Ed Debevic's

My parents thought it would be fun to take the boys to Ed Debevic's.  We spent the way to Chicago explaining what kind of restaurant Ed Debevic's was and how the staff is rude to the patrons.  John had a hard time wrapping his head around this concept.  But he was excited to give it a try.

When we were seated our waiter threw some hats on the table and said he was busy so he'd be back later.  John just looked up with his big eyes and said, "boy, that was rude!"  Then John started getting in to it and began talking rudely to our waiter.  Although every time he said something he would lean over to my mom and say, "was that okay?"

I love that being rude does not come easy to him.

 Hans asked the boys to give him their best Ed Debevic's rude/angry face.

 This would be a great place for Gus to work someday.

 Every hour the waiters dance on the bar.  Our guy is the one in the middle.

 The boys thought this was hilarious.

John just loved this place.  He said his favorite part was when the waiter said, "Shut up, kid".  When we left John told the waiter "I hope you have a lousy day" then he ran up and gave him a hug and told him thank you.  Such a sweet boy.  Such a fun place to go with the boys.

I'm actually in a picture!

The Green River

Hans thought it would be fun to see the Chicago river dyed green per the annual St. Patrick's Day tradition.  So we all drove out to Chicago.  The plan was to walk around the city and view the river by walking over bridges and stuff.  But then we got to Chicago and got out of our cars and it was cold.  Really cold, and we hadn't properly dressed for the weather.

But John and Solveig had the great idea to take a boat ride around the city.  The boat had an inside cabin to warm ourselves.

 We started the tour on the outside upper deck.

 The boys are great little heat sources when they sit on your lap.

 The boat we hopped on took us on an architectural tour of the city.

 If it weren't so darn cold I probably could have absorbed more of the information.

 The wind mixed with a sub-par PA system and the countless yelling drunk people on the street made it near impossible to pay attention to the nice tour guide.

 But we did get a close up view of the green river.  The river is absolutely disgusting, but evidently the secret recipe of stuff put in the river to make it green is all organic. 

We all had a great time.  The architectural tour is definitely something I'd like to do again...when the weather is a bit warmer.

Fun with Debbie and Pam

I got so behind on blogging lately that I opened my pictures to look for something else and discovered a HUGE file full of pictures from Debbie and Pam.  I'm thinking the next adventure needs to be Katie, Debbie, and Pam and leave the boys at home with dad.  I have a feeling the boys would protest.  We might have a riot on our hands.

 Isn't this a cool picture?  I'm sure the boys just LOVED all of the boats.

 John has a need for speed.  I have a need for him to sit still.

 Where there are hula hoops there is John.

I know these next few pictures were taken at the zoo.

 The boys had a great time painting their faces.

 No surprise that Gus decided to use red.

 John is really concentrating.

When they were done they looked something like this.  They were pretty proud of themselves.  It's no wonder the boys have so much fun when they are with Debbie and Pam.



A Zoo and A Beach

When my parents told me they were coming for a quick visit in March, I just assumed the weather would be crappy.  We do live in Illinois.  But, to my surprise, it was rather nice.  I figured there was no reason to waste such a pretty day that we all decided to load up in the car and drive to Chicago.

Well, everyone else had that idea as well.  The city was crawling with people.  Our original destination was Navy Pier, but that stop was quickly crossed off of our list when there was no parking to be found.  So, we drove up Lake Shore Drive a bit and hit Lincoln Park Zoo.

 The boys had a good time looking at a few of the animals that were out and about.

 The carousel was a big hit for Gus.

My kids know that whenever they see a carousel, Grandma will take them.  This has them scouring zoos, malls and festivals for anything resembling a carousel.

After the zoo we decided to walk to the beach.

 The boys were so excited to be near the water.

 Anders discovered his love for sand.

John and Gus tried to skip anything and everything.

We had a great day and a wonderful visit.

Children's Museum, Food, and Build a Bear

We are going to pretend it is February and that I posted this way back then.  I can't believe it is now April.

Sometime in February Debbie and Pam took the boys (all three of them) to the Navy Pier Children's Museum. I hope my boys realize how lucky they are to have so many people in their lives that love them and want to do things like this with them.

 Good old Chicago

 This is Navy Pier.  The Children's Museum is inside that glass building.

Gus got caught red handed.  Look at him pinch Anders.  What a punk!

John and Gus enjoyed the circus activities.

Anders was happy stacking cups.

 Of course Sophie was there.  The boys just love Sophie.

I'm sure, despite the raincoats, that Gus managed to get himself wet from head to toe.

As if a day at the museum weren't enough Debbie and Pam took them all out to eat and then to Build-a-Bear.

 Anders is such a copy cat!

 Making a wish with his dog's heart.

Gus is trying to decide if this lady is kidding or not.  I think they had to do a number of things in order to stuff their animal.  Gus doesn't usually get caught up in all of the hype.

Shedd Aquarium

Debbie and Pam decided to take John to the Shedd Aquarium for his birthday.  Mind you, they took him there way back in August...the month of his birth.  They also decided to take Gus since Gus goes everywhere John goes.  And, since they wanted to make a super, spectacular day they also took Sophie.

They decided to make the trip absolutely unforgettable by taking a water taxi to the aquarium. 

 What a great way to see downtown Chicago.

This is Navy Pier.

They had a great time looking at all of the animals.

And watching the presentations.

They also got to see some sort of 3D/4D movie.

This is how Gus felt about the movie.

After the aquarium they went out to eat at Harry Caray's Tavern at Navy Pier.

 Sophie didn't think the trip would be complete with out giving the boys these Harry Caray glasses.

 So, Sophie went and purchased a set of glasses for each boy.  Isn't she thoughtful?

 Who knows what lunch was.  All I heard about were the ice cream sandwiches. 

Boy, this kid is tired.

The boys had a fantastic time.  Thank you Debbie and Pam!