I'm Exhausted Just Remembering It...

Oh, my poor, unsuspecting family. They had no idea that I was going to run them so ragged on our first day of sight-seeing in Chicago. It has taken me this long just to sort through all of the pictures and memories, and I'm sure by now they have all forgiven me for such a crazy day. It was totally worth it!

We had to make the most of Day 1 in Chicago with Jason, because he wasn't there for Day 2. That meant any new attractions, questionable areas of town or heavy lifting all needed to be covered while Jason was with us. So we started out here-
I have been dying to check out Millennium Park since we moved here, but every time it has been too cold to wander around outside with the kids. This day the weather was perfect, and we got to enjoy the Jay Pritzker Pavilion (oh, how I would love to see a live concert there!),

the amazing Chicago landmark Cloud Gate (the "Bean"),

and the hilarious Crown Fountain (a pair of 40-foot tall fountains that spit water out at you).

Then we wandered over to Buckingham Fountain (not to be confused with the palace!)

Where Jason and I took advantage of having a photographer handy to snap our picture without the kids!

Then we (read: I) started to get a little crazy. I couldn't see the point in driving from the fountain to our next destination, so we walked along Lake Michigan to the Navy Pier. It was only 1.5 miles, but with pinchy shoes on our feet, a double stroller to push, and crazy Segway-ers to avoid, it was quite the trek.

But we got there in once piece, and we rode on the Ferris Wheel! And we got a great view of the skyline and Lake Michigan.

After a quick bite to eat, it was time to head back to the car. We chose to get there via water taxi, which provided another incredible view of the city.

(My Best Friend's Wedding, anyone?)

Jason and the kids stayed inside the taxi... I'm guessing it wasn't quite as magical for them, although I can't imagine why.
After we dropped Jason off at the train station so he could get back to his corn, Allison and I were on our own. And by the end of the second day, we were Chicago pros. $28 parking? Sure! Navigating downtown traffic? No problem! We even stayed out late enough the first night to necessitate walking down only the well-lit streets, but no one bothered us at all. Two young women pushing a double stroller in downtown Chicago was quite the sight, I'm sure. It made it easy to see why we young Mormon mothers are such an anomaly to the rest of the world.
We had dinner at the Rain Forest Cafe (a tradition!), where Adam decided to blow through the second outfit I had packed for him that day.
Desperate times call for desperate measures- the way I see it, he should just be glad I had an extra outfit for Leah. She was quite thrilled to have a baby sister for a few hours.

Then we headed over to the Hancock Tower (Big John, if you will), where we rode up 94 floors (twice- oops!) at sunset to check out the stunning views of the city.

We took all of 1 picture before Allison's camera died (mine accidentally made it's way home with Jason) and we had to buy a disposable camera to commemorate the night. I felt ancient as I gave Allison a tutorial in how to wind the camera and charge up the flash. When did I get so old? Disposable cameras used to be the coolest!

We had hoped to do a little downtown shopping that night as well, but the shops were closed and we were pooped. So back to the hotel we went- completely exhausted but thrilled by how much of the city we were able to cover in one day.... at least I was thrilled, and Allison didn't kill me, although I think at a few points I'm sure she was considering it. But we still had another day of Chicago sight-seeing ahead of us!