While we were in Chicago we went to the Shedd Aquarium. This is a man and fish statue outside the front entrance.Nick carried Laedyn the whole day because we forgot to make sure the umbrella stroller was in the car. Shedd Aquarium does not rent strollers!
I think the penguins were Laedyn's favorite.

Or maybe it was the baluga whales! They had cool underwater viewing areas for the balugas and the dolphins. I would have been happy sitting and watching there for hours...
You could also view the balugas and dolphins from above. We passed by fairly quickly as they were getting ready for a demonstration.
This was the other vantage point from which to see the dolphins. Thousands of people could sit on these stairs and all have a great view. Out the big windows is Lake Michigan.
Every few minutes we'd get to see the dolphins come up for air. Personally, I like the underwater viewing better.
The aquarium had a special exhibit of lizards going on while we were there.

Check out the spiny tail on this guy!
The Komodo Dragon was the star of the show. He was huge and didn't move much while we were watching. If he wanted to though, he could run about 10 miles per hour. I don't think you'd want him chasing you if it came right down to it!
There was a great shark tank. I really liked watching there too.
It took awhile, but we finally found the tank of clownfish.

YUM ... OREOS!!!
What a Mess! Laedyn is going to rival Aubrey Cate in the messy eating department....

We drove to South Bend, Indiana over the weekend so Nick could run the Sunburst Marathon. The marathon finish line is on the 50 yard line at Notre Dame Stadium. Nick's friend Ted attended Notre Dame for awhile and was really excited to do this marathon. There was plenty of close up seating to watch the runners crossing the finish line. Laedyn even had room to crawl around. Brandon kept a close watch out for Daddy.

Nick's Mom and Art came to watch too. Phil came too, but he's off doing his own viewing... They hadn't seen Laedyn & Brandon since last AUGUST! It was fun for them to be able to have the kids all to themselves for a couple days. We all stayed in the same hotel too. It was fun!
Ted & Nick coming into the finish - they looked strong & said they felt good.
Only runners were allowed on the field, so we had to watch from afar as Nick & Ted met up with their other running friends and cooled down a bit. Brandon was not happy to be stuck up in the bleechers while Nick was down on the field.
Ted, Nick & Brandon - eating a popsicle meant for someone who ran a marathon. Little begger.
Laedyn and Grandpa Art - he's good with the kids. Laedyn was a little wary at first but warmed up pretty quickly. Grandpa Art carried her all over the stadium. (While I was holding her she was wiggling like mad & crying...) She likes to have things identified now. She points and makes a little "huh?" sound, expecting an instant answer.

Nick, Brandon, Scott, Summer, Sandra and Ted. Scott and Summer live in Atlanta but came up to participate in the marathon. They, along with Sandra (Ted's wife), did the half marathon. We saw Sandra come in, but not Scott and Summer.
Leaving the stadium and heading for the car.
After getting back to the hotel and showering, everyone (yes - all the kids and grownups) took a nap. Then we headed out to eat. Ted and Sandra were supposed to join us, but Ted wasn't feeling up to it, so we decided to find a place that served steak. The lady at the hotel recommended a place called Doc Pierce's.

There were tiffany lamps all over the place & they were all for sale. The one over our table had a $2000 price tag! The walls had all kinds of backlit stained glass windows (not for sale).

Laedyn and Phil at dinner. There she goes ... pointing again!

Outside the restaurant - it was an interesting place & the waitress was really nice. Look at that girl - always pointing these days!