Weekend in Chicago

It was a great weekend in Chicago. The weather was perfect and it was great to see my fam. It went SOOO quickly. We left Friday afternoon at nap time and the kids did great on the drive down. By about Michigan City they woke up and played with "farmer chad" the magnetic toy for the rest of the way. I was ready to throw it out the window! When we arrived we unpacked and went to the pool. They LOVED it. Owen had no fear and backed in like he was going down stairs. They had sooo much fun in the pool and it tired them out. After the pool we went to Rainforest Cafe' thinking it would entertain the kids while we ate....WRONG. Brandon met us for a few minutes before he had to make it to the show. We had the slowest service ever and the kids just wanted to play on all the animals so they screamed if we didn't hold them or let them walk around. We put them right to bed when we got back.....Kennedy went right down and Owen screamed for about an hour but finally fell asleep in Jeremiah's lap. My mom and dad arrived 5 minutes after Owen was down so we just hung out in their room for a few minutes before my dad and Jeremiah left to pick up Brandon from the Theatre and Mike and Val from the airport. We all hung out in my parents hotel room for a few hours before going to bed. Of course I stayed upway to late so I slept for about 10 minutes before Kennedy woke up screaming and disoriented. Finally got her back to sleep about 6am. It is soo hard traveling with kids!

Saturday we had a great hotel breakfast together and went to go see the river dyed green. It was a lot of fun but Owen and Kennedy just weren't up for standing around so Jeremiah and I took the kids to a mall nearby to let them run. The mall was not busy at all because everyone was probably watching the river. We went to the Lego store and just let the kids run. Later on that day Brandon's girlfriend Jenna watched the kids so we could go out for a family dinner before the play...it was a great time....Thanks Jenna! We also were able to see Jeremiah's sister Sonya because she met up with us for dinner and the play:) It was A-mazing! We loved it so much we want to go again. For anyone in the Chicago area it really a great play....called the "Rose and the Rime" It is only 90 minutes but it very entertaining and funny!
Sunday we hung out and went shopping to whole foods and Trader Joe's while my mom stayed back with the kiddos. We hit the pool and went to check out Brandon's place while he was at rehearsal and had a great time. We left at about 7 our time, which is bed time for the kids so we thought they would sleep the whole way and it would be great.....wrong again. They fell asleep quickly but were awake before we hit Michigan City. So we stopped and decided to put Kennedy's car seat in the way back so Jenna could sit closer so we could talk easier. Kennedy did just fine but Owen had a fit. We took him out for a bit while we were moving car seats and he did not want to get back so he screamed like I have never heard him scream before for about 20 minutes. He finally settled down after several rounds of "Jesus loves me as I dress......." Let me just say...poor Jenna. Not only did she put up with screaming Owen on the drive down she put up with Jeremiah and I singing a lot! Let us just say....we were not blessed with a good voice like my brother. All in all it was a great trip but went WAY to fast. With the kids and so much packed into the weekend I didn't get much "conversation" time with Mike which I just love but we hope to see him and Val again this summer. Unfortunately I didn't take many pics of Mike and Brandon so they are mostly of Owen and Kennedy.

helping mom unpack

the 10 seconds of sanity at the Rainforest Cafe'


Owen loved the mirror and this purple tube for the pool. Yes, that is a bed in the closet-that is where Kennedy slept with the door open of course!


cuddles for the stuffed pupp


sitting with the old Lego lady

Mom, Mike, Val, Dad, Miah, me, Jenna & Bran at Billy Goat Tavern while Sonya watched the kiddos. THANK YOU Sonya!