Chi-Town

Two days after Christmas, we went on an adventure of our own - Chicago here we come!! Isobel was about three weeks old and it was definitely time for her to meet her cousins. Thank goodness Isobel doesn't seem to mind the noise because Hurricane Falahee has entered the building. Isn't she adorable?
It took Garrett a long time to make himself feel at home - a little less than five minutes.

The boys love Isobel - they were so gentle and loving.

As you can see, Isobel brought smiles to all of our faces.

Uncle Scott and Aunt Laura were prepared for the boys. It was like a second Christmas with so many presents under the tree just for them. Well, don't get me wrong - there were tons of presents for all of us. They were so excited to receive their remote control cars - we brought them downstairs so we didn't torture Graham. Not only did we open presents but we also had Christmas dinner which was delicious.

The Winter Festival on the Navy Pier was in full swing so we decided to give Scott and Laura a break/some peace and quiet. When we arrived, we couldn't imagine the enormous event we were walking into. First of all, the Navy Pier is an event in itself - the stain glass is absolutely beautiful.

The Winter Festival was a gigantic indoor winter experience - ice skating, bouncy houses, Ferris wheels, slides, trains and rides. We couldn't believe they fit all of this indoors, plus the decorations were phenomenal.

Garrett took a liking to a particular slide. The only issue was that I took him to the top and he went right down by himself. However, there was a maze which brought you to the slide and it was the only way to get back down. Since there was no one at the bottom of the slide and I didn't think my plan out, I went running through the maze to get back to Garrett. I basically ran over little kids and parents and when I was almost to the end - here comes Garrett walking up the ramp with a huge smile on his face. I was so thankful he was so smart and couldn't believe how dumb I had been - lesson learned. As you can see, he loved the slide!

Connor was fascinated by all the different rides and decided he had to go on the train. Daddy waited in line with him and he went on the ride all by himself. He loved the train as it went through tunnels and past Christmas trees and bears.

As you can see there was even a full size skating rink indoors and the kids loved watching everyone skate around.

The carousel and the ball pit was some of their favorites. Here are my boys after they got off the carousel and they wanted to pose for Grandma.

Another day Uncle Scott brought us to the Goodman Theatre to show Connor a run through of the sets, lights and music of the Christmas Carol. It was also Isobel's first trip to her daddy's work. The kids loved the theater and took everything in - of course, there were lots of questions to follow.

Of course, it snowed while we were there and Uncle Scott got to see first hand my big helpers. They were out there clearing Uncle Scott's sidewalks and even the alley - the only thing that stopped them was the bitter cold and their mother telling them they were turning into icicles.

I am sure I have forgotten something along the way. It was a really fun visit and it was really hard to leave because I wasn't sure when we would see Isobel next.

Two Things I learned in Chicago:
1- If I lived there, I would weigh 300 pounds. The stuffed pizza is phenomenal.

2- A baby didn't slow down Scott and Laura at all. They are amazingly efficient.

Thank you for having us....you were such good hosts all I can say is "we'll be back."