Chicago

I just realized that I didn't blog anything positive about our Chicago experience. Although short-lived, we made the most of the weekend!

On Friday night (actually I think it was technically already Saturday morning), we arrived at the DoubleTree Hotel and they handed us warm chocolate chip cookies. They were fabulous and hit the spot after the long train ride.

Saturday morning we ate across the street from our hotel at a fabulous little spot called "West Egg Cafe." It was delicious! Then we hopped in a cab over to the Museum of Science and Industry. We spent the entire day there and could have spent several more hours if I let Caleb play longer with the engines! The highlight of the museum was the UBoat-505 submarine tour. It was amazing to learn of the harsh conditions these men lived in for months at a time.

After the museum, we found a bus heading north and jumped on. We made it just in time to change our clothes and head over to The Weber Grill for dinner. Although the atmosphere wasn't what we expected (noisy, with an open kitchen to the seating area), the food was FABULOUS! Thankfully, the John Hancock Tower was open until 11pm so we strolled down the Magnificent Mile and took the quick ride up the elevator to this famous site. There was a small gelato stand at the top and we were able to sit, relax, and enjoy the incredible view.On Sunday, we shopped the Magnificent Mile and walked around Navy Pier. For lunch we shared a famous Chicago pizza and then it was time to head back to the train station. Hopefully we can visit this exciting and vibrant city again soon! Thanks so much to Grandma Deibel for watching Hannah for us so we could remember what it's like to be Caleb and Kara and not so much "mommy" and "daddy." :)

Top 10 Reasons to Ride Amtrak

10. Greasy passengers with BO pace the aisles nervously.

9. You are reminded of the "Pants on the Ground" song several times by a big guy wearing tattered gray boxer-briefs.

8. Beautiful vistas of rainbow colored port-a-johns during a 7-hour delay.

7. Shady passenger sitting in the aisle across from you (wearing a pin-striped suit) phones his friends and asks where they were, what they were doing, what they had to drink, and what they had available to smoke.

6. The said passenger hands you a brown paper bag and tells you to check it out. Upon opening the bag, you see a large amount of hard liquor. He then offers you a bottle on him (free drinks).

5. You can shop without leaving your seat as an on-board passenger looks to unload knock-off Coach and Gucci purses.

4. Free cigarette-rolling demonstrations on the hour by the college students across the aisle (Tobacco? Questionable.).

3. You are informed of the "good news" that your 2 microwaved White Castle burgers, 2 chips, and 2 sodas cost only $20.

2. Only one Amtrak employee is able to do the job of 5!
Arrive at Union Station only to find out we only have one person manning 10 cars and he had to clear off one step at a time on each car before we could get off. Someone please tell me why someone in the station couldn't help the poor guy shovel steps. Or, wait, that was probably not a part of their union contract.

1. Why take a 4-hour car trip when you can take a 12-hour train ride?

Wouldn't it be fantastic if the government could control health care, too?!?!

Chef Hannah

Miss Hannah has become quite a little helper lately...and I love it! She is always asking to help me with "big girl" things. Here are some of her latest creations:

Breaking up lasagna noodles takes quite a bit of concentration, you know.


Decorating cupcakes (oh, so serious about her job!)

And the most important part--taste testing!

February Update

Will someone please tell me where February went? I really can't believe that it's already March! Hannah and I had lots of play dates this month. We went to the Ann Arbor Hands On Museum, Castaway Cafe, and a few friends' houses.

The highlight of our month was a visit from JuJu and PaPa. Unfortunately, these are the only 2 pictures I took. Hannah just adores her grandparents!

Julie brought all kinds of fun crafts to do with Hannah. I think Hannahs' favorites were the paper books. She's into gluing right now so these were just perfect. I am so excited that Hannah already knows how to track print from left to right, predict what comes next, and use inflection. In my mind I tend to go through the kindergarten assessments I used to give my students and am just floored that Hannah has mastered the several of the pre-reading skills.

Children's Museum in Ann Arbor

 Wow!  I didn't realize how far behind I have gotten in the blog.  At the beginning of February, Hannah and I visited the Ann Arbor Hands On Museum with friends Meredith, Adeline, and Evelyn.  The girls had so much fun playing together and Meredith and I got some "mommy" talk time in, too!

 Hannah and Adeline spent quite a bit of time "cleaning" this large rock.  Oh, to be a 2yo--amused by just about anything.  I wonder if I gave Hannah one of those brushes at home if she would be willing to scrub the kitchen floors. :)