Papa and Nana came to Chicago!

At the end of April we had a wonderful time welcoming my parents to our new home in Chicago! It was such a blessing to have them here to see what life looks like for us now, and as an added blessing we got to do a bit of exploring. We discovered that while we had fun in Chicago in the winter, we had a LOT of fun when the weather was nice! Over the course of a week, we did a lot of things, and took LOTS of pictures! Thanks so much for coming to visit Dad and Mom! We LOVED having you!

My parents flew in on my Dad's birthday so we took full advantage of celebrating it with him over the next few days. Of course we had to start with Breakfast Birthday Cake.

We took him out to Portillos for a little Chicago style cuisine

Mmmmm... Chocolate cake shake

And instead of birthday cake, we celebrated with Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

 We were excited to bring them to our new church

Ashlyn had fun showing Nana her Sunday school classroom

 

 She also had lots of fun playing with Nana's ipad!

We found lots of time for playing games and Legos.

 

I think Micah was only around for the first and last picture with the puzzle.

One of my Dad's requests while he was in town was for Midwest grain-fed beef. So we asked around and found a steak house to meet his request. Micah ordered mac-n-cheese off the kids menu, but once he tasted Nathan's steak he finished off about half of it for him. He decided he really likes a good rib-eye steak!

And of course we had to tell them it was Dad's birthday!

Did Micah eat all that cake?

Ashlyn enjoyed showing Papa and Nana how she could ride her bike

 While we did get to eat out a few times, we also enjoyed some meals at home. Here's a Chicken and Broccoli braid.

One evening we all had fun working for our dessert. Our NC friends who visited a week prior gave us an ice cream so we had to try it out. The kids had fun shaking and rolling the ball around until the cream and sugar turned into ice cream.

Then came the really fun part ~ eating it!

 
While they were here we went to check out the Museum of Science and Industry that we have heard so much about, and we were duly impressed. Although we thought we would get through the whole museum in a day, we quickly realized it would take several visits to see all of it.

We loved the u-boat exhibit, and it fit right in with some of our CC memory work from this year

Ashlyn's favorite area was the Idea Factory!

Learning to drive a big tractor...

and milk a cow!

After the museum closed we drove around to see some of the sights of Chicago, and Wrigley Field was a highlight!

And of course we had to end our day with dinner at Giordano's.

Papa's iphone made the waiting much easier!

Couldn't resist a picture of these beautiful flowers after we left the restaurant. Chicago is beautiful all abloom!

We took advantage of my parents being here and sent them home with the kids, without us, while we stayed in Chicago. It was a blessing to have some time alone - our first date night since we knew we were moving to Chicago! A year ago, in April, Nathan was in Chicago for the first time, attending a conference, and fell in love with the city. He came home telling me he wanted to take me there sometime. Who knew that a year later we would be living here!

Our hotel ~ the oldest in Chicago

The view from our room ~ you can't quite tell in the picture since it is foggy, but the tallest building is the Sears Tower.

  

The next morning we explored the city on foot

We walked along Lake Michigan all the way over to Navy Pier

It had been a bit drizzly, but by the time we made it to the Pier it really started raining. A fun memory that we can laugh about ~ I'm just glad the kids weren't with us. We probably wouldn't have been laughing then.

Heading home on the Metra ~ learning how to use public transportation!

While Nathan and I enjoyed a night away in Chicago, the kids had enjoyed lunch out at Chick-fil-a!

The weather was beautiful so the kids were able to enjoy some time outside!

Ashlyn loves whenever she finds someone to push her on the swing!

 

It was even warm enough to try out the slip-n-slide!

 

 

 

We found one more day to head down to the city, although Nathan wasn't able to join us this time around.

Getting a little nap in on the way down.

This time we finally made it to Navy Pier! It was so much fun!

The flowers all around the pier were so beautiful and attracted many butterflies!

 

 

 

After finishing up at the Pier, we made our way across town to the Sears Tower. It was actually renamed the Willis Tower a few years back, but most people still refer to it as the Sears Tower. It is the 3rd tallest building in the world and they have an observation deck on the 103rd floor.

I remember going to the Twin Towers when I was a kid and the greatest impression from that visit was standing at the bottom looking all the way up to the top. It's so amazingly tall! Can't believe this building was built in just 3 years during the 1970's!

The kids were thrilled to go out on "The Ledge," one of four glass boxes that extend out about 4 feet from the building so you can look straight down at the street 1.353 feet below you. I, on the other hand, was less than thrilled about seeing the ground 103 stories below me. I'm not so great with heights!

Trying on hats at the Skydeck store

Chicago at night ~ Beautiful!

Papa always provide fun entertainment, especially when he lets you climb on him!

 Micah's baseball season started up in April and he played his first few games while Nana and Papa were here. This year he is playing on the Ironbirds. And we love that the field he plays on is within bike riding distance from our home!

Micah received an early (very early) birthday present while they were here. Daddy had put up a makeshift zipline in the backyard, and while it was greatly loved, it was apparent that it wouldn't last long. So we found a zipline kit that came with a cable and trolley that was a little more durable than the rope and pulley. He was thrilled about his new zipline, and so were all the neighbor kids!

 

Taking a test run!

Ready to go again!

And if you made it this far, through all those pictures, we were so blessed to have one of our former pastors and his wife, from CA, come stay with us for a few nights. Although it was brief, we had a sweet time of fellowship with them and are so thankful for their leadership and example in our lives. Thanks for visiting Steve and Judy! We miss you!