Chicago, Illinois/Wisconsin Dells, June 2011

A view of the city from a local park near our hotel.

Waiting for our delicious Algerian food at Kafe Icosium, which the kids actually ate and loved! We must go back here next time we're in Chi-town!

Hanging at the hotel.

Studying all things nature at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Center (ignore the creepy dude staring into the camera in the background).

Studying all things physics at the nature center.

Mathieu was too young at this point to be scared of such a big beast stuffed into such a terrifying pose.

"Eh, whatever."

Learning how to operate a ship.

Tunnels are too cool - it entertained us for multiple loops.

Playing in a big tree house.

Watching the goings on in a butterfly garden.

...and figuring out how to catch them all.

Munchkin tried to sit very still and look sweet so that the butterflies would land on her.

It's birthday morning for Little Dude in the Wisconsin Dells (sorry, no water photos. The camera stayed at the hotel for our waterpark visits!) Alpha Dog put together a make-shift wrap job for his present, which she bought in Toronto.

Ooo! It's a car - surprise surprise!

And it lights up!

Uff da! Two days at the waterparks meant another day of pooped out napping children back at the hotel.

But not so pooped out to prevent smiles on their faces as they crossed the Wisconsin/Minnesota border on the way back home. Still happy after well over fifty hours round trip in the car!

And the best part is they can't wait to do it again next summer! Alpha Dog is going to be smart about it and rent an RV instead of trying to pack the entire family in her tiny sedan. Can I say that this trip has been more than a success!

~ Yours Truly Pooped Out After 2 1/2 Weeks of Car Travel