Chicago with Q and Miss Ruthie

Day 1:

Fly to Chicago

They were so excited about their little suitcases. They were proud to roll them through the airport.

I behaved myself through security. I was awarded the coveted Jr TSA award.

Ready for take off! The last time they flew in an airplane was about 3 years ago so they did not remember it. It was so exciting for them!

When we landed at O'Hare airport we collected our bags and then got ourselves passes for the public transportation in Chicago. We bought 4 of the 7 day passes only to find out that our kids are young enough to ride for free. Oops.

We took the blue line train then hopped on a bus to get us close to our hotel.

This was the view from our room. We stayed at The Omni Hotel. The hotel room was pretty small but it worked. We stayed on the 14th floor. Q and Miss Ruthie took turns pushing the buttons on the elevator. It was serious business. If someone got there before us and had already pushed the button we had to wait for another elevator. It's the little things.

One of our first stops was American Girl. Miss Ruthie was so excited about this visit. I remember the American Girl stories and dolls from when I was a little girl. We don't have any of the dolls but the store was fun to look through.

She left the store with a doctor kit to fix up her baby dolls. Daddy got off cheap here. Those dolls are pricey. Ha Ha!

The next morning they ate a very fancy breakfast of oatmeal in the room. They thought this little table was fantastic.

This is where I tell you how vacations work in our family. We go, go, go. We see it all. Look children, now keep on moving. It actually works well when your kids are so young. They don't want to linger and read the signs at the museums.

Day 2:

Up first, a bus ride to the Field Museum.

Then we walked over to Shed Aquarium.

We walked a bit further to Adler Planetarium.

The faces Q makes. Oh my!

My personal shoe saga:

I could not decide what shoes to bring on this trip. It was supposed to be cold so I brought my uggs. The first day was warmer than we thought. I got super hot while we were walking. I bought flip flops in the gift shop. Then the flip flops gave me a blister. Finally, I purchased a pair of nikes from the Nike store right by our hotel. I paid no mind to the fact that I was wearing dresses and leggings with tennis shoes. It was necessary even if I looked ridiculous. EJ got a real kick out of this sitaution. He wears tennis shoes all the time except for with a suit. He cannot understand why I need different shoes for different outfits. Whatever. He is a guy. They do not understand.

Day 3:

Mueseum of Science and Industry

This museuem was amazing. However, I learned the hard way that the body exhibit is a huge trigger for a woman who has miscarried babies or lost an infant. There should be huge warning signs in front of the exhibit. 

Moving on...

The Lincoln Park Zoo.

These two were discussing where to go next. Like an old married couple.

We finished the night with swimming in the hotel.

Spiderman was hanging out in our hotel.

Day 4: 

Sears Tower (Now called the Willis Tower)

Uncommon Grounds

The first organic roof top farm in the U.S. EJ learned all about it when he went to his permaculture course last year. He was excited to have lunch there, tour the farm and meet the owner and the farmer. It was a delicious lunch!

We finished our vacation with a Boat Tour of the City.

Day 5:

Fly home! We loved our time with Q and Miss Ruthie. It was an adventure to navigate the city and explore. B & W stayed with EJ's folks and D & E stayed with my folks. We thank God for awesome grandparents!