Chicago

For Mother's day, Ricky gave me a mini-vacation to Chicago! We went on Monday and came back on Wednesday. It was the perfect get-a-way before the baby comes! We had such a wonderful time and the weather was beautiful! It was a really relaxing trip, even though we went to 2 museums and the zoo!

On Monday we went to the Lincoln Park Zoo. It was a little chilly, but nice. Dylan was looking forward to seeing the elephants all day long! We were talking about all the animals that he would see, and he was really excited about the elephants! Turns out that the zoo didn't even have any elephants! They had everything but elephants! Just our luck! We found a stuffed one in the gift shop for him, so he was happy.

Ricky and Dylan outside of the Farm part of the Zoo.They let the kids feed the cows! Dylan was so happy!
This is the jaguar. It was really cool to see all the different 'big cats' up close. They had a cougar, lion, jaguar, and tiger.

Dylan had to look at the fishes! He asks to see them every time we go to the store!
There is a black bear behind Dylan! The bear was asleep and they had a tunnel to look at them! It was pretty cool!

Here is the Rhino. Dylan was asking about seeing them today in the car! It still amazes me how much he can remember and how fast he is learning!Dylan thought the polar bear was really cool swimming by! It took a while to get him to leave this exhibit!

On Tuesday, we decided to ride the bus over to the train station and take the train to the Field Museum. It seemed like it took forever to get there, but we only spent 5 dollars for a train ticket and didn't have to worry about traffic or parking! I'm sure we saved a ton of money by riding the train, plus Dylan was so excited to ride the bus and the train! He was telling everyone he saw! It was cute!

Nap time at the museum! Dylan did great for not getting a nap! He rested for a while while we saw all of the 'stuffed' animals in the exhibit. He got to see a lot of the animals that he had seen at the zoo! It was cute having him point out all the different animals!

Watch out... the alligator is coming to get you! Dylan started saying this (not about the alligator, but himself) before he runs after you! He loved seeing all the animals!

Daddy and Dylan posing for a picture!

Dylan just before he fell asleep on the train! He didn't want to miss anything! We took a little detour on the way home to stop at a Giordano's. You can't go to Chicago without getting a Chicago-style pizza! It was really good!

On Wednesday, we went for a swim at our hotel before heading over to Kohl Children's Museum. One of my friends recommended it, and it was perfect for Dylan! I would highly recommend it for anyone with small children! They had tons of activities for children up to age 8! On our way there, Dylan fell asleep, so Ricky and I took turns getting lunch to eat in the car. He got a little nap in, which helped keep him active for the afternoon at the museum!

There was a grocery store were the children could shop for anything they wanted! They filled up the cart and then took it to the register!

Then, they got to be the cashier and scan their purchases! The scanner actually beeped when you ran the bar code across it! Dylan had a lot of fun!

They had a water works room, where you learn about all the different ways water can move things. Luckily they had aprons for the kids to wear!

They had a nature area with a cute little boat to ride! Watch out for Captain Dylan!

Dylan got to play vet for a while! He was listening to the dogs heart and then he decided that the dog needed a shot. He then put the dog in the cage to recover.

If you know Dylan, then you know he LOVED the music room! Look at his cute face! They had all kinds of instruments for the kids to play with! Let's make some music!

They had a stage where you could see yourself dancing. Dylan had to get up there and shake his thing!

They had a PotBelly's sub shop with cute little aprons. Look at our little worker! He made a nice big sandwich with lots of cheese!

Daddy got to enjoy it while Dylan drank the milkshake!

While Ricky and I rested for a while (chasing a 2 year old for 3 hours can get tiring!), Dylan played with the train set. He did a really good job of sharing with the other kids that would come up to the table. Good job Dylan!Mommy and Dylan! (He was exhausted by this point!)

Since it was my Mother's day gift, I told Ricky that I really wanted to go to IKEA. I had never been there, but had heard wonderful things about it! I was really excited and got some cute things for our house! I am looking forward to going back soon! Thanks Ricky! I had a wonderful time!

Spring time fun!

Life has been busy around here lately. I am filling in for a friend with babysitting a 3 year old girl from 8 to 5 everyday. It is different than I expected, but I'm learning a lot from it. I am hoping that it will help Dylan when the baby comes in July! I guess it is helping me learn how to deal with 2 kids! Luckily, they are both pretty good and listen to me. For the most part, they love to play together! I've also figured out that girls really are different from boys! It should be fun learning all about it! By the end of the day, I am usually beat and don't get much done!

Last week, we took Dylan bowling and he loved it! He was such a cutie! He had such a good time showing off for the group next to us! He kept calling the guy next to us grandpa! It was really funny! I guess he associates the word grandpa to anyone who looks like they are old enough to be his grandpa!

One of the cold days last week, we played basketball in the garage. I love having a house! Dylan wanted to ride his "mycycle," as he calls his tricycle. I think it's cute! He loves to play and be outside! I'm looking forward to getting a swing set for our backyard!

I was working on a project for mother's day for both grandmas, and ended up taking lots of pictures of Dylan. I thought this one turned out pretty cute! On a side note, I have a question for you...What do you think about cutting Dylan's hair to all the same length? I don't like having to pay 10+ dollars every 5 weeks to get his hair cut! I don't want it buzzed, but I was thinking with it being summer and all that it would be OK to cut it shorter! Let me know what you think!

Last Friday, we had playgroup at Columbian Park Zoo. It's a local zoo that is free (one of the few things these days!) and close to home. The kids had a great time in the petting part with the baby horses, goats, and llama. We are definately going back when the weather is better to see more of the animals. We got all of the kids together for this picture since some of them will be leaving us for good. We will definitely miss them!

Painting is done!

We finished painting Dylan's room last night! Yeah! I really like how it turned out! Thanks Jaime for helping with the colors! I can't wait to get Dylan moved into his cool "big boy" room, but we need to hang up the blinds and curtains if we want him to stay asleep in there! Here is a before picture...the whole house is a tanish-gray color (boring). And here is the after pictures! I'll get some more pictures when we get the decals on the walls and all of his fun bedding in there!

We learned a lot about painting, this being our first experience with it! For the nursery, we are just doing a solid color. It's much easier that way! I really enjoy having the color and look forward to painting more of our house!
The other day Dylan wanted to play outside and I needed to sweep, so I gave him a ball and let him go outside. He stood at the door with a pouty look on his face about the whole time! He wanted me to come play with him. How cute! After I swept, I went outside and threw the ball with him. He has a good arm on him! It will be fun to let him play sports in the next couple of years!