The Shedd!

 We had a fun day today! We actually made it downtown to the Shedd Aquarium, which let me tell you, is no small feat. We used to go to the museums a lot when we lived down by campus because it was SO easy to hop on the Metra or a bus and go downtown. Now? If you want to get there early enough not to stand in a humongous line or find some parking, you have to leave crazy early to avoid traffic.

Which we did not make. We had to turn around, kill some time at home and leave after rush hour. (one of many rush hours in Chicago.) Thankfully, people with strollers get in the accessible door which is a WAY shorter line than up the steps. Those people literally stand in line for 1-2 hours!! Thankfully, we only had to stand in line maybe 15 minutes to get inside.

Wow, they look so big in this picture!!

 

Little Moose reading her map:)

 

They had several different kinds of stingrays and the patterns on their backs were so pretty! Circles...

Paw print shapes...

Animal print....

And hello Mr. Stingray! He looks like he's saying, "Help! Get me out of heeeerrrree!"

 And can you blame him, with neighbors like this?! This is an Anaconda. A very small fraction of the anaconda. We never did find his head.....The plaque said he reaches up to 26 feet long and up to 400 lbs!!! I am never going to the Amazon....

Look how big some of these fish are!

That's a meal and a half! If you look carefully behind Mr. Big Fish Dude, there's an even bigger fish. A 15 foot long fish!

Pretty blue fish! Amazing that the fish come in so many colors and sizes. We saw one inch fish all the way to 15 foot long fish! Blue, red, orange, neon, striped, you name it!

Starfish!

Whoever says God doesn't have a sense of humor, has never looked at some of the creatures He created....This is a sea urchin!

This Spider Crab totally freaked me out. The only reason he gets a picture and an honorable mention, is because Ben and the boys loved him. I'm terrified of spiders and he looks like a giant one. Yuck. Moving on...

Glow in the dark fish!

Sea Horses are one of those creatures that don't seem real. Everytime I see one (which is SO often), I think, "Oh yea, sea horses are real!" There were "no flash photography" signs everywhere and my camera hates to be told what to do. It rebels completely against no flashing and sea horses are surprisingly fast, hence the unclear picture!

After we got a little tired of the fish and heard a million complaints about hungry tummies, we headed outside to enjoy the sunshine and feed the children. First we admired the boats!

Boats.

Even better, boats with Daddy:)

We ate on a park bench and while we were eating, a runner nearby had an asthma attack. People were running through the area asking everyone if they had an inhaler. They ended up having to call a fire truck and ambulance. We could hardly tear Z away from the action but finally we did. And then I made Ben call the drs and ask for a refill for his inhaler, as he has been having more asthma issues in the night and with the summer weather.

After that, we decided to walk and ended up at the Buckingham Fountain!

So beautiful! We actually and embarrassingly have never been here before. So close and yet so far....It was really beautiful! That's Mr. Z in the green shirt:)

Cutest boys I know!

E enjoying the water with her main squeeze:) We stood there for quite awhile just looking and enjoying being in the sun and outdoors. And together;)

Eliana just "hangin' around!" I said, "Are you a monkey?" She said, "No, I'm a hanger!" She loves to hang off of things and it's so funny to watch her little body swing. Such a squirt:)

It was nice to have a little fun day in between lots of busy days. I can hardly believe that 6 weeks have passed and graduation is here! We are so excited to see our family, although a little worried since they are quite the motley crew. No offense:)

We have a gaggle of injured, gimpy people coming! You think I'm joking? I'm talking people with upcoming knee replacements, surgery, crutches, hip problems, back problems, you name it. Ben and I are a little worried about our crew but incredibly thankful that they are hobbling their way here to celebrate with us. We couldn't ask for a better family!