The Chicago Highlight

Poor Henry got cut out of this picture -- he's in the stroller fast asleep!

The highlight of our Chicago trip was meeting the family of a dear bloggy friend at Shedd's Aquarium. Our children are almost identical in age and temperament, and everyone got along famously. We saw sea turtles, fish, dolphins, the beluga whale, and penguins. The children played penguin dress-up, touched starfish, climbed up walls and came down slides, and even got to play inside a submarine. We all ate lunch together and then went outside. We found a little grassy area with a few trees and the girls all started playing. There were no toys or anything to climb on, but they played for a very long time and my girls enjoyed this time playing even more than the aquarium! Funny how a whole lot of nothing can be so fun when you're with good friends! This gave the adults a great time to visit and watch our sons, who both came home from Korea within a month or so of each other. I really enjoyed exchanging stories about the boys because they are so incredibly similar -- I'm not the only one trying to figure out how to survive with 4&5 yr. old daughters and a son who climbs, empties everything (even the garbage can), and is having some sleep issues again. It's a shame we can't see these friends more often because, as Brent said on the way home, "What a fabulous family!"