Riding the Train {part 2}...

Breakfast while traveling through the American Heartland.

Chilling out in the lounge car.

Train stop in Glacier National Park.

There were volunteer rangers from the National Park Service on our train and the kids got to become honorary junior rangers.

Riding the Train...

So I finished posting all our Seattle pictures but that's not where our vacation ended.  We boarded the train from Seattle to Chicago and started our 2 day voyage to the windy city.  The trip was amazing.  The kids had so much fun and Cole decided that he only wanted to travel by train from now on.

Our sleeper car suite.

Eating in the dining car.

Kiley loved the "kid" cups they used… just coffee cups with juice in them, but she felt so grown up.

2 More...

2 more cute pictures I came across from our day on the boat. Unless I find any other jems while I'm sorting through everything that pretty much sums up our trip. We'll return soon to our regularly scheduled programing.

In Love...

Kristi and I have decided that Kaya & Cole are going to get married and we will both live next door to them (somewhere in Florida, not where it snows). Kaya adored Cole while we were visiting. She even referred to him as her husband. What's funny is that they are almost exactly the same size and that Kaya is a year and a half older than Cole.

Stop To Smell The Flowers...

These are some more pictures from Millennium Park in downtown Chicago. Cole absolutly LOVED all the flowers that were in bloom. He was particularly fond of the beautiful tulips. If we would have let him, he would have spent all day picking flowers.

Train Stop...

Our last stop on Sunday was at a restaurant called "Tyler's Tenders". It is a train themed place that had all sorts of stuff that Cole just adored. They had a HUGE model train display, a small train that you could ride on and a train even brought your food out at the bar. It was a perfect ending to a fantastic day.

A Boat Ride...

After the dairy farm on Sunday we swung by Vern's condo and took a ride on his boat. Here we are with Kristi's Uncle Eddie and his family who were in from Denver. They also went with us to the farm. Cole liked the boat. He was really tired so when we went fast he closed his eyes and almost fell asleep. But when we were going slow he was smiling and enjoying himself. And as a side note... In order to get the picture of all of us I set the timer on the camera and placed it on the front of the boat while we were in open water. I thought Kristi might have a small stroke.

Tractor Boy...

Just one picture today of Cole riding on the tractor at the dairy farm. He really loved it. He looks like such a big boy in this picture.

Moooooooooo...

On Sunday we headed out to the middle-of-no-where-indiana to visit a dairy farm. I'm surprised to even say this, but it was FABULOUS. We got to ride a bus out to see where they milk the cows, we had incredible ice cream and cheese, watched a cow give birth and then there were fun rides for the kids. Cole loved every single moment of it. It was a great day.

The Blankenship Family...

We spent the 2nd half of our trip in the basement of The Blankenship Family. The kids had a great time playing together and Kristi's girls were so nice and sweet to Cole. On Saturday we just hung out and let everyone play inside and outside. We also enjoyed make your own pizza night followed by a milk shake mix off. It was awesome to get to hang out and enjoy each other's company.

Wedding Pictures...

Friday night was Vern & Jean's wedding. The kids all looked stunning in their fancy clothes. It was a really late night for all of us, but Cole hung in there like a trooper. Hard to believe he didn't get to bed until 10:30pm (central time). We had a great time dancing the night away.

Chicago Trip (continued)...

We spent a chilly Friday morning down at Millennium Park before heading out to Kristi & Neil's for the wedding. Took some pictures with "the Bean" as it's so affectionately called. Cole loved running around and trying to pick all the beautiful tulips.

Ho-tel, Mo-tel, Residence Inn...

Cole's favorite part about staying at the Chicago Residence Inn on the Magnificent Mile... phones with cords. That and the little notepads and pens that the Marriott leaves by the phones with cords.

Other Misc. Chicago Stuff...

This afternoon we stayed pretty close to the hotel. We went to the top of the Hancock Observatory, strolled down Michigan Avenue and visited the Lego store, and then stopped at Hershey's for an ice cream treat. Tomorrow we're off to Millennium Park and then to Kristi's for the wedding. We've had a great time in Chicago and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fun vacation spot. Even with kids, I give it two thumbs up.

The Field Museum...

We spent the morning (and then some) at the Field Museum. We were the first ones in line for tickets right at 9am when they opened and it was worth it because the place was empty. Cole loved all the exhibits and they have a Children's Play Lab that is unbelievable. He would have spent all day in the music room if we would have let him. He had a blast banging on the different drums (it must be hereditary). I was very impressed by how stroller friendly the Field Museum was. Almost all of the exhibits were low to the ground, making it perfect for Cole to be able to see in.