Chicago

Brandon had a pedagogy conference in Chicago so we all decided to tag along and play while he was busy learning.

Our first stop became the ER. After taking a nap at the hotel shortly after our arrival, we went down to the pool. There I noticed that Kurt had a dirty belly button. When I tried to clean it out, I discovered that it wasn't dirt, but a bug- burrowing in. Not wanting to attempt a removal, our only option (at 6pm) was the local ER. 4 hours later...the ER so slow...we were discharged and told to watch for syptoms of lime disease. What a way to start our trip - getting a tick in your hotel room!

The next day the little boys and I visited the Brookfield Zoo. I'd read that it was supposed to be one of the best in the country.
They have a really cool real life, real size dinasour exhibit right now. I didn't get many still shots b/c I was trying to drive the stroller and video the exhibit for Brandon to see. The dinosaurs moved their head/necks and tails and made their real sounds. Kurt spent the entire exhibit with his hands over his ears. He told me when we got out that he didn't like dinosaurs anymore.

Kurt really liked the zebra - he called it Marty..."Melman" lived across the way and he thought that was cool.

Always fun to see a Bald Eagle up close

The bears were very active. They'd just gotten fed. This guy was still working on his fish. A fun picture moment. Two little Joeys.

They had a few areas really set up for little ones. This building was great for them. We went later in our day so they could get out of the stroller and run around and play. They could play with animal toys, design their own zoo, be a fish, explore some tunnels, do some crafts, "water" the plants in the greenhouse...They also had a do-it-yourself face paint station. Kurt started on his own, making himself a whale. I wasn't sure how to help make his face look like a whale, so it just stayed blue.

And he decided Luke needed to be a tiger. Mom did this painting though.

Zonked after a long, fun day at the zoo