Shedd Aquarium

Pictures we took Thursday in Chicago... in no particular order! (read: I'm too lazy to put them in order!)

Just made it into Chicago!

We ate dinner at the original Gino's East.  My favorite deep-dish in Chicago.

Finn and Mommy at the aquarium.

The Shedd Aquarium was built in 1930.  Beautiful building!

Getting ready to ride the South Shore Train to Chicago!

"Shock me like an electric eel"  Cullen and I sang this song.  :)

Captivating!

Amazing little creatures...

Nemo!

Some large, pretty fish with bright blue eyes.

Finn and shark.

Finn- the 2 hours to Chicago.  His boy loves his trains!

The Beluga Whale show.

We took the boys to the Shedd Aquarium on Thursday.  We got up early (following the Cubs game) and caught the train into Chicago.  Finn could hardly wait for the train ride.  :) 

We took our time wondering through the aquarium.  Saw a 4D Ice Age short movie (a highlight of the Shedd for the boys).  They blew air onto your back, sprayed you with water, filled the air with a flower scent, blew glitter and bubbles in the air, etc at corresponding parts of the movie.  (when the dinosaur sneezed, the water sprayed in our face, etc)  Cullen was letting out his uncontrollable belly laughs!  He thought the movie was fantastic.

After we had our fill of the aquarium, (and killed the phone battery taking pictures) we took the water taxi over to the Navy Pier.  From there we walked about 8 or so blocks to Gino's East to have some of Chicago's famous deep dish pizza.  It was well worth the walk.  From there it was time to head back to catch the train back to South Bend.  We walked the 12 blocks right down Michigan Avenue's "Magnificent Mile" to the train.  Never mind the many crazies we passed holding signs, shouting in megaphones, break-dancers, etc.  We got home at 11:30pm.  The boys are at great ages to do these trips.  There were no melt-downs, whining, or tears.  Success!

Wrigley Field...

Yay!  We were in the shade!

The boys brought their gloves. :)

Finn getting a better view.

I'm eating, but I'm still ready for a foul ball...

Lunch.  YUMMMY Chicago Dog.  GRROSS Old Style Beer.

I love a good hot dog, and THIS was an excellent hot dog!  Poppyseed bun, grilled onions, perfection.  We also tried the Old Style Beer.  It is Chicago's iconic workingman's brew, afterall...  Not my favorite... but "When in Rome....."

Ice cream in a helmet.  Reminds me of Royals games in my youth... :)

Great day for a ballgame.

Sean crossed another thing off his bucket list this week.  We drove up to Chicago Wednesday, to watch the Cubs play the Pirates at Wrigley Field.  Before we went in, a very tall older man approached the boys and talked with us.  He then told us that he would be leading the crowd in "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" in the 7 inning stretch.  He then told us he used to pitch for the Cubs.  Sure enough, during the 7th inning stretch he was singing and was introduced as a retired Cub's pitcher.

It was a wonderful day for a ballgame.  Too bad the Cubs lost (by a lot!).

my favorite... nightly walks around Lake St. Mary

Last time we rode through here, Cullen saw a deer.

We are hoping to attend a mass outside here this summer.

Waiting for mom & dad...

Weed or flower?  Still pretty.

We could see little fish eating the bread too!

Love this tree lined path on the back part of the lake.

Ahhh, that beautiful golden dome.

no words...

I'm trying to permanently ingrain everything about these walks.  They are so beautiful and peaceful.  This may be what I miss the most when we move away next summer...

{quiet} play....

I have to pull them away to eat.

I'm seeing A LOT more of this lately...  The boys are playing a lot together in their room.  It's great to watch and overhear their pretend play.  Surprisingly there has been much less squabbling the last few days too.  This is enough to make this mom's heart happy!  I love seeing my boys play together as friends.

farmer's market

We all went to the farmer's market this morning.  We had brunch, bought produce, played with guinea pigs, and ate gelato.  It was a great morning!  Finn asked when we can go back again.  :)   (I think it was the warm cinnamon roll and pistachio gelato....)

loving the local produce

Okra, baby eggplant, and pattypan from the farmer's market.

My first cherry pie with Michigan cherries.

We are loving the local produce!!  South Bend has the coolest farmer's market, which we recently discovered.  It is in a building and open year round.  It even has a cafe that utilizes all the fresh produce.  We picked up the frozen, tart cherries from Frank Farms in MI last week too.  DELICIOUS!!  I couldn't get over how large the cherries are, despite the bad year for them.

climbing the walls.... really!

Cullen recently discovered that he can climb the walls, like spiderman!  :)  Of course, Finn can't be outdone...  Cullen has to lift Finn up a bit to get him started.