My kind of town

Last weekend we visited my sister in the suburbs of Chicago.  Because the kids and I had Friday off of school we decided to go up on Friday and spend the day in downtown Chicago, which we've not done with the kids.  Ryan used to take students up there so he knew where to go.  We got a little later start than we'd anticipated (what else is new!) so didn't get to spend as much time in the city as we would have liked, but it was still fun to be there.  I'd forgotten how much I like being in Chicago.  There is so much energy and excitement--nothing quite like emerging from an underground El stop onto a busy city street.  It is just a little different being there with kids--more heart pounding moments mixed with lots of encouragement to keep on walking.  However, it was lots of fun for everyone

Our first stop, where we parked, was Chinatown.  We stopped at a bakery , and it was yummy to eat food that reminded me of Japan (red beans and sticky rice balls).  I need to visit the local Japanese store again soon!

waiting for a light to turn--I decided to just carry Caroline on my back and am glad I did.  My foot hurt a little the next day, but dealing with a stroller would have been too annoying.

The Bean at Millenium Park--It was a beautiful day, and everyone was taking pictures of themselves in the Bean.  We hadn't seen it yet in person, so it was neat to finally see this artwork I'd heard about and seen in photographs.  There is just something kind of cool about it.

our family reflected in the Bean

a reflective pool with these LCD screens with faces that move and smile--Jack had to touch the water in it, after which he declared that he'd touched the lake.  We'll have to do Lake Michigan some other time! 

our first family ride on the train--The boys were too interested in looking out the windows to look at me.  I love how Grant has a forced smile on his face but cannot pause to look at the camera.

My little goofball and walking companion--She also refused to look at the camera on the train but for different reasons: she just wanted to be silly!