New Cousin, Trip to Chicago

Well not just a new cousin, but Julia and Finn's first cousin and Amanda and Torey's first niece! Johannah Mae was born in August, but this was our first opportunity to get to meet her.

The kids did a fake trumpeting to declare us being on our way to Chicago. It's not a short drive, but we made good time and no one got sick (Finn's had a few poorly timed car sickness episodes at the end of long journeys in the past. The Finncident comes to mind...)

We got situated at Jason and Tracie's house and immediately (obviously) people had to take their turns holding Johannah. Julia kept warning Amanda that if she didn't share the baby we would have to set a timer. I think she shared just fine.

Yes, that's Finn in the dog's crate in the background. Julia enjoyed chatting with her cousin. She told her stories and it seemed to keep Johannah calm.

Finn did really well with the baby too.

And we for sure needed to get a good picture of the three kids together!

We stayed in that evening and ordered deep dish pizza (of course!)

Finn had a lot of fun helping Johannah with different things. He tried all the different musical and swinging settings on her swing while she contentedly watched him.

He picked out her outfit the next morning too.

And before we headed out for an afternoon in the city, Julia got some more one-on-one time with her cousin.

The 10 minute walk from their house to the train is a pleasant one, despite this particular day being chilly and overcast. The kids enjoyed seeing the "castles" along the way.

It was Johannah's first ride on the 'L,' but not the kids'. That doesn't mean they weren't excited to be above the street and waiting for the train to arrive.

We walked the last fifteen minutes towards Lake Michigan and then spent the afternoon at the Field Museum. The kids each posed beneath the Brachiosaurus outside.

Elephants!

Sue!

Julia and I posed in front of a Stegosaurus.

I really like this picture: Julia and Finn in the lower left, totem pole outside the Field Museum, ominous clouds hanging low in the sky, heavy traffic on Lake Shore Drive in front of the Chicago skyline, boats on the water, and the Navy Pier Ferris wheel.

The next morning we headed back into Wisconsin, but not all the way home. We had a night stop-over in the Dells and stayed at the Kalahari. It was a pleasant way to finish a family-filled four-day weekend.