Chillwaukee

Hello! We just got back yesterday from our fun little mini-vacation. Everything went well, us kids were remarkably good in all respects. It was downright cold for all of our trip, but that makes for good zoo sightseeing. And good to be at a museum on a dismal day. We didn't arrive on Thursday until late afternoon. Dad was finishing up sealing the driveway all morning - a project that did NOT go as he had planned, but at least it is done for a year. We tried swimming at the hotel. The indoor pool was freezing, but the outdoor pool was warm as long as you stayed in the water. I am very proud that I can now go fully underwater without plugging my nose. After some water fun, we ventured out for dinner. Mom was super-excited to try the fondue restaurant. We didn't realize it would be a very expensive, 2 hour ordeal, but the the food was great and us kids were very well-behaved. There was a steady supply of food coming the whole time, finished off with dessert fondue, complete with marshmallows, strawberries, cheesecake and brownies -- that helped keep us in line. Too bad we were sugar-hyped up back at the hotel and had a hard time settling down.

Friday was devoted entirely to the zoo. It is a huge zoo with plenty to see. I really enjoyed the reptile hall the best. Zach liked all of the animals, especially the big bears and cats. We did the train ride later in the day. The train actually broke down about 100 yards before the station, so we had to walk the rest of the way. Good thing we did though, because it looked like they closed down the train for the rest of the day. After the zoo, Zach fell asleep, so Dad dropped us girls off at the Domes. We really enjoyed them! I loved seeing all the different types of plants. The show dome with the provencal style plants was my favorite.

On Saturday, we hit up the public museum. It was very impressive, much bigger than we anticipated. I liked the walk-through butterfly garden (Zach did not enjoy this), and the hands on bug area. I held a millipede and Dad held a walking stick. The dinosaur wing was pretty cool, I was expecting a little more, but I still had fun. The IMAX film was really cool, we saw the Living Seas. We easily could've spent more time there, but since it was getting late, we had to rush through a few of the halls and head home. We met up with Nana and Papa in Beloit for a quick bite to eat before our remaining 2 hour drive home. It was a great trip - a nice chance to take a break from the routines at home and learn some cool new things. I just love museums. I can't wait until my night to go Dozin' With the Dinos in November at the Field Museum.

I start my morning Dinosaur Camp this weekend. Needless to say, I'm pretty darn excited about it. This will be my last week of summer activities. Only 4 more weeks until school starts....I've got some serious slacking off and screwing around to catch up on!

Hope you had a fabulous weekend. Here are some pics from the trip!
Katherine