'CAGO Day 2: shuttles, trains, and WIND

Today, while Mom was at her conference,

us boys hit the Museum of Science and Industry (the "MSI")

First was a water room with dams and locks

and a cool cyclone

We were REALLY excited to see John Deers!

Of course, we had to drive one

Who knew shadows could catch sand?

Dad was really excited about this WWII sub.

It is the actual submarine the US captured from the Germans

to obtain submarine technology.

You would have thought we'd be psyched for space shuttles,

but our lack of nap and refusal to go to bed last night is starting to show...

Lightning was making music in this room...

LOUD music!

Trains should have been the best part of the day.

But Weston was soooo excited to see them,

he forgot to tell Dad he needed to use the bathroom.

Made the trains a bit less fun.

After fighting for 3 hours,

naps were abandoned and we hit the town again,

this time with Mom.

Navy Pier was pretty cool.

Check out the infamous lighthouse in the distance.

We were really excited...

we were going on a PIRATE SHIP cruise!

With REAL pirates!

Unfortunately, this is as close as we got.

A big storm was blowing in and they cancelled our show.

We were pretty bummed.

Things were better when we bought tickets for the ferris wheel

Mom and Wes,

enjoying the ride

Me and Dad,

checking out the view

It was quite the view!!!

Hello, Chicago!

A long way down

Did I mention a storm was blowing in?

A really WINDY storm?

So, let me get this straight.

Too windy for a boat,

but not too windy to ride 140 feet into the air

in a swinging car on a wire frame?

Hmmm, maybe not the best idea.

(the car was pitching several degrees!)

We survived the ferris wheel,

and after a fun bus ride,

landed at Portillos for dinner.

I was enjoying my Italian beef sandwich,

but did not enjoy Mom's incessant picture taking.

A long day without a nap.

Pretty fun all the same.

'CAGO! Day 1: Butterflies, high-rises, and deep-dish

The day finally arrived...

We were so 'cited for 'cago!

(that's excited for Chicago in Weston-speak)

We had our "pack-packs" full of goodies for the plane

Where is that plane?

After an uneventful and very well-behaved flight,

we took our first cab ride

Look, Ma!

No carseats! 

We dropped off our bags

and headed to the base of the Hancock Tower

for lunch

Then we took the bus

(we love public transportation in Chicago!)

to

the Nature Museum!

Poking the Bear,

like Papa Bear says not to do

There was a cool bike exhibit

We all took a turn

Even Dad!

We really like the water exhibit.

You had to make dams and waterways for the town

There were a bunch of animals like turtles and frogs,

tarantulas 

and this weird snapping turtle

 But the coolest animals?

The 1000's of butterflies!

This is an owl butterfly--

guess why?

They release about 40 just-born butterflies every day

I got up close and personal

when one hitched a ride on my shirt

They slowly flap their wings to get the water out

after they come out from their chrysalis

before they can fly 

Minutes old butterflies

Too cool

There was a little time for a frog

and beaver to play on the pretend cave and trees before we headed to our next stop

The ZOO!

Mom's college roomies Lynn and Jina came along

with their kids Elise and Maya

 We saw tigers, monkeys, and a few other animals,

but the greatest part of the zoo was this:

the jungle gym!

It was 2-3 stories high, 30 yards long, and 

nothing but platforms and net

It was so awesome,

we went through 3 times. 

All this activity wore Maya out.

Actually,

she slept through the whole day.

Good baby! 

Then we headed to Lou Malnati's for pizza.

Elise, Jack and I did a little people watch while we waited.

A plane ride, a museum, a zoo,

AND pizza with good friends?

Is all of Chicago this fun?

Serious learning

What do we do at UHDS all day?

Work on colors and counting

And math and writing

Notice our friends are girls...

It's not always hard work!

Fun with Xbox

What do we do when Mom is working all night?

Head to Grandma and Grandpa's for some fun with the Kinect!

These were too funny not to share...

(Thanks for the pics, Grandma!)

Getting the game set up

Swerving the raft around the bend

Catching some air with the raft

(Mom note:  I love how they are so in sync

and the looks on their faces--

pure concentration!)

Labor Day = Lake Day

After a busy weekend of yard work and tree planting,

it was time to get in the water!

The water was a bit colder than last time

Swimming is a lot of fun,

but we thought we should try out TUBING again!

(remember last year?)

As little brothers do,

once West saw Mom and I having a blast on the tube,

we had to stop the boat and let him climb in too...

WEEEEEE!

3 boys in a boat

And did we mention 

Monti got a new life jacket?

Not so much for floatation,

but for easy of hauling her in and out of the boat!

Ahh, summer.

We'll miss you!

Good manners

The Water Bear (Grandpa Mike) taught Mom to balance a spoon on her nose

at Tavern on the Green in NYC long ago.

Mom has been working with us for a while too.

I think we perfected it at Cheesecake Factory.

We're going to take this show on the road!