Minimizing our train-waiting time

Our last day and a half in Chicago were packed with fun. We met up with some of our fave people and four really happy twins played together.

Kristi and Eric invited us for dinner Friday night. And (after asking if Kristi was absolutely positively totally sure that she wanted the twinados in her beautiful home) we gleefully headed over (some of us caught a few winks in the cab):


Ree, Ro, Michal, and Kenna (l to r) had such a great time together. Something about seeing four cute little heads bent together just makes me grin extra big.


The next morning, we woke the snoring girls up, packed at the speed of light and checked out of the hotel, then drove like madmen back to Michal and Kenna’s house. We had to make the one morning train that went into the city and were cutting it so close! We called when we were one block away, and then chortled with glee to get near the house and see their van race out of the driveway with Eric’s hand out the window motioning us to follow. We screeched into parking spots, raced to the train, and made it. Ahhhhhh. Downtown Chicago, here we come! The train ride was kind of amusing. The four girls sat together and sang (loudly) the whole way there. (Ro, Michal, Kenna, Ree, l to r):

We arrived, then popped into cabs heading (where else?) to the American Girl doll store:

I’ve never been to this store and walked around with my mouth hanging open. Can’t even imagine how much fun the marketing folks had dreaming it all up. Can you believe they have a doll salon where your bedraggled, dragged-around-by-the-head dolly can get re-fancied up?:


At lunch, the girls made funkalicious wiki stick glasses:

  



And then we went to the world-famous bean (the bean!!!):   (TubaDad is the big blue blob you see all over the place)



We cooled off in a big famous fountain area (cannot remember the name), and told the girls not to get soaked. Yeah, like that ever works.

After walking around some more (looking at cool stuff and hoping the sunshine would dry our soggy babes), we realized we were about to miss the last train back, hailed cabs, RAN through the huge train station (I don’t think TubaDad has ever seen me run), and made it 45 seconds before the doors closed. Whew, the great train chases were thrilling, to say the least, and TubaDad said we had definitely minimized our train-waiting time for the day. Heh.