Chicago

Nate had a AOA conference in Chicago and Micah and I tagged along. We started off the trip by going to the midnight release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. We dragged Micah out of bed and hurried to get tickets.



We had to get festive, but we weren't willing to dress up, so Micah had to represent the family.
He thoroughly enjoyed it. (shown in the following picture)



We got home from the movie at 3:00 and woke up at 5:00 to get to the airport. After checking in to our hotel we went on a river boat tour.



On the tour they highlight the architecture around the Chicago River. I really enjoyed it because I like to know useless information. By that night Nate and I were totally beat. We wanted to sleep early, but of course, Micah was wide awake.
The next morning, Nate went off to his meetings and Micah and I went for a walk. We walked up Michigan Ave and then down Lake Shore Drive. It's amazing how big Lake Michigan is.



When Nate was finished we walked to Millennium Park. There is a giant metallic bean, and some other unusual looking statues.

We then went to the Chicago Art Institute. There were some real famous paintings there. Mrs Anderson (my elementary art teacher) would be so proud of me for remembering these paintings.
On Friday, Micah and I went to the top of the AOA headquarters, where Nate had his meetings. Micah is sitting in the boardroom on the 18th floor.

Then we walked to Navy Pier.

They were giving free tour on a coast guard ship.

On Saturday David and Kip came to spend the day with us. We went to the Sears Tower (which is now called the Willis Tower).

They have the boxes that extend 4 feet from the 103rd floor. It's a long way down.

We also went to the Field Museum, and walked around to the aquarium and the planetarium. This is one of the best views of the city. I wish I had a puzzle of this, wouldn't that be cool? ;) We then drove to the south side of Chicago and saw the sights of Hyde Park.
On Sunday, Nate and I checked out of our hotel and went to the Science Museum. We tried to get tickets to the Harry Potter exhibit but they didn't have any for the right time. It was still a neat museum that he a lot of interactive exhibits.

Over all, we had a great time. But I realized why mom and dad never took the kids to his conventions. It is a lot of work traveling with a baby. I think I'll be home bound for quite a while.