Chicago 2012

Eric had a week off!  We decided to make the most of it and visit the Windy City.
Here's a quick Dockter Crew rundown of Chicago.

First stop, Lego Land. 

I must admit that a visit to LegoLand hasn't ever been at the top of my "Must Do Before I Die" list, but when you have three little boys I think it becomes a must.  They loved it!

Max is slightly obsessed with R2D2 and about died when he came face to face with a life-sized Lego version of his favorite droid.  And Sam loved every bit of our visit, especially the lame rides.

Two or three hours is all you need at this noisy, crowded, little boy infested place.  Pack some ibuprofen if you plan to stay any longer.

We ended up with a great hotel.  Our room boasted a great view of Navy Pier and Lake Michigan.  We could see the water taxis going up and down the river and see the busy city below us.  Our little rascals could have cared less about that stuff though.  They were more concerned with finding the Disney Channel, getting ice out of the ice machine, jumping on the beds, and pushing buttons in the elevator.  They were in heaven.

We walked a lot.  No, we walked a ton.  We were reminded that big cities aren't exactly set up for strollers and little kids.  The boys were good sports about all of the walking though.  Max would occasionally hitch a ride in the basket below the stroller to rest his little legs.  I can't believe he fit in there! 

We also rewarded 'good walking behavior' with sips of root beer at the end of each block.  What is 'good walking behavior' you ask?  It means to whining, no complaining, no tugging on the stroller, no tripping Mom or Dad, no climbing up poles, and of course smiling.

We visited Shedd Aquarium.  It was fun, but after hearing Sam say he liked the Indy Zoo better, we couldn't help but agree.  Our favorite part of Shedd was the walk back along the lakeshore with Chicago hotdogs in hand.  It was gorgeous.

We biked along the lakeshore and this was a huge hit.  Sam refused to ride behind me after a close call with a fall off the trail.  So Eric and I switched it up.  We all got sunkissed cheeks and loved just being outside.  Spring in Chicago is beautiful.

If you travel to Chicago with a baby, I recommend Jake Richards.  He's nearly perfect in every way.  He sat patiently in his stroller, hung out in the Bjorn, napped anywhere and everywhere, smiled at passers by, and was just content.  Oh, we all love him!

We loved the Bean.  A definite must with kids.

Eric went back early one morning to snap some photos of it before the crowds arrived.  I thought he was just being a camera hog and then I saw these pictures.  Didn't he get some awesome shots?!

Navy Pier was a highlight, too.  The weather was perfect and they had the ferris wheel up and running. 

We scored a great deal on ride tickets, so after the ferris wheel these two buddies rode this lighthouse ride 7 times in a row. And they giggled each and every time!

Some other favorites included:
The blossoms and the tulips!

Deep dish pizza!

Magnificent Mile walking!

Watching a new pilot, "Chicago Fire", being filmed right outside our hotel.

More Lego shopping!

And for me...wandering through this place in complete and total awe...

The boys couldn't believe I even wanted to walk in here and look around.  I left them in the Lego store and peeked in this little piece of girl heaven.  I saw little girls waiting for their doll's hairstyling appointments to finish up.  I saw little girls sitting down to tea with their doll look alikes.  It was unreal.  I'm going to start putting away money now for our future daughter to enjoy this place.

We had a great trip!

Now back to real life...here we go!