Our Trip to Chicago... Day 1

(Yes... this was a few weeks ago... but if I don't write it down... the memories will get lost...)

Thanks to a little fun at a silent auction Tim and I went to last fall, we were able to take a fun family trip to Chicago this spring.  We gave the trip as a gift to the kids for Christmas.  For Liam... a trip to the Lego Store.  For Ainsley... some time at the American Girl Doll Store.  And for Kallan... a day at the Chicago Children's Museum.  The kids have been talking about this trip since Christmas, and they were ready to hit the road and have some fun!

After our road trip to Texas last summer, I had a good game plan going into this seven hour drive.  I packed up a ton of books, everything electronic, and anything else I thought would keep this crew happy.  Those things, along with my hourly ticket system for earning prizes and snacks, allowed the kids to do great, and Tim and I actually were able to have some good conversations! 

It's funny when I look at this picture because I feel like my quest to teach my kids to entertain themselves using the good old favorites like the license plate game... I Spy... Tic-Tac-Toe... or an old family favorite, Zit a Horse, has failed in the midst of the digital age.  But then again, they were happy... we were happy... and I'll just tell myself we'll save that for another road trip! *wink*

Sometimes even on vacation work doesn't stop.  A quick stop at Subway for lunch where Tim finished up a meeting for work... and Ainsley was beyond thrilled with the kids meal prize she got... stick-on earrings!  Now that is my type of prize, one I don't have to sneak out and throw away at a later date!

Can you tell sunglasses were one of our ticket "prizes"?  We made great time to Chicago and after a quick swim in the pool, we were ready for a good night sleep so we could be ready for our big day in the city!