Update: It seems the "something" they got into was one of my potted roses. Maybe they recognized that I did not take care of the roses at all this year and they were helping the plant escape? Click on the pictures for maximum dirt. And to see a mosquito about to bite Grady's face. Yes, I did put bugspray on them.
Aunt Karen's oldest, Greg, had a shirt that said "I make dirt look good." That shirt was the first thing that popped into my mind when I went outside to check on the boys playing in the backyard while I got dinner started. It seems they got into something.
We're sorted and picked our 200 favorite pictures from the Chicago trip. You can see them online on our BabiesSquared picture site. Enjoy!
We had grand plans for the final day in Chicago. We only had until about 11am, but wanted to squeeze in a quick swim in the indoor hotel pool and a shopping trip to the HUGE Macy's to see if we could find me a "Chicago" t-shirt. Oddly enough we didn't see any shirts like that on sale anywhere else, so we thought Macy's might have some. We stopped into the Macy's on Day 1 to pick up our Go Chicago cards, and made a mental note to come back. It's 9 stories tall [I think that's right....] and a whole city block big, and filled with gorgeous architectural details. This is a picture Keith took inside of Macy's that day.
See all the floors of shopping just waiting to be done?? The interior of the building has Corinthian pillars (no, I did not learn that on the Architectural cruise, that pure genius is all me) that were begging to be photographed. Yet another reason to return. So we set off for the 1.4 mile walk to Macy's only to get there and realize that it only opens at 10am. It was 9am at the time, and according to the Ellerman Day 4 Travel Agenda we had to be back at the hotel by 10:15 to start heading to the airport. Boo! So no Macy's for us. Instead, we talked around for a while and admired the window displays. This was a good one.
Then, like a beacon of light at the end of a tunnel, we saw a TJMaxx! Oh how I love TJ. Keith humored me by going inside. I think he really wanted to feel air conditioned air, but whatever the reason, I'll take it. Here I am admiring a gorgeous leather jacket.
It took all of my willpower, but I managed to make it out of the store without buying anything.
With a final loving glance back at TJ, we pointed the strollers back towards the hotel and walked. 20 minutes of whirwind packing later we emerged with 2 strollers, 2 backpacks, and 2 rolling suitcases. Public transportation, here we come! We had to walk a few extra block to an El station that we thought was handicap accessable, only to get there and realize that we're screwed and would need to carry everything up a steep flight of stairs. Thanks to the guy who carried my small roll-on up the stairs so didn't have to leave Grady unattended. Day 4 was a hot & humid morning in Chicago, and we were drenched in sweat by the time we got through the turnstiles and onto the platform to await the train. By walking the extra blocks to the El we avoided having to switch trains, so now all we had to do was sit and wait for the Midway station and [hopefully] let our shirts dry. I'm not kidding when I said we were super sweaty.
The rest of the pre-flight was fairly uneventful. Our flight was grounded before take-off for an hour and a half, giving us more time to roam about and play. Thankfully we had not boarded yet when they made the decision.
We were a little worried about the flight being delayed since it meant the boys could possibly be hellians on the flight, but the extra time they ran about just made them more tired and they slept most of the flight. Nice job, boys!
Once we landed we made a quick trip to Peachtree City to pick up Madam and Elvis from their vacation at Nana & Grandpa's, then headed home. Nothing feels as good as coming home!
While we can't say that this was a restful vacation, Keith and I loved being out and about with the boys. They did so much on the flight than we expected and seemed to really enjoy being schlepped all over Chicago. Makes me wonder... what city will be explored together next?
We're back home! The travel gods were good to us, and we're home safe and sound. And a little cranky, but that's to be expected, I guess.
So like I was saying, Day 3 was good. The morning was the Wrigley Field Death March, then the nature museum, Lincoln Park Zoo, and the best bus ride ever. What made the bus ride so good? We weren't walking! I would like the chance to tell the almost-bald lady on the bus that it is rude to stare, even when the cute little [not so little?] boy with brown curly hair is shoving crackers in his mouth by the fistful.
Here are some pictures from the rest of morning. Playing together at the nature museum.
About the enter the zoo.
After the busy morning and then eating some toast as part of their lunch, the boys went for a long nap. I was shocked that Cole slept at all, considering he got his hands on Dada's diet coke.
Keith went to get us some lunch. Keith LOVES hot dogs, and I don't ever buy them because I think they're the nutritional equivalent of a black hole, but I conceded and we got Chicago style hot dogs for lunch. I'm willing to admit that it was pretty tasty. So tasty that we had hot dogs again for dinner.
After naps we headed back to the Navy Pier in hopes of riding a few more rides and finding a few souvenirs. Ride we did, but came home empty handed. We did walk all the way to the end of the pier to look at the lake and to feed the noisy seagulls.
And finally, the Navy Pier Ferris wheel.
Final recap coming tomorrow, and I'm also working on uploading the entire lot of pictures to the Shutterfly site. No promises, but maybe tomorrow.
It's the end of day 3, and WOWZA, my feet are sore. It seems we just aren't fast learners and walking the 7 miles yesterday was just not enough, we logged another 6.5 miles in this hot and muggy city. Aside from a few wrong turns, we can't complain too much- we got to see a lot of sites and loved it all. And the boys were GREAT! They caught up on sleep last night and during today's nap and were in rather jolly spirits today.Before I tell you about today, I omitted a little about last night. I forgot to mention that we went to the top of the Hancock building to check out the views. On the way there we ducked under an awning to escape a thunderstorm.
Once the rain let up we headed on to the Hancock building and up to the observation deck on the 94th floor.
Where we all oohed and aahed over the views.
Grady and Cole noticed a few spots on the outside of the windows, so they volunteered to do a little cleaning. Don't worry, we made sure they were harnessed properly.
Now about today. We were up early. I'm not too sure why I even bothered mentioning that since it's rare to not be up at 7am nowadays. Since we're an hour behind Atlanta time, Grady was kind enough to wake us at 6AM instead of 7AM, and after a few minutes of playing in our bed, we all got dressed and hit the hotel breakfast. A bowl of fruit loops, yogurt and toast later, we hit the road to explore the Lincoln Park area. Our goal was to go to a few of the museums in Lincoln Park, but since Wrigley Field was so close, Keith wanted to walk there to see the stadium. After an hour of hot, hot walking, we made it to the park, took one picture and headed back. A lot of build-up for one picture. When you come to our house, please check the walls for a framed picture of the Wrigley Field marquis, we worked hard for this.
Now at this point we're already a little tired and decided to ride the El back to Lincoln Park, or at least to a station close to it. We learned quickly that the public transportation in Chicago- both the elevated train and the Subway, is not handicap-friendly. Which means its also not stroller friendly. We've carried the boys in strollers up more flights of stairs than I care to count. It rained this morning, so the stairs were wet, we were hot, and people are not exactly patient. I really like Chicago overall, but for public transport, I have higher expectations. D minus, CTA.
Next up today was the Nature Museum. A great museum with lots of insects and other critters to see. Grady was enamored with this guy. BEAAAAAHHH!!
Cole spied some more sishes.
The rest of the morning involved the Lincoln Park Zoo and the zoo's carousel, then a busride home, and a great nap. Well-rested, we headed to the pier for a little duckduck watching, a ferris wheel ride and some more walking. More pictures from this afternoon coming at ya on Wednesday. Tomorrow morning we're doing a little shopping, swimming and flying home!
It took all of my willpower, but I managed to make it out of the store without buying anything. 
About the enter the zoo.
After the busy morning and then eating some toast as part of their lunch, the boys went for a long nap. I was shocked that Cole slept at all, considering he got his hands on Dada's diet coke.
Keith went to get us some lunch. Keith LOVES hot dogs, and I don't ever buy them because I think they're the nutritional equivalent of a black hole, but I conceded and we got Chicago style hot dogs for lunch. I'm willing to admit that it was pretty tasty. So tasty that we had hot dogs again for dinner.
And finally, the Navy Pier Ferris wheel.
Final recap coming tomorrow, and I'm also working on uploading the entire lot of pictures to the Shutterfly site. No promises, but maybe tomorrow.
Once the rain let up we headed on to the Hancock building and up to the observation deck on the 94th floor.
Where we all oohed and aahed over the views.
Grady and Cole noticed a few spots on the outside of the windows, so they volunteered to do a little cleaning. Don't worry, we made sure they were harnessed properly.
Now about today. We were up early. I'm not too sure why I even bothered mentioning that since it's rare to not be up at 7am nowadays. Since we're an hour behind Atlanta time, Grady was kind enough to wake us at 6AM instead of 7AM, and after a few minutes of playing in our bed, we all got dressed and hit the hotel breakfast. A bowl of fruit loops, yogurt and toast later, we hit the road to explore the Lincoln Park area. Our goal was to go to a few of the museums in Lincoln Park, but since Wrigley Field was so close, Keith wanted to walk there to see the stadium. After an hour of hot, hot walking, we made it to the park, took one picture and headed back. A lot of build-up for one picture. When you come to our house, please check the walls for a framed picture of the Wrigley Field marquis, we worked hard for this.
Now at this point we're already a little tired and decided to ride the El back to Lincoln Park, or at least to a station close to it. We learned quickly that the public transportation in Chicago- both the elevated train and the Subway, is not handicap-friendly. Which means its also not stroller friendly. We've carried the boys in strollers up more flights of stairs than I care to count. It rained this morning, so the stairs were wet, we were hot, and people are not exactly patient. I really like Chicago overall, but for public transport, I have higher expectations. D minus, CTA.
Cole spied some more sishes.
The rest of the morning involved the Lincoln Park Zoo and the zoo's carousel, then a busride home, and a great nap. Well-rested, we headed to the pier for a little duckduck watching, a ferris wheel ride and some more walking. More pictures from this afternoon coming at ya on Wednesday. Tomorrow morning we're doing a little shopping, swimming and flying home!