Monday, July 7, 2014

Off we go, Chicago Trip Day 1

191/365

Time to start our Family Vacation 2014!  It had been a long time, uh two years, since we'd done a proper family vacation.  I realized this week had been the longest I'd been away from the house Since we went to Florida in fall of 2012 when I was just a little bit pregnant with Jake, and just starting to get sick.  We were overdue!  So when the opportunity came about to go to this wedding of Eric's cousin, and we knew we'd be trucking up to Chicago, we decided to do up the town and kick it up.

So we packed our bags and hit the road.  Our internet was being fritzy, and Eric had been working from home, so we were actually able to get packed up and on the road earlier than I'd originally planned.


The boys did some reading, and then they played games on the ipad for a while as we rode.  Jake slept. 
Thank goodness.  We were all due for a nap.  I wish I'd gotten one too.  I thought we'd have to stop a million times like when we drove south camping, when a 3 hour trip took 7.  But this trip didn't.  We only stopped once, just before we got on the highway, about 15 minutes from home, so Sam and I could pee.  And then that was it.   No more stops until we hit Chicago.    We hit rush hour traffic as we were headed past Chicago to the 'burbs.  That was when Chris had to pee.  We gave him a cup to pee in.  He didn't.  He held on, like a Superchamp.  But it was Stop #1 as soon as we got to the hotel!  


We stayed at the Comfort Suites in Schaumburg, about 45 minutes ish outside of Downtown Chicago.  
There are plenty of fun things to do downtown, and in Schaumburg too, and staying out there was much more reasonably priced. ;)   



And a cheaper hotel is Just as much Fun! 

I had a list, a tentative schedule of things we wanted to do.  But it didn't start until Wednesday morning, and for us to arrive just before dinner time gave us bonus time.  Turns out the hotel had a happy hour Monday through Wednesday evenings, and since we were there on Tuesday night, they were giving out free drinkies and snacks.   So while stopping for some snackage, Eric and I decided to start the trip off with a bang.  We decided to surprise them with a trip to Medieval Times.  


As it turns out, Medieval Times was 5 minutes away, just around the corner from our hotel.  And their dinner didn't get served until 7:30 local time.  We could totally make that!  So we called, got some discount tickets, and took the boys over there.  They had no idea what they were in store for, they just thought we parked by a big castle.  ;) 



The big boys had been with Grandma and I in Florida in 2010, but I don't think they remembered that trip.  And for Jake, this was an entirely new experience.  


Even wearing hats was an entirely new experience.  


The boys liked their crowns. Sam liked his but he kept messing with it, and it kept sitting funny, so that it was smithereens before the dinner even began.  


 Christopher was very excited to root for team of the Red Knight.  


All my handsome knights. 


When we got seated, Eric surprised me by upgrading us, and we went down to the front row! 
We had a wonderful view of horses and the knights.  It was great.  Even Jacob was enthralled. 


Scumpfs!   Waters around! 


The red knight came out with a flower, and I got to be the first one he threw one too. :) 
Me and my special date.  
The boys got a little skitchy about eating their chicken on the bone with their fingers, they served them an entire half chicken.  And it was hot.  But Mom was a pro chicken picker, and I made sure the kids didn't starve.  Actually, I was pretty impressed with the way they ate.  


The littler boys on the other side of me were equally thrilled to be waving red banners. 


And an Action Shot for you, to see how much fun Jacob had waving the red team banners. 


I was very happy at how well Jacob did through the whole thing.  I only had to nurse him once, given that it was practically his bedtime when the whole thing started, that was pretty amazing.  But once we gave him that flag, oh man, he was all over it!  He waved that thing until the very end.  It was a good time!  And I was very thankful that none of us are allergic to horses. 

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