Oddball Illinois

Oddball Illinois is the name of a nifty book we checked out at the library. It contained information on all the quirky and amazing things to see in this state. Since it's Spring Break, we decided to spend a day and see some of the stuff just outside of Chicago.

The day's stops went like this: Bahai Temple, Choo Choo Restaurant, 1st franchised McDonald's, and the Leaning (water) Tower of Pisa in Niles.

Bahai Temple in Wilmette, IL

What a beautiful building - inside and out! I hadn't heard of this religion but it was started in the 1800's in Iraq. This is their only temple in North America. It's not very far from the LDS Chicago Temple. It's the same exit off the Interstate, it's just east and right near Lake Michigan.

The building's detailed exterior doesn't really show in this photo.

Abby and I

Choo Choo Restaurant in Des Plaines, IL

Our next stop was the Choo Choo Restaurant for lunch. When we arrived there was a line outside the door. We suffered through the cold wind and finally made it inside to sit at the bar, a perfect seat. This is a 50's style cafe and the novelty is that there is an electric train that runs from the kitchen and around the front of the bar pulling trays of the food you order. Allen was in complete heaven, eating a hot dog, watching a train going around and around right in front of him pulling baskets of food. We had a great time! I didn't think it would be so fun to see how excited Allen could really be. My burger was tasty too.

Ross is standing in line with the kids.

Allen is watching the end of the train. The red baskets behind the engine (if you look closely), are empty now but held the food. There is the train pulling Ross's food. Burger and fries. Yum! And that's Allen's milk.

McDonalds in Des Plaines, IL

Stop number 3 was the 1st franchised McDonald's (Des Plaines, IL) which is only 2 blocks from the Choo Choo Restaurant. So if you don't know your McDonald's history, it was started by 2 men in San Bernadino. They had a few food stands and sold it to Ray Kroc. Ray Kroc built the first chain here and then it skyrocketed. The original one was torn down and a new one is in its place. Across the street is a replica of the first one and is a museum in the summer.

A replica and museum

Ross holding Allen and Abby by sign. We are freezing!

Water tower in Niles, IL

Our last stop was Italy... I wish. It was a watertower in Niles, IL. It's half the size, width and angle-of- leaning as the real Leaning Tower in Pisa, but it was fun to see something so bizarre off the side of the road.

We really enjoyed the day together. On the way home, Allen made us laugh.

A: Where's the "Hi" (Bahai) Temple?

Me: It's back there

A: Oh, dear. (a new phrase of his) :) If you are interested to see what things are weird or amazing where you live, check out this website, http://www.roadsideamerica.com/.

Thanks for reading!

Bubbles!

Allen loves his bubble machine -- that was his Easter surprise. He loves to sit and watch all the bubbles rather than run around and pop them, like I thought he would. But nonetheless, he's very content.

Oriental Institute

We visited the Oriental Institute on the University of Chicago campus. We saw lots of artifacts from Iraq, Egypt, Turkey, and Israel. Pretty cool stuff! Ross and I thought it was a lot more interesting than Allen and Abby did.

Family-time, spouse-time and me-time

What a great day! In the morning we all went to the planetarium. (We used a museum pass from the library... a great way to explore Chicago for free!) At one exhibit, we rode a car into a giant ball and watched a show about stars. Pretty cool! (It may sound a little confusing but I'm not sure how to explain the Atwood Sphere). I liked the 3-D movie, but Allen didn't understand why everyone was wearing glasses and probably thought we were weird for looking at a blurry screen (since he didn't want to put glasses on). In the afternoon Ross and I went to the Chicago Temple. It's been a goal to go once a month and we stick to it pretty well. In the evening I read, Rebecca, for book group. Very suspenseful and I couldn't put it down. It's nice to kick-back and read, especially when you've had a well-balanced day. :)

Happy Easter!

This morning Allen and Abby wore new clothes to church (thanks, Grandma Schmidt!). In the afternoon we had our own egg hunt. colored/decorated eggs, had a yummy chicken dinner with a strawberry cake, and played with some new toys-- Allen got a bubble machine and Abby got a ball. Easter was a nice day for our family to spend time together and reflect on Jesus Christ and the blessings we receive from Him.

Happy Easter!

Lippolis Family visits

We had a great visit with the Lippolis Family from Ames, Iowa.

Lea Lippolis is Ross's oldest sister. Her and John wanted to surprise their kids with a trip during spring break. The kids knew they were going on a trip and were told what to pack, BUT they didn't know what the trip entailed: a visit to Chicago to stay with us and see Wicked! (A VERY great musical, well-worth your time and money! I've seen it 3 times and would see it again).

During the day we went to Lincoln Park Zoo and shopped on the Magnificent Mile.

The lion did a lot of roaring for us!

These solid, heavy balls are given to the lions as "toys." The right one is what it looks like new and the left one is after the lion got a hold of it!

I'm not a big lizard fan but he was posing perfectly for a picture.

Allen is tunnel-happy in the Ape House.

Abby is on a baby hippo. We have a photo of Allen on that hippo when he was a baby. De-ja-vu!

Anyone a fan or American Girl Collection books or even remember reading it? I read them all once upon a time. I didn't realize that they added three new girls: Kaya (native-american from the 1700's), Julie (hippie from the 70's), and Kit (from the 1920's). Very cool store, especially for girls who loves dolls.

These are my kids at the end of our trip :) They had fun!

Thanks for coming - John, Lea, Nora, Julia, Aria and Evan! Allen misses you already!

p.s. John, we keep telling Allen "five." He asked a few times :)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

We hope you remembered to wear green. We enjoyed Chicago's parade and very-green river on Saturday. Many photos follow...

We had a blast! It was FREEZING, but we had a great spot at the parade to enjoy floats, Irish dancers, bands, unions and to collect free stuff (we got beads, hats, candy and Allen got a beany baby.)... I looked for Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones, but they didn't make an appearance this year :) (I love The Fugitive!)

After the parade, we walked up Michigan Avenue to the Chicago River. Then we ate lunch at Corner Bakery and caught a bus home, which Allen was very happy about. Happy St. Patty's Day!