Chicago!

This summer we headed up to Chicago for Doug's cousin's wedding.  I remember a few trips to Chicago when I was a kid and it is such a great city. 

We got in late Tuesday night and realized that our trip was off to a great start.  The little boutique hotel we found was lovely. We will definitely stay at the Hotel Burnham again! The Concierge, Jean-Luc directed us to a great pizza place down the street.  He was so kind and helpful during our stay. We had awesome pizza and pasta and they surprised us with a cookie dessert that was amazing!

Wednesday morning we headed to the Museum of Science & Industry.  This is such a great museum for adults and kids! The kids loved learning and touring the huge U-boat that is housed there.  We also did the coal mine tour which was really educational too. The kids got to learn about farming, the importance the invention of the train had on our country, how tornadoes are formed and even about why we poop.  I know, even Marlie thought it was gross.  Later that day we walked down the Magnificent Mile and had to stop at Nike town of course.  We ended the day at an amazing restaurant called the Purple Pig where we ate fried pig's ears and roasted bone marrow...all way better than they sound and the kid's loved it too! 

Thursday we woke up late and had an early lunch in Little Italy at an amazing little Mom & Pop restaurant.  Afterwards we headed to the top of Willis Tower.  I did this as a kid and thought it was amazing, but I was pretty nervous.  Once we got off the elevator I could feel the sway of the building. I was fine until Doug and the kids made me go out onto the Skydeck! As you can tell the kids weren't scared at all!  But the views of the city from up here are amazing!

A quick trip back to the hotel and then we took the train to Wrigley for the Cubs game!

We went early, of course, to watch BP. Dad bought us seats right behind the Cubs dugout which was great for the kids.  They got 2 autographs and Matt got 4 balls throughout the game from the Cubs players.  He said it was the best game he's ever been to!  It was definitely a treat to see a ball game at Wrigley Field. 

Friday morning we had a late breakfast at a little spot near the museums where Marlie and I shared a red velvet waffle!! Then we walked through the parks on our way to the Shedd Aquarium. It was chilly enough that we had to break out our sweatshirts we bought at the Cubs game.  It was fun strolling through the park.  The kids had the most fun rolling down the hills in front of the museum and picking dandelions! It was such a beautiful morning!

We finally made it into the Shedd Aquarium and the kids went straight towards the stingrays.  The Shedd is amazing but our kids are a little spoiled from our trips to the Exumas. We play with stingrays in ocean, touch starfish, snorkel with bright colored fish and swim with sharks!

On Saturday we drove to the suburbs to meet up with the rest of the family in St. Charles! Courtney and Jason's wedding was absolutely beautiful! It was so nice that we got to see all of Doug's family.  You might remember these guys from some pics several years ago in San Diego.  Doug's cousins Rick and Ed are such great guys! 

All the kids had a wonderful time with each other and spent most of their time on the dance floor!  I think Matt didn't want to be outperformed by his little cousin Tim so he was dancing all night too!  I was so proud of him for getting out of his comfort zone!

It was a wonderful evening for sure.  The next day we went to Doug's Aunt and Uncle's house for more festivities.  Rick and Dawn have a beautiful home with an amazing yard!  It's big enough for a football and soccer field and the kids spent all day playing outside.  The weather was amazing and Matt said this was by far his favorite day. What a fun, relaxing and lovely day!

Monday we headed back into the city before flying home.  We stopped by the Field Museum for a quick visit.  Matt wanted to the see the Tsavo man-eating lions!  We had to take a picture near this wonderful sculpture outside Soldier Field.  I thought this was so beautiful!  What a nice way to end a great vacation!