Zen and his Cousins II

KG and Whitey were like Zen's little mommies on there trip. Here they are guiding him through the American Girl store--I accidently uploaded this video twice and don't know how to fix it, so enjoy one, or both!

Video

Zen and Cousins

From Mizzou to Chicago

We had my cousins, the Feeney Family, in for a visit from rural Missouri. They took the train with their 3 daughters, Abi, Katie Grace and Hannah, and spent a fast and furious 4 days sampling some of the Chicago and Evanston sights. It's always so fun to see our kids have just as much fun with their cousins as we did growing up--Zion and Abi are like two peas in a pod, and Hannah and Katie gave Zen just as much attention as he could ask for. We'll be together again in about 6 weeks for our annual family reunion down on the farm. Here are some pictures of this visit:

Public Transit!

It was a visit filled with subways,Busses metra trains, and cabs as we shuttled the Feeney family around Chicago. The CTA trains were crowded and chaotic, the Metra was fun even though we got separated and had to take different trains one day (both parties made their way home successfully). The bus was convenient but packed--I got a lot of dirty looks with my stroller the size of a volkswagon blocking the aisle. We got the cab rides down to a science, with the passengers, the destinations and the placing of Zen and all the bags negotiated beforehand. How do people live without their cars???? My deepest respect to you, Friend Wendy.

The American Girl Store

This place fascinated me and delighted the girls, who found plenty to do as well as plenty of ways to spend money there! Lucky for them, Mammo donated funds to their cause. They picked out outfits and accessories for their existing dolls, had their dolls' hair done in the hair salon, and ate a special lunch. Even Zion was having a good time even though he would never admit it. He happily "helped" his cousins play with their new doll stuff as soon as we got home! I love girls, but I realized after I saw all that stuff that maybe I'm blessed to have boys :-)

Lincoln Park Zoo

It was 80 degrees out at the zoo, and we'd already spent 4 hours at the
American Girl Store, but we still managed to stay at the park until it closed. Helpful employees took pity on us as we went to rent a wagon for all of the AG purchases and offered to babysit the dolls and their accessories for free, leaving Chris unburdened and relieved. We spent time watching the seals, the big cats, the monkeys, the African exhibit, and the polar bear (who swam so close to the glass that we could see the individual hairs on his body!).