last fling

It was the last weekend of summer (as measured by the school calendar, of course), so what better way to celebrate than a short but sweet road trip? Sunday morning, we loaded up and headed for Chicagoland. Since it was a blustery day, we made our first stop the Adler Planetarium. We saw two different star shows, checked out about a million telescopes, examined the planets, and drove a couple of different rovers. There was even a tiny slide (with a facade of moon rocks, of course) that Henry spent a considerable amount of time on. We had lunch in the Galileo Cafe, and let the boys pick out a treat from the gift shop. Henry got a light-up bouncing ball, and Liam and Max unerringly latched on to the most annoying toys in the whole place: these plastic robot arms that let you pick things up (because, you know, using your hand is too much work!) and make this awful creaking sound. We were ready to take them away within 5 minutes, but what can you do?



At the end of our visit, we tried to get a family picture along the lake shore, but the wind was blowing a little too hard and the results aren't really fit to print. I did get a nice one of Mike and the boys, though.

After a brief but harrowing stop at the outlet mall, we arrived in Naperville Sunday afternoon. The boys were thrilled to spend the afternoon and evening with Grandma and Grandpa. [Max later told me it was his favorite part of the trip. When I asked him why, he said, "Because they gave us guns."] They unearthed a treasure trove of Mike's old toys, including, yes, a wooden gun that he got at Disney World (Disney Land? I don't know) as a kid. That night, we left the boys in the capable hands of their grandparents, and we headed out for dinner alone. Such luxury! And when we came back, they had all been bathed, Henry was asleep, and Liam and Max were in their pajamas watching Looney Tunes. Perfect.






Monday was a much nicer day, so we set off for the Morton Arboretum. And this is where we made our crucial mistake: We didn't get there right when they opened. We got there about 11 a.m., and the place was packed beyond belief. Seriously. It was hot, and crowded, and the kids were tired and not really in the mood to listen to us, so the whole thing turned into a little bit of an ordeal, but the arboretum itself was really cool, and the parts they did explore were so much fun. I think the part the boys liked the best was the "Secret Stream," where they could climb in and get their feet wet. That part wasn't quite as crowded, either, which was a big bonus. The last time we went to the arboretum was a cold fall day, and the boys were much younger (Henry wasn't even born yet). I can't wait until we get a chance to go again, hopefully when it's a little less on the crowded side!