Camp Grammy

Better late than never...lol A few weeks ago we went to Chicago with Grammy to Camp Grammy (my Mom and her sissie's like to get together with their grandkid's and have a week with the Grammy's) I went along to help out with Bailey still, because she's a little young and obviously you've read she's very mischevious lately!!!! Also my cousin was coming with her Mom too, so I was excited to get some girl time too ;)

We arrived in Chicago around 2ish on Sunday at my cousin Chris's house ( he lives in the suburb's of Chicago) We had a great afternoon of chatting, the kid's in the basement just warming up to their cousin's, but yet still a little shy about it. It really didn't take long before they were playing the Wii, talking and running around the house just as if they had known each other forever.

(my cousin's and I used to get together every year for "Family Reunion's" at our house in Tennesee, some would come from Ohio, Florida and Illinois for a week of just good family fun...it was always a BLAST and our Mom's (the Grammy's now...lol) would always make up some of the silliest things for us to do, but it really was the best time in the Summer was when the cousin's were coming. So I'm glad my kid's get to experience a week with their cousin's every so often)

Monday was our "BIG" day in the city!!! We got up SUPER early to catch the 7:40 train to the city. Poor Bailey didn't sleep so well and was up at 3am and did NOT go back to sleep, I think it was being in a different place and sleeping with me. So on our way to the train station, she falls asleep :( But quickly awakes because we're at the train station...YEAH!!!! On the train we go and we're off to the Windy City!!! We arrive at Union Station and follow my cousin (if it weren't for him...we never would have made it out there), he works downtown..so he was going to work and we were going to Shedd's Aquarium. On the search for a bus that would take us to the Aquarium, one bus driver offered to take us all on for free and would help us find a trolley that would take us there. We were THANKFUL for this bus driver!!! Until, he stops just a few blocks away and points to a trolley and say's "Shedd's Aquarium people, that trolley will take you right there"...Awesome!! No...that trolley cost $20 and I think it was even a tour one...ugh!!! So here we are with 7 kid's and 6 adult's going through Chicago during rush hour with everyone else going to work and here we are lugging all these kid's down 6 blocks. Oh my, if kid's weren't so BLATANT and HONEST...whatever would we do??? There were all kind's of remark's I heard along the way, "Hey, why are they blowing that smoke in my face, don't they know second hand smoke is bad for us" or "Hey, let's go there and get some donuts" or "Hey, I just saw Spiderman on those building's" or "Hey, I NEED MY STARBUCK'S"...lol (Yeah the last one was really what my Mom was thinking everytime we passed one...lol) ;) It's really funny to try to see things through kid's eye's sometime's...gotta love em!!!! Anyway, needless to say we made it to a bus stop that DEFINITELY went to the Aquarium, so my cousin got us there and caught a Taxi to work...he was only an hour late...ooops :( And we arrived safely at Shedd's Aquarium :) The kid's were assigned "Buddy's", they had a kid buddy and an Adult buddy they were to stay with the whole time. (if you look in the pic, you can really tell who's buddies...lol)

We are finally in and ready to see some fish or more!!! This place was sooo AMAZING and really, really COOL!! They had a Dolphin Show, underground viewing of course so you can see the dolphin's swimming underwater, The AMAZON, a theatre, reptile's, shark's, sting-ray's and a HUGE fishtank in the center of this room and there was a real live guy underwater feeding the fish and talking about all of them...it was sooo cool :) The kid's absolutely loved it!!!

After we left the Aquarium, we caught a Water Taxi over to the Navy Pier. Once we got to the Navy Pier, I think we were all too tired to do anything there, so we got the kid's a drink and took a break. Then hopped back on the Water Taxi over to Union Station (which took us right through downtown...it was actually a pretty long ride, but nice) I got to see the Trump Tower being built...you know the one where Bill won and he got to oversee this operation, from one of the first "Apprentice's". That was pretty cool!!! And we had to drop off some people on Michigan Ave....but they wouldn't let me get off :( If you don't know, Michigan Ave is the "Magnificent Mile" in Chicago and has ALL the store's on it...it really is MAGNIFICANT!!!!! Oh well, I would get to go to some outlet's later in the week...lol We finally make it back to Union Station and there is Chris waiting for us...YEAH!!!! Please tell us where to go now??? He led us right to the train, we all hop on and breath a sigh of relief that we all made it. WHEW!!! We head back to Chris' house to eat dinner, then go back to the hotel and swim and do crafts. That of course was the Grammy's plan for the kid's, Laura and I had some other plans and just relaxed with some spa treatment's and got to catch up :) Finally, it was off to bed...after a VERY LONG, FUN, but EXHAUSTING day!!!

The rest of the week, we stayed around our hotel and didn't go back into the city...I think we all had enough of the city..lol We took the kid's to see Wall-E, which was really, really cute :) More swimming, more crafts and the Grammy's took them bowling one day. While they were bowling, Chris' wife Sue took Laura and I out to the outlet's, including the Crate and Barrel Outlet!!! I got some wine glasses for $.95 each and a White Leather magazine basket for $2.00...I was quite happy with my BARGAINS!!!

It really was a GREAT week and sooo nice to get away and enjoy spending time with family, I know the kid's had such a great time and keep asking when they can go back to the hotel and see their cousins...lol Thankfully about a week after we got back, CVS had a great deal on Kodak Photobook's, they were $7.99 and they were giving back $7.99 in extra care bucks....so I made one of Camp Grammy. It's so cute to see Bailey looking through it and just smiling and saying, I memer that Mommy and memer when we went on that boat...lol Ahhh...memories, I hope they will cherish them forever ;)

Here's a lil slide of our Camp Grammy Week: