Museum-hopping, Day 4

Mom and the kids did get to the Children's Museum today while Dad attended Northwestern's football game.

This is in the new exhibit, Mexico: Festival of Toys.

Museum-hopping, Day 3

Dad and Lincoln went to The Field Museum today, which, as we've mentioned before, is gargantuan and seemingly impossible to navigate in a single day.

We stuck with our past stops, the big draws that would interest Lincoln. Like the life-size dinosaur, pueblo and pyramid replicas.

We may get back to Shedd Aquarium yet, too, perhaps with Levynn on an off-day. And Mom may take the kids back to the Children's Museum with a library pass Saturday, while Dad's at a Northwestern football game.

Still smiling

More than 24 hours after the 20-miler, Mom's still sore. But you can see she's doing OK.

We went to the Hancock Observatory this afternoon, our first visit since we got a great deal on annual passes for the four of us. We can go whenever we want for the next 365 days!

After dinner, Mom got some tender care from the kiddos for her blister.

Run MK Run

In case you missed it - over at Run MK Run - Mom ran a 20-mile prep race today, just three weeks before the marathon for which she's been training since last year.

Yes, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon is three weeks from today - 10-10-10 - and Mom will be ready for it.

After all, the Chicago Area Runners Association didn't call today's race the Ready to Run 20 Miler for nothing. Finish that, and you're ready for 26.2.

So did Mom finish? Heck yeah, she finished! And she did better than that, in our estimation. She got through the 20 miles in about three hours, 48 minutes - well ahead of her target of four hours.

She can see the light now!

There were very few spectators along the course, which followed the lakefront trail almost the entire way. But Mom wanted some. So Dad and the kids bused around to cheer for her in the fifth and 12th miles. And you can imagine the kids were as excited to see her come into view as she was to see them.




As you may notice, it was a beautiful morning. And, as you can see below (alongside Shedd Aquarium), the course offered some beautiful views.

But Mom was the sight to see today.

Museum-hopping, Day 2

And off we go to Adler Planetarium!

Dad and Linc went there yesterday, primarily to experience the new Planet Explorers hand-on kids area there.

The highlight of that area is the rocket launch to Planet X, with three stations; kids can work on the rocket (as Linc's doing above), launch it from the control center, and pilot it to a space station (as he's doing below).




Here's a real big boy potty! He got a kick out of that.

But he was as interested in the environment outside the museum, which includes a beach and a rock formation.

Museum-hopping, Day 1

Chicago's large museums have a lot of free days here at the beginning of the school year, perfect timing as Lincoln re-adjusts to Levynn's absence. We're planning to take him to Adler Planetarium and The Field Museum soon, and today Dad took him to Science and Industry.

Evidently, we skipped or missed quite a bit during our previous visits there, including the model ships,the Idea Factory play area, and the coal mine. So it was anything but the same old, same old.

But first we came across an apparently wounded, or at least not well, butterfly on the sidewalk. We moved him to the grass, and Lincoln thought that was the same butterfly we saw flying moments later across the street and then again nearer home later in the day.


Then we saw this mailbox. Dad didn't think these were still around!









Above and below are parts of the Idea Factory, a large space just for kids. It's neat.





This is how we finished our visit, down in the coal mine, billed as 600 feet below the ground. You can imagine this stuck in Lincoln's head for a while!

It's in the books, and...

Levynn's first week of first grade was peachy, just in case you're wondering. She's still anticipating the best school year ever!

At the very least, this will be a more well-rounded school year. She has gym on Mondays, music on Tuesdays, library on Wednesdays, art on Thursdays, and library again on Fridays - all outside her classroom. At her previous school, a math and science magnet, there was neither art nor music.

In another welcome change, she has a nice school-provided planner in which we and her teacher can communicate daily without having to worry about notes in folders. It also has activities she can do from time to time, in addition to the homework we expect to start coming Monday.

She seems to be getting close with one classmate in particular, one of two other red-headed girls. And she already has a birthday party invitation from another girl. So hopefully she's adjusting well socially, too!

The first day of first grade!

And that's exactly what Levynn is telling everyone today: "It's my first day of first grade!"

She has her own desk, she has two new friends, she already had music class, and on and on and on.

"It was great," she says. She already thinks this is the best school year ever.

Not a bad start, eh?

We have to admit, though, that we were a wee bit nervous, particularly about the bus ride - her first school bus ride ever, without anyone she knew, to a school she had only visited.










But she handled it like the girl we all know her to be.

Second day of first grade, here she comes!

Day 24

Our summer countdown ended today - which means Levynn's summer vacation is over, too. Tomorrow is her first day of first grade!

This also was the last official day of the beach season, and to the beach we went for our last hurrah.





See you after school tomorrow!

Fun with Uncle Dan

At Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum...



At Millenium Park for the Chicago Jazz Festival...



In the grassy park...






At the playground...


And at Lincoln Park Zoo...


It was great to see you!