March Madness - Spring Break in Chicago

Spring Break!  I always want to do something over-the-top fun and memorable for Spring break, but it's usually easier said than done.  We have so many neighbors that go to Aruba, Florida, Mexico, etc.  I would LOVE to do that!  However, the cheapskate side of my brain is louder than my fun side.  Plus, Steve couldn't take time off.  He could give me 1 day, but needed to be accessible the entire time.  We decided to check some things off of our Chicago bucket list.  We finally got to go to the Sears/Willis Tower!  Very Fun!

 Lizzie was so brave!  She was excited to be upside down...Then she looked down and was ready to be on her feet again. :)

 Steve (controlling his fear of heights) did great but felt a little light-headed once he looked down as he was lowering himself in the corner.

 Carter takes everything to the extreme!

 The family - "Livin' on the Edge" (Steven Tyler is now singing in my head.)

 Cool shoe shot, right?

My tribute to Ferris Bueller's Day Off

In my search for Chicago's best attractions for families, I'd found that I'd done most of them; however, one stuck out as a new experience.  The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum was a fun surprise.  It's a small museum near Lincoln Park Zoo.  It's also free for Illinois residents on Thursdays.

My favorite part was the Butterfly exhibit.  Unbelievable!!!! 

 There had to be about 100 butterflies in this small room.  We had a blast watching them fly around, sit still on leaves, and even drink juice from fruit.  There were over 15 different varieties.  So, with the classification pictures on laminated cards, we had fun trying to find each kind.  Lizzie didn't like it as much as I thought she would.  She realized that they are insects with big spindly legs and antennae and a proboscis! Some of these butterflies were 8 inches wide!  Beautiful!

 The girls were young enough to play in the kiddie area while the boys watched a student actually preserve and create a stuffed bird for a display in the museum.  She was in a booth available to answer all of their questions and show them how she puts together the bones, lays the skin over, and attaches the feathers.  They were amazed.

The water area was also educational in the way that they could play in the water while learning about the Lock system for boats in the local rivers and canals. 

 For dinner, we decided to experience Ed Debevic's.  This restaurant is a chain found in the major cities and is known for their waiters' and waitresses' attitudes.  They also dance ever 30 minutes or so to oldies like "Car Wash" and "YMCA." Our waitress had plenty to say, especially about me trying to control my kids' food choices to the point where Carter asked me, "Are you going to take that from her?":)

 Friday morning, we ran to the Chicago History Museum.  Some interesting things, kids were free, but not my favorite.  I liked seeing the train car and reading more about the World Expedition near the turn of the century.  After reading Devil in the White City, I'm intrigued by that whole event and all that went into it. Luckily, there was a small children's room where they learned about the Chicago Dog...

 Popular means of transportation...

 Chicago's stamp on the media...

 smells, baseball, and more of what makes Chicago unique.  

 We also took the kids shopping down Michicago Avenue.  I had never seen the American Girl store, so I HAD to take my girls.  It was a moral imperative!

 The boys did NOT want to even set foot in the store, so they found the Lego store.

 Here are the girls with the girl of the year...

 Steve and the boys spent most of their time in MARBLES, a game store.  Evan even won this stress reliever (in the shape of a brain) because he could solve the rubies cube.  Pretty Snazzy!

 Steve's and my tradition (I want it to be a tradition at least) in the 2 times we have been to Chicago alone is to get chocolates from a chocolatier.  So, before leaving, I grabbed a special treat for us...a box of truffles.  We all took small nibbles of each one to make sure we all could experience each flavor.  Mmmm!  They were: Chocolate Souffle, chocolate lava cake, strawberry creme taste, red velvet cake, vanilla mousse, creme brûlée, chocolate eclair, carrot cake, and caramel apple tarte.  Divine!