning after Becky left to see if they were dry enough to wear. It was then a flurry of cardboard and giggles as the tried on all their decorated socks and ran around seeing how they felt. Megan changed her's a few times, Zoë stuck with the rainbows, and Miranda was thrilled beyond belief to be able to wear her ballerina socks. Veronica wasn't happy in the picture because she cared more about milk than what was on her toes.

Wednesday arrived far too quickly! While I dealt with a flood in the basement and a plumber clearing the main line, Becky played with the girls. Then we loaded up and drove to Chicago to spend the last few hours before Becky left at the Shedd Aquarium. We even got to see the new baby beluga.

I have a quote on my calendar:

Only an Aunt...
can give hugs like a mother,
can keep secrets like a sister,
and share love like a friend.

We had the best vacation with you, and look forward to your return. We love you, Becky!


*Were you counting pictures? I was: 57 pictures, an average of nearly 6/day. Well, I couldn't just put two per day- we had more activities, and the girls weren't always in the same shot! Oh, we won't count the number of pictures Becky and I together took- it's up into the 1000s. I only picked my favs... and not all of them!