The Windy City

Last year we won the Chicago getaway tickets at the Harvest for the Hungry dinner. We realized they all expired at the beginning of November so we decided to go over Fall Break. We had passes to the Shedd Aquarium, The Skydeck, and The Museum of Science and Industry. We also had a gift certificate for Ed Debevics. We were able to use Marriott Reward Points and stayed at a Courtyard right by Michigan Ave. We drove to Chicago after work on Friday so we would be ready for a fun filled day on Saturday.
Our first stop was the Shedd Aquarium. The best part about the passes we had was they were VIP and we could go to the front of the line. We got there after we ate
breakfast at the Corner Bakery. The aquarium had just opened and the line was already huge! There were some really neat exhibits and the boys enjoyed the aquarium. We had a fun time.

Parker was too busy looking at the fish to smile.

We spent a long time in the shark zone.

We watched a diver feed and talk about the animals in the tank. It was really interesting and the boys enjoyed the show.

Camp Shedd was a fun play area for the kids.

The other boys were busy climbing through the tunnel area but Parker had some serious cooking to do at his camp site. He was busy flipping the egg over and over.

There were special exhibits today all about Hawaii. There were people from Hawaii and all of the special stations. The boys got to make a special fish hat. We also signed up for a free trip to Hawaii, we all wish we would win!

The big boys loved all of the Hawaiin activities.The Polar play area was really fun. We liked the seals, otters, beluga whales, and penguins. They were training the beluga whales and it was fun to watch.

We had fun at the Shedd and were glad we got there early because when we left the line was even longer.Up next was the Sky Deck at Willis Tower formerly known as the Sears Tower. It was another long line but we already had tickets so it was a little bit shorter. It was so neat to see from up high.

The ledge was amazing and they were not scared at all!
There were people all around that were scared and barely able to walk out onto the ledge, but not the Hurst boys. They were laying down looking at the world below.

They were wrestling and acting crazy with the street right below.

It was such a pretty day and the sky was so clear.

After the Sky Deck we headed to Ed Debevic's for a late lunch.

It's such a fun atmosphere and our waiter was great. They are really sarcastic and sassy and make it so fun. The boys love when they all danced on the counter.

We all enjoyed our meal!

Parker liked wearing his hat.

Baylor wanted to wear all of the hats.

We ended our meal with the World's Smallest Sundae, an Ed's tradition.

Afterwards it was back to the hotel for nap. Parker could barely stay awake in the taxi and was asleep within minutes. I was so lucky because Daddy did nap and I got to shop by myself on the Magnificent Mile for two hours. I found some new boots that I love and a few other items. It was a fun time shopping.

Since we had a late lunch we decided to shop first after nap. Our first step was to the Water Tower and the Lego store. The boys had so much fun.

We played, built, and explored in the store.

It was a great place to play.

There were even legos for Parker.

The boys all ended up with new Legos. We went to Nordstrom Rack and a few other stores before walking to the Rainforest Cafe for dinner.

It's a perfect wild place for our wild crew.

Parker was a little scared of the rain storms but he did like the elephants and gorillas.

Parker played with his new Pooh legos while we were at dinner. The big boys worked on their new pirate legos.

The Icee cup was a big hit.

They were busy the whole time at dinner.

Cha Cha the Tree Frog came around and visited us at our table. The big boys loved seeing him but Parker was not a fan!

Parker was afrain of the big snake in the lobby. After dinner we headed back to our hotel to build more Legos and then get to bed for another fun day.