Road Trip Part 1: The ND/Chicago Leg

I guess I knew it was inevitable.  After more than 10 years and countless plane tickets,  Dad decided it was time we try a new means of travel to Illinois... so I braced myself for what I knew was coming next...

Road Trip!!

I'll admit, I was skeptical.  The boys' longest car ride to date was to Vermilion, OH, which was about half the distance to Milford.  I could only imagine what kind of craziness we were getting ourselves into!  But you know what?  They were awesome.  We plucked them out of their beds at about 3:15 on a Friday morning, put them straight into their car seats, and got about 4 hours into the trip before they even woke up.  (My favorite pre-dawn moment: At about 3:19 am, I hear Joergen's little voice from the back seat say, "When we gonna be there??"  Oy.)

Our first destination on our road trip was South Bend, IN, where we had an overnight stay planned for the Morris Inn on Notre Dame's beautiful campus.  The boys were so, so excited to finally get to see ND!  After all those hours cooped up in the car, we couldn't wait to get out and walk the campus. For Dad and me, we'll admit it was a little surreal to be back there at the place where we first met now with two children!

The boys by the Hesburgh Library reflecting pool

Liam paying his respects to Knute

The boys were a little disappointed to not get to see the "real ND football team", but were kind of fascinated to peek through the stadium gate to see a major construction site!  Gone is the natural grass... to make way for artificial turf this fall!

Family photo at Stonehenge

The staff at the Inn gave us a big bag of old bagels to feed the ducks at the lake, so we spent a lot of time doing just that!

After a short but sweet stay at Notre Dame, we woke up Saturday morning, grabbed some Studebagels (as fabulous as I had remembered it!), and headed off to start our second leg of the trip: a long weekend in Chicago.

Now after checking out of the Inn, while on our way back to our car with all our luggage, Liam was running to catch up with us while pulling our upright suitcase with both hands... and sure enough, he tripped in his Crocs and hit the pavement with some serious momentum behind him and nothing to break his fall but his sweet little face!  He was in so much pain, but I was proud of him for being so brave with ND Security, EMTs, and all the others who came to his aid!  He banged himself up pretty good but took it like a champ.  And by the time we got to Chicago, he was all smiles.

In Chicago, after a fantastic lunch with my old roomie Becky and her family on their rooftop, we met Grandma, Papa, Uncle Jake, Uncle Andrew, and Aunt Beth at a little street festival/block party in Old Towne.  It was the perfect rendezvous spot to relax after the trip, have a drink, and enjoy some music.  I loved seeing these three reunited, too!

Brothers Jake, Anthony, and Andrew

That night, Grandma and Papa took Liam and Joergen for a special night on the town!  They had a super-fun dinner at Ed Debevic's...

... and then a sleepover downtown in a hotel by the river, where they loved watching the boats with Papa out the window.

While the boys enjoyed their special night, we enjoyed ours!  We were so excited for a night on the town with Dad's brothers and their fabulous wives.  I love this group so much and loved our time together!

The next morning, we, along with Uncle David and Aunt Lyn, all met up at Whole Foods for a big family lunch.  So. Much. Fun!

On Sunday afternoon, we said good-bye and "see you later" to our family, and then met up with our dear friends Bill, Kristin, and their awesome kids Owen and Emerson for a sleepover and some city fun.  And we definitely had fun!  First was a little beach trip on Lake Michigan: 

Then, fun and silliness at their house...

Followed by movie night on their cool projection TV!

The next day, we rounded out our stay in Chicago with all hands in for an awesome day at Shedd Aquarium!

I had always wanted to check out Shedd, so I was really excited for this part of our trip.  It did not disappoint!

Ready for the dolphin and whale show!

Heading into the theater to watch an awesome 4-D movie about prehistoric sea creatures.

One of the best parts of the aquarium is its real estate!  Look at that view of the city!  Best buds Dad and Bill with their next generation.

Team photo in front of that beautiful skyline.

We can't thank Bill and Kristin enough, as well as Becky and Pat, Grandma and Papa, and the rest of our IL family, for such a fun and fabulous weekend in Chicago!

Next stop: Milford, IL!