Chicago

How many times have we been to Chicago?  It seems like we're there all the time, but really we haven't been to Chicago since we had just two kids.  Our last trip there was sometime before Emma was born in 2011.  But Chicago is Chicago, and there are certain things that must be done while in Chicago to truly enjoy.  We easily could have stayed there a week (we didn't visit any of the amazing museums and just barely sampled the cuisine), but here are the highlights we hit in the one day we had.

Stop 1- Buckingham Fountain

Stop 2- The Bean

This bag of candy made me laugh- everyone in our family loves M&Ms except for Adam.  The look on his face when he reached in to grab a handful of cookies and cream drops and got M&Ms instead was priceless.  What a mean trick!  The drops were underneath.

Stop 3- Crown Fountain to cool off, unless you're already cold, like Miss Emma.

Stop 4- Giordano's for some deep dish pizza, then across the Chicago River by way of the gorgeous DuSable Bridge.

Stop 5- A ride down the Chicago River by way of a water taxi.  The best way to travel in Chicago.  Be sure to wave at other boats as they pass.

Stop 6- Navy Pier!  First walk all the way to the tip of the pier to get a great view of Lake Michigan, 

and a great view of the skyline.

Be sure to climb on the giant anchor and feed the screeching seagulls (Noah called them duckies and I didn't correct him until I heard him say see-gull! in just as cute a voice).

Then turn back around and head to the ferris wheel.

The most highly anticipated ride of the summer, and everyone loved it!

Move on to take the most quintessential summer picture ever- Jason and Adam are on the right.

  

Ride the Navy Pier trolley around the Magnificent Mile- twice!- 

before hopping off and heading back over the bridge. 

Stop 7- Garrett's Popcorn, of course!  Then back to the Bean at night and finally back to the car.

 Don't forget to buy a paper box from a homeless man along the way.  This was the only thing the kids asked for as a souvenir (they had no idea he was anything but a kind man with an awesome sidewalk shop, and Leah was especially thrilled to turn hers into a table for Elfie Crystal Shimmer, her fairy).

There wasn't one single peep of complaint throughout the long, busy, fun day.   But when we got to the hotel and discovered that our keys weren't working, the kids didn't skip a beat with their beauty rest.  Everyone was pooped.

Not pictured- the huge and ugly fight that Jason and I had before stop 1 and didn't resolve until after Stop 4.  It was proof that we just can't stretch ourselves too thin, and this trip (and the week leading up to it) we were stretched too thin.  It was also a great chance (!) to talk to the kids about fighting and making up and forgiving each other over and over again because that's what families do when we love each other.  A lesson everyone should learn, just not necessarily in the middle of downtown Chicago.  But still, it was an awesome day, and Chicago continues to hold this little country family's heart in a big way.