Big Girls Weekend in Chicago

My friend, Becky and I have been planning a trip to Chicago with Caelan and her daughter, Isabel for probably six months. She wanted to do something special for Isabel's seventh birthday. My brother, Kevin lives in Chicago and so does my cousin Molly. My aunt is now renting a condo near Lincoln Park Zoo. I wasn't sure if I was ready to be away from Lia for an entire weekend, but decided to go. Lia did great, as I expected at home with Bob. We drove 4 hours, to Michigan City, Indiana, where we got on the commuter train to Chicago.

Friday we went to Lincoln Park Zoo and out to dinner with Kevin. On Saturday morning, we woke up and took Molly and Ruthie (the girls' American Girl dolls) out to breakfast at the American Girl Cafe. Caelan and Isabel were pretty excited. We shopped a bit at the store and then went to Navy Pier to the Children's Museum and then spent the afternoon on Navy Pier. We walked back along the lake and then went to dinner. It was short, but I felt like I had been gone for more than a weekend. It was very refreshing. I really don't think that I needed any kind of a break from Lia- but Garrett has been a bit of a handful lately and two nights away was exactly what I needed. Also, it was nice for Caelan to do something special. We had a great time. I LOVE CHICAGO!!