ourBECKERlife: Chicago

(channing lovin' sweet potatoes)

Thursday we took off for Chicago. We left the sweet pea behind with Nana & Papa B. Initially we thought she was going to be coming with us, but Nana & Papa so graciously offered to keep her. Although we missed her terribly, we were glad we only had to keep one kid entertained and happy.

Griff couldn't wait to go to Chicago.

Poor kid didn't realize that it would take about 4 hours to reach our destination. About 10 miles from home he asked "are we there yet?"

After stopping for breakfast, stopping to purchase a new cell phone (jason's broke the night before), listening to numerous Barney videos, and telling Griff we'd be there "soon" about a million times.....we finally arrived at Navy Pier!

We quickly learned why they call Chicago "The Windy City". Poor Griff could barely stand up straight, the wind was blowing so hard.

There really wasn't much to do at Navy Pier. The ferris wheel wasn't working (not that we were going up in that anyway). The Children's museum & the IMAX were a little advanced for him...and we were too cheap to fork over the cash to only spend probably10 minutes at either spot. The Pirate ship looked enticing, but with that wind & those waves, being stuck on a boat ride with a screaming 2 year old & a sea sick husband didn't sound very appealing.

So, we just walked.

And walked.

And walked some more.

Thankfully Griff loved looking at the birds & the boats.

Cheap & easy entertainment.

A little ice cream gave us enough energy to trek down Michigan Ave. So many stores, so little money! Of course we had to venture into the Disney Store. Hubs spotted Tiffany & Co. and asked if I wanted to take a look---then he just laughed at me & said "yeah right". That didn't hurt nearly as bad as when he shook his head when we were walking by Crate & Barrel and Room & Board. It was torture being so close to the stores & not being able to go browse.

But we were able to do something I very much enjoy. We ate....and ate...and ate. Very, very bad for the waist line.

We ate at Rainforest Cafe Thursday night...fun atmosphere, mediocre food, but lots of noise so your kid can be super loud & no one cares. People did turn our direction when Griff decided he needed to do his business under the table next to us. He kept saying "leave me alone, i'm pooping!" The waiter didn't even flinch. Apparently he's seen that kind of behavior before.

Friday while I was at my conference for work, Hubs took Griff swimming, they watched airplanes, & they rode the train around the hotel/airport over & over.

I met up with them later in the afternoon & we headed back downtown for some delicious Chicago style pizza. Yummy!

Chicago is such a pretty city.

Especially at night.

Griff loved watching the people & checking out the sounds of the city. He loved pointing at homeless men with long white beards & yelling out "it's Santa Claus!"

Saturday we went to Shedd Aquarium. Griff's favorite things were the turtles, sting rays, and sea lions. We had to hear all about them the entire 4 hour drive back home.

We saw "Happy Feet" in 4D. Griff got a little frightened when the little girl sitting next to us started screaming, but overall I think he enjoyed the experience.

We saw the "Fantasea" show...a little slow & really didn't keep his attention (or mine for that matter). Apparently dolphins, beluga whales, & penguins aren't that interesting....