Vacay

One of my favorite things in life is to watch my kids experience new adventures.  I especially love taking them places that I have been and watching them see and feel it through their own eyes.  I gain so much perspective.  Everything is new and big and exciting to them. I have two types of kids - the adventurer - ready to go on a whim, doesn't ask how or why or when, just packs her bags, and the homebody - excited about going but asking when we're coming home.  Vacationing is always interesting.

This year we did Chicago.  We tossed around Disney but after Bailey analyzed the safety of all the rides and panicked everytime one of us got on a ride at Six Flags this summer, and Kate rode the only roller coaster they would let her on 8 times and was upset that she was too little to ride more, I decided that we might need to grow a little.  Stephen and I have been to Chicago twice before - he's a huge Bears fan and I'm a huge fan of shopping - so it's the best of both worlds.  We have only been for weekends - once right before I was diagnosed and then last year as a "whew, what a couple of years" birthday surprise from Stephen.
This trip was different and incredibly fun for all of us.  We have always taken the train into the city, so in the spirit of adventure and frugality, we decided to do this with the kids.  After 4 suitcases, 2 backpacks, a stroller, and about a mile walk, I made the executive decision that sparing the expenses on this may not be worth it and we would take a cab from then on.  Well, that and watching Kate fall down a flight of stairs in the train station, landing in a helpless pile of backpack, hair, and tears.
Kate took Chicago by storm in a stroller like a princess on her thrown, and Bailey was not incredibly thrilled about all of the walking that ensued.  We frequently found him trying to hail a cab - he's quite resourceful.

The boys went to see Stephen's beloved Bears at Soldier Field while Kate and I enjoyed gourmet chicken nugget dining experience at the American Girl Cafe.  I will admit, the American Girl jazz is a racket but at least wholesome fun and I am just as hooked as she is because my first love for fashion came from dressing my dolls.  I do not love football, but the Ultimate Tailgate is pretty fun and we all went down before the game to see the crazy Bears fans decked out and throw the football for some free junk.

We took a walking tour through Millennium Park to see our reflections in the Cloud Gate.  We were all equally fascinated at the structure and how our reflections change depending on where we stand.  Lots of silliness was had as the kids pretended to be lifting it up and made faces at themselves, but I stared at the reflection of our 4 smiling and waving faces and gave thanks that we could experience this life together and then marveled at how dang good we look in spite of it all.

We visited the Field Museum to say hi to Sue, the T-Rex.  She's pretty cool in the world of dinosaurs,
anyway.  The Field Museum is full of taxidermy.  I've never seen more dead and realistic creatures in my life.  Bailey was of course, very intrigued and Kate's attention was captured with the first 100 or so birds and wildlife but then turned to how soon we could get to the gift shop.  My favorite line from her was, "Mommy, if these animals are all dead, why are their eyes open?" Umm, well...
We took a cab to Wrigley - something Stephen has always wanted to see but it also is in close proximity - if you count a 2 mile walk with 2 kids - to the Chicago Music Exchange which was his real motivation to go there.  It is the mecca of guitars and I was a bit concerned that he may fill out a job application and not be coming home with us.  Two curious children in a store of very expensive guitars makes for an excellent deterrent to buy so fortunately we did not bring one home.

And, of course, we did Navy Pier.  Probably the most popular tourist attraction but the Ferris Wheel is pretty cool so we rode it 3 times.  It's a great view of the city and the water and a great way to sum up the trip.

The city is big and different from anything our kids had seen.  Stephen asked me what my favorite part was and I said, "seeing what I've already seen through their eyes."  We are not city people but it's fun to experience and Chicago does it really well, especially in the fall.  The weather is perfectly fallish and Michigan Avenue has the biggest pumpkins I've ever seen.  It was the perfect way to kick off the busy fall season ahead.
Taxi cabs, planes, busy sidewalks, lots of walking and new adventures are fun but nothing compares to curling up at home with two cuddly and clean kids to watch a movie.  That's how we ended our fall break and Bailey said, "I love nights like this."  Me too, buddy. Me too.