Chicago Vacation!!!

We just got back from vacation and wow, did we pack a lot into one week. By the time we got back to Omaha on Friday, it felt like we had been gone for a month!  Our vacation started at my brother's house where we got to spend a quick few days celebrating the baptism and adoption of this sweet little girl! 

On Sunday afternoon, Bryan, Jack, my brother, brother-in-law, and I headed into the city to Wrigley Field for the Cubs vs. Cardinals game. Maddy stayed with my sister and sister-in-law and all the kids. I think she had more fun with them than she would have had with us! It was just about the perfect game for Jack to see as his first at Wrigley. The temps were awesome, there was lots of good baseball (only one error) and it was a back and forth game!

We let my brother sit with us even though he's a Cardinals fan. Ha! But to top off a great first game for Jack was that they won (5-3)!

On Monday, after the adoption party for my niece, we headed into Chicago once again to do our own family vacation. Our first stop besides the hotel and dinner was to Willis (Sears) Tower. On Tuesday, we started the day by going to the Field Museum. The special exhibit was Jurassic World with large animatronic dinosaurs that were pretty life-like! We also got to see Sue, the T-Rex. We had Maddy convinced that she shrunk when we went through the "Critters Underground" exhibit. Notice her look of concern as she was measuring herself in the last picture! After lunch and a little more at the Field Museum, we walked nearby to the Adler Planetarium. There weren't a lot of photo opportunities there, but was a pretty neat place to visit!

Wednesday was the day we did a ton of walking... almost 11 miles! From our hotel, we walked to the Museum of Science and Industry, where we spent several hours. The kids (and B) enjoyed the Lego Challenge in the Lego Exhibit. There was also a really neat Patterns and Math in Nature exhibit that included a mirror maze. There was so much to see there!

After walking back to the hotel and taking a little break, we walked north to Millenium Park. We snapped lots of pics at Cloud Gate (the Bean).

We took our time walking from there to Navy Pier. We made a couple stops at playgrounds in the park for the kids to blow off some steam. We had ice cream for supper at Navy Pier - woot! The kids really wanted to ride the ferris wheel, but it was going to cost $54 for the four of us. Yikes! We opted for them each to do one fun smaller ride instead. Jack chose the climbing wall and Maddy rode the "Light Tower." We walked back to the car through downtown, seeing the Wilco Towers along the way. By the time we got back, we were exhausted!

Random Lake Michigan Photos - There were several times during our stay where we got to walk along the lake on our way somewhere. Bryan and I realized that we easily could have taken the kids to the beach one of the days! Next time, I guess. 

After a quick morning stroll to visit Lake Michigan one last time, we headed to Springfield, IL for our final day of vacation. Our first stop was to the old State Capitol building where Abraham Lincoln was in government. Then it was on to the home of Abraham Lincoln. This was probably my favorite part of the vacation. To feel the history (literally touching the same railing that Lincoln would have touched) was amazing. We also happened to tour his home right when "Lincoln himself" was there! The National Park Service has a whole section of land filled with homes kept to look like they did in the 1800s. 

The final day, Friday, was spent visiting the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum & Library along with the "new" State Capitol Building. (The old one is in the upper left corner). There was so much history to learn in the museum. Bryan commented that it was quite depressing by the end, which it was with the war and Lincoln's assassination. The new capitol building is gorgeous! It is definitely the most impressive capitol building I have ever seen. 

Our final stop on the way out of town was to see Lincoln's Tomb. Besides getting a little good luck from his nose, it was a pretty humbling experience to walk through. 

And... here we are, home sweet home. The kids both got some money to spend on souvenirs. Jack chose a Chicago skyline Lego set. Maddy got a science kit, astronaut helmet, and a souvenir key to the city of Chicago. It was a fun trip, but equally tiring! Bryan and I have decided we are ready for a bit of a more nature-based trip again next year. :)