We're Back...But Not Really

We returned home tonight from Chicago, but instead of resting and getting my house back in order, the girls and I are getting in the car tomorrow and driving up to Tahoe for a few days. (Will the madness ever end? If you know me well, you know the answer is, "NO!") Papa and BonBon are up there for the week, and once Padyn found out Papa's boat was there, she was all about that. It will be interesting to see what Kate's reaction to a ski boat is. Judging from her current daredevil ways, I think she'll take to it pretty quickly.

So, in the 15 hours I have at home to sleep, do laundry, repack, and eat a couple meals, I decided I also needed to post so you could see a few more pictures of Chicago since I may not be posting again until Sunday. Hopefully I'll write more about our trip later, but knowing me, I'll probably forget, so I'll try to get some photos of the highlights up now.

We had a great time. Not only did Chicago have a ton of stuff to do (which we didn't do half of), we had such a wonderful time with the McReynolds. We haven't seen them since they moved to St. Louis over a year ago and it was so nice to catch up and just hang out with them again. Their attitude about traveling is very similar to ours, so it was quite easy to plan and do stuff together, even if it was aimless wandering looking for somewhere to eat. Unfortunately, our time together also serves as a reminder of how much I miss them. Can't have everything, I guess.

Here are a few highlights from Saturday through Monday. It's not everything, but it's a lot of it.

The hotel didn't have a bathtub, so the girls had to shower everyday. This was Kate's favorite game. Unfortunately, she liked the shower so much, she kept trying to go in with her clothes when one of us was in there. And because it had no door, she managed to sneak in a few times.On Saturday our purposeful walk to the Field Museum turned into an aimless stroll through the park. We found these incredibly random, slightly disturbing metal legs. Just legs...no torso. Kate was a bit scared of them. Oh, and we never did make it to the museum...

...but we found Buckingham Fountain.

Our time at the Shedd Aquarium was Kate's first visit to the fishies. Man, did she LOVE it. I think her hands got tired from her constantly signing "fish." She repeated it over and over, also...feesh, feesh, feesh.You'd think Padyn and Liam still see each other every day. It only took about 12 seconds for them to get readjusted to each other. Although, upon leaving today, they refused to give each other hugs. I think it was more of not wanting to say good-bye than not wanting to hug. As soon as we walked out from our farewells, Padyn said, "Liam has really changed alot!" Funny, I just thought his hair was longer.
On Monday we spent most of the day at the Museum of Science and Industry. Now, you wouldn't know it from the title, but this place is AWESOME. And old! It's been around for a long long time, so there was way too much for us to see. Plus, Kate wasn't as into it as the rest of us were, so we had to stick to things that would hold her attention and visit the other places while she was sleeping. Padyn loved the model trains. Here's a shot of us standing in front of one of them.She also got a kick out of the crazy mirrors in the Circus Hall. Here's Daddy and Padyn building their "flying brick." Kate just wanted to push the buttons. Actually, that's probably what Padyn wanted to do, too. Who do you think was really interested in designing the flying brick?

Thanks Heather, Matt, Liam and Emery Anne for inviting us on your Chicago adventure. Next year, we'll host a West Coast vacation!