Caleb and Mom's Excellent Adventure

Nothing like a self-portrait
The main Christmas tree at the Museum of Science and Industry
Very cool locomotive
The toy train set-up was really neat
For Grandpa J: Tree in honor of the Stanley Cup winners- The Chicago Blackhawks!
Chick just after hatching- probably one of Caleb's favorite exhibits
The South Korean tree
In front of the German submarine from WWII
Look out for the tornado! There was also a lightning display- a little too real and loud for Caleb's liking.
The Netherlands tree
Field Museum- Tyrannosaurus Rex bones!
Creepy little robotic dinosaur
T-rex is going to eat you!
The triceratops wasn't as scary
You can see Caleb in the background- he did not want to get too close to the T-Rex!
One example of the huge display of real/stuffed animals at the Field Museum
Elephant near our table at the Rainforest Cafe

On Monday, our family was supposed to go to the Museum of Science and Industry. Isaac came down with a terrible fever on Sunday and was not better on Monday. Julia also had a cold and was rather crabby. So, Nate made a huge sacrifice and stayed home with Isaac and Julia. Caleb and I made the trip together. We spent about 4 hours at the Museum of Science and Industry and we had a great time! I hadn't been there since I was a child. I also wasn't sure if the younger kids would enjoy this museum. I think Isaac would appreciate most of the museum and Julia would have fun just walking around. Caleb and I didn't do the coal mine tour or the submarine tour. I think both would be too dark/loud/scary. We'll take the kids when they are older.

We then went to the Field Museum. Again, I hadn't been there in years so I was curious as to how family friendly it is. Caleb has been saying for a long time that he wanted to see dinosaur bones and we finally saw some! There is a T-rex display and it is very impressive. However, that is only dinosaur bones display. One of the special exhibits was the robotic dinosaurs. Caleb was a little nervous, but he probably could have spent much longer just sitting and watching the dinosaurs move, grunt, roar, etc. We had the option to see a 3-D movie about T-rex, but it looked scary even to me! So we passed on that. The only other part of the Field Museum that kids would like is the animals exhibits. There is a large area of real, stuffed animals from around the world. I'm glad we visited this museum, but we'll wait to take the kids when they are older and can appreciate more of the museum.

We then went to the Rainforest Cafe in downtown Chicago for supper. I had never been to this restaurant so I was curious if it was as good as all of the hype. :) It is a fun restaurant and Caleb enjoyed seeing all of the robotic animals on the walls. Later in the evening my cousin informed me that there is a Rainforest Cafe at the Grandville mall. What?? You mean I don't have to drive to Chicago just to try the restaurant?! Oh well. :)

After supper we drove to my grandparents' house and spent the night. One of the main reasons for this trip was that my cousin and her husband were in from Atlanta. We only see each other once a year and it was great to catch up with them again. This was a memorable and fun experience with Caleb and I am so thankful we could do it!