Thinkin Positive....like pregnancy tests and such: Welcome Home Stepro Family....Welcome Home.... Vaca update Friday

AHHH! It feels soo wonderful to be home! I was having a problem uploading my pictures so I hadn't blogged while we were on vacation. We just got home late last night and I have been able to get them up.
So here is a rundown and several pictures about our fun...even though it was sooo cold family vacation!

We left Reno first thing Friday morning, Sean dropped us off at the airport at 5:30am. Our plane left at 7:00. Don is a nervous wreck to fly! Poor guy! After the Zanax he was a little less nervous. Our flight was smooth, we had a layover and some de-icing in Denver. We didn't get to eat on the plane so by the time we hit turbulance outside Chicago, I was very sick, I used the bags on the plane facing the window - next to Brooklyn...oops....I overflowed and spilled on her leg, she was grossed out - I was embarrassed for her and I had to try to wash her pants with antibac.

Once we got to Chicago it was crazy traffic from the airport to the city! UGH! I am so glad that we don't live there! People drive like maniacs! Stacie picked us up at the airport fought traffic on the way to town, checked into our less then stellar hotel. It was a great location, 1 block off the Mag Mile. We stayed in the Red Roof Inn, our room was so small that the 2 double beds took up most of the space, we couldn't even open our suitcases all the way, not to mention that later that night we found out that the building has problems with the heat when our heater stopped

working...oh and it was below freezing most of our trip, but back to our day, we went right to dinner, as I was starving, we went to Pizzeria Uno...HOLY CRAP DELIGHTFUL!!!!

It is the home of Chicago style pizza! The best pizza I had ever had to that point.

Then we were off to the American Girl Doll Store. Before we left for Chicago we made a deal with Brooklyn that if she wanted to buy anything she needed to save up her money and however much she wanted to spend of what she saved we would match. Well that was before we realized that she had been studing the American Girl catalog and pricing everything out that she wanted! She ended up taking $200.00 of her own money so we couldn't crap out - well good thing cause she went hog wild in that store. She picked out the doll she wanted and every outfit around that doll, she ended up spending about $320.00 there. That girl is nuts!

After shopping it was bed time. Must rest up for Saturday. I am getting bored of typing so ...maybe I will just do brief over views and pictures?? If you want more details let me know.

Sat. we went down to the John Hancock Building - it was so much fun. They had a lot to do up at the top, telescopes and stories and games for kids.

We went to the top in North America's fastest elevator! We got up to the 94th floor in about 40 seconds! Your ears pop twice on the way up. The views were great even though it was a cold foggy day.

Brooklyn got to do some window washing at the top of the John!

This is what the Sears Tower looks like from The Hancock Building.

Later that day we familiarized ourselves with the bus system so we could avoid walking and we bussed it to the Nature Museum which was a ton of fun too! I was so impressed with how much stuff in this town is geared for kids.

They had a butterfly

garden which was warm! We loved that place and just a lot of fun hands on stuff for the kids to do to learn about nature. They even had a robot exhibit that was all hands on too. Don and I raced a robot to see who could complete a puzzle first and when the robot would win he would mock you. Too funny!

Later that night we went to dinner with Stacie and her friend Kelley to the Weber Resturaunt, yummy yummy! It wasn't like a backyard BBQ like we thought it was going to be, it was much nicer, still everything was grilled. It was so good!

We also walked through Lincoln Park where Brooklyn chased squirels.

Sunday was a really fun day! Brooklyn got an early morning wake up call from one of the Easter Bunny's helpers that her Easter basket was at Stacie's Hotel (much nicer same price - less then 2 blocks from us) So we walked down there and did her basket and stuff and she searched for eggs. Then we went back got all gussied up and went to watch Wicked.

Oh my gosh! I loved loved loved it soo much! Don loved it too, it was his first Broadway show and I was glad that he enjoyed it, it means that he will be willing to go see more, Brooklyn was messmerized by it all, I had to tell her to stop singing the songs (we downloaded the soundtrack a few months ago so we could get familiar) and every once in a while we would look over at her and her eyes were wide open and her mouth was gaping. She was so sweet! Our seats were great - on the floor and Stacie was with us too, so she and I got to spend time together also, so that was nice. After Wicked we walked to Millenium Park to see the "Bean" as the locals call it.

It's official name is Cloud Gate. It is a big piece of art that is completely refelctive and it is shaped in way that you can walk all around it and under it.

The Bean was neat, you could take so many pictures and it not look the same.

After the bean we walked back down Michigan to go home. We passed a building that had rocks and bricks from different buildings from around the world...I think it may have been the Tribune Building? Brooklyn wanted a picture with the rock from the Great Pyramid in Egypt. We walked across the Chicago River...I hate bridges!! I hate bridges over water! I hate bridges like Don hates to fly. I hate driving across them...I really hate walking across them. I didn't take any "great city pictures" from the bridge like so many people were doing, I took pictures once we got to the other side. Then we saw a bronze statue of Jack Brickhouse? He was a sports broadcaster so Stacie wanted a picture with him! :) After our walk home Stacie left and we went to dinner at a mexican place down the road and Brooklyn went crazy in our hotel room and then we went to sleep.