#Chicago

I am just getting around to blogging about our quick little Spring Break trip to The Windy City.
Here's a quick look at our weekend in Chicago,  a week and a half ago now, via my iphone....
Insta-Chicago, if you will.
We packed  a LOT into just a few days, a lot.
We all had a lot of fun, the kids were really good and we can't wait to go back this Summer.
By Summer, the Ferris wheel at Navy Pier will be open then and I promised Charlotte I would ride it with her then.
I don't love rides but I think I can handle a Ferris wheel. I think.
 But maybe I shouldn't promise.

My kids LOVE the city, they are awesome little travelers and it is so much fun visiting new places, or just places completely

different from where we live,  with them.

I love seeing all of these things with them, through their eyes.

We had been planning to go since after Christmas and because of so much snow and bad

 weather,  we decided to wait until it was just a little bit  nicer anyway.

I'm so glad we waited until there was no snow and it was still chilly but not freezing. 

We catch the Amtrak about 45 minutes from home and take it right into the City.

The kids love taking the train and so do I, no traffic to deal with and it is just so easy + relaxing.

And cheap. 

If you get your tickets in advance it is so affordable to take the train, much less than driving...

and that's probably even with paying for overnight parking at the train station.

I think Amtrak should send me + the kids around the country this summer and I

 will blog and Instagram our trip along the way.

Wouldn't that be awesome?

I'd totally be down with that.

I  LOVED when we were getting ready for bed the night before we left and the kids

 were SO EXCITED about our little trip and Charlotte said:

"Mommy I love when you're on the train and all the sudden you get close tot he city and 

you start seeing all the buildings and you look up and they are so tall and there are so many.

That is so awesome!"

Now that just made my heart happy.

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thE WindY CitY

Saturday was our annual train trip to Chicago for a little Christmas shopping. Usually we go in December but after having horrible weather the last couple of years we went a little earlier this year and we were so happy we did because it was in the mid-60's and beautiful. No ice, snow or wondering if we were going to have to cancel this year. Our group is usually anywhere from 10-20 people...cousins, aunts, uncles, moms, sisters, nieces. We eat lunch, shop, talk, people watch and then later on there's a little more eating, gossiping and shopping, it's a great day. This year my sister couldn't go and we were a little lost (literally) without her as she is the "Cruise Director" if you will....makes decisions, tells us which way to go, etc. And I'm wondering if she had been there if we would have gotten ourselves into the predicament we did at the end of the day. Let me just say that we were at the train station an hour early but somehow missed the boarding announcement (too much gossiping?), were not paying attention to the time and had to run from inside the station all the way to the train-everyone had boarded and we were yelled at by various Amtrak workers along the way, and not a nice encouraging yell, but yelling. It was pretty embarrassing-a big group running like that, carrying all those bags- and pretty humiliating realizing how out of shape I am too. BUT, it was a great day, it's a family tradition that I love and of course we really had something to laugh about the whole way home.

Can't wait until next year!