Chicago

Our day had a lovely slow start. I laid in my bed for as long as possible (8am), we meandered down stairs for breakfast. We actually managed to all be sat at the table eating at one time!
Then we went to Megans family's house.
We had to wait a while before we went to the train station as we had missed the earlier morning train.

It was only a short drive to the station and we got there with just a few minutes to spare.
The kids were so excited as the train started to pull in!
This was the first time in my entire life I have seen a double decker train.
We all got on board and immediately went to the upper level.
The chairs were super cool, you could pull them back in either direction so the chair could face forward or backward.
S was my most excited. She kept telling me, this was the best day of her life. I was so relieved and happy as we were both unsure how she would cope on a train.
B wasn't feeling so good today and after much initial excitement, the train finally rocked him to sleep.
We were so excited to find out that the children ride for free in off peak time so we got to take a train to Chicago and back for only $15 for all 6 of us.

The first place we went from the station was Cloud Gate, in Millennium park.
A giant shiny bean sculpture. It was surrounded by tall buildings with clouds so low you couldn't see the tops of buildings. There were so many people there taking pictures but it was still fun.
The kids went underneath to check out the trippy mirrored effect.

We walked past Millennium stadium, which had free concerts in the park. The sound of the orchestra floated across the air and was a peaceful lullaby in the center of the bustling city.

We took the kids to sit in the grass while they ate their lunch. Megan had found them, Sub sandwich lunchables for just $3 each. They had a drink, cookies, chips and a Sub so the kids felt they were getting quite the treat, Megan and I also realized we had been missing a trick as the subs were made out of hot dog buns. Perfect size for little hands!

After lunch we took the kids to play in Maggie Daily Park. It has several playgrounds, all aimed at different ages and interests. The first place we went to has tall climbing towers and giant slides.
The children had fun but after a while, attempting to count heads in such a giant, crowded park became exhausting. We took them to the swings which were fenced in and easier to keep little ones corrald.
Because B was feeling so crappy I decided to run to the target 12 minutes away in the city, so I could pick up a stroller. My stroller was too big and not allowed on the train.
My GPS is clearly not built for city living as it attempted to lead me in to several unlit parking garages and dark alley ways. Um... No thanks!
Target was an experience itself. I have never seen a two story target built in to a sky scraper but there it was. Thankfully they were having a sale on the small umbrella stroller I needed.
The staff at Target were super friendly and helpful. They took the time to help me unwrap the new stroller and put it together and before long I was headed back to the park.
Unfortunately a man outside Target decided he wanted my money and came at me. He said "I want yout money", I said "No" and started to walk away. He started to follow me and again said " I want your money". Again I said "No and I quickly darted in to a big group of people walking down the side walk and he gave up. I am thankful because I did not have a back up plan!
It didn't take me long to get back to the park. The adults were all hungry by the time we made it back so we decided to head in to the city to find food.
We were all feeling pretty tired and it was starting to rain a little so we decided to just head in to Panera bread as it seemed quickest and easiest.
Our food took a while to get to us because of a slight mix up but it was tasty and worth the wait. The kids pared up and shared giant chocolate chip cookies. All of them except Megans oldest managed to spill their water cups.
We decided we better head back out even though it was still raining a little.
We spotted a  comic book store across the street and decided to pop in for a quick browse. I almost got stuck in the revolving door with the stroller, but some how I made it inside. It was quite a large store, which you would not have been able to tell from the outside. We all enjoyed looking around, They had so many things to look at.
After that we ended up at the Chicago public library and cultural art center.
Unfortunately Megan's oldest got her fingers trapped in the door, so after much flapping and panicking of all the adults and one very sad kiddo we finally managed to get everyone (thankfully in one piece) inside the building.
We only managed to find one open exhibit in the building, based on the history of black music. They had an old phone booth amongst the other items and I asked the kids what they though it was. J and S both guessed teleportation device. G saw the word telephone so she guessed right. We sat in an empty gallery and enjoyed the air conditioning and lack of rain. The kids all played and the longer I sat the more I noticed the beautiful intricacy of the inside architecture. The whole place had fancy gold mouldings and pretty mosaic pictures. The kids thought it was beautiful too. After the gallery we headed back to the train station. We fed the kids some dinner and then setlled down to wait for our train.
I decided to try and grab a quick pretzel while we waited but right after I paid they started boarding our train so the lady just grabbed the first two things that were ready and shoved them in a bag so I didnt have to leave empty handed. I dont know what it was she gave me but the kids loved it!
Our outgoing train was not double decker but still fun to ride on.
By the time we got to the car everyone was very tired. We went to pick up our bird from Megans house and then headed back to our hotel.
Leeta decided to punish me slightly for leaving her all day but I soon won her over with fresh seed and water.
The kids all took quick showers, scarfed down some tacos and fell asleep with no fuss. They all said this has been one of their favorite days.

It was certainly an adventure!

Tomorrow is our last day in town ad we plan to spend it with family again.
I will be sad to leave Indiana but I am very excited to see Kentucky.

Anyway, time to get to sleep!

Goodnight all

- Sophie 

Down day

before I start this blog, I have to vent a little. One of my blog pages is gone, "disaster day" and I have no idea how or why but I am so sad about it. Although, if one of my days had to go missing im at least glad it was the least fun one...

Anyway, I have named this blog down day, as that was what today was supposed to be, but it ended up just being another awesome fun packed extravaganza.

This morning I had wanted a slow start, laying in bed until it was time to get breakfast and then we would spend the afternoon playing games and watching movies, but alas it was not meant to be.
Instead two of my children had accidents and we had soggy puddles for beds.
Which meant stripping off the beds and getting out of the hotel so as to not meet the maid... I am too british to be able to sit in a room while someone makes my bed and I felt we would just be in the way.
I got us dressed and we headed down for breakfast.

I thought breakfast would give me a chance to come up with a game plan but it was very crowded downstairs today so by the time we finished and got in the car, I still had no idea.

Thankfully just before we pulled out of the parking lot Megan called us. They invited us to go to Wicker Memorial park so that's where we headed.
The kids ran and played in the splash pad for two hours. They had a wonderful time. Megan's parents even treated them all to ice cream during a play brake.
I brought Leeta along and she enjoyed hanging out in the fresh air.

I am ashamed to say, I was so caught up in the bird I failed to get any pictures of the kids splashing! Oops!!

Soon we started to get hungry, but before lunch Megan has somewhere fun to swing by.

She took us by the driving range where the kids were allowed to pick up as many balls as they could find outside the gates (which is many).

It was like a mid-year Easter egg hunt and all the kids had a blast.

Then we went for some of the most delicious tacos EVER! I had jerk chicken, and steak and tater.

The service was so incredibly slow but I would say worth every minute.

The plan after that was to relax at the hotel, but that was just not how this day wanted to go. S forgot her headphones and ended up not being able to use the bathroom at the restaurant. I tried my best to get her home in time but we hit traffic and it ended up too late. We ran back to the hotel room to shower and change and to my surprise our beds were still waiting for new sheets so after a quick clean up we headed back to our car. Thankfully we were able to clean the car fairly easily and then we had a fun idea.

We took them to a candy factory!

Allbernese

The kids were surprised  The room was huge and filled with every kind of candy I could think of, and more.

At the back of the shop is the factory and you can peek through the giant glass windows to watch the candy being made.

Megan's mom decided she hadn't spoiled her newly adopted grandbabies enough and told them to go nuts, with no limits.

My children were like cavemen in a feeding frenzy. 

I walked around semi unaware of the full extent of the situation. I picked up a few gifts, and treated the kids to a giant bag of the factory rejects. Candy that is perfectly good but misshapen so unable to be sold at regular price.

 Then we got outside and reality surfaced.

My children has taken Grandma at her word and bought more than they could even carry.

Safe to say, by the time we got to the place we went for dinner, their eyes were spinning in their heads.

We went to a cute little pizza place and sat and talked for a while.

Then it was back to Megan's to pick up Leeta and then off to the hotel.

We watched finding nemo, cleaned out the birdcage and then it was time for sleep.

But not with out time for a quick snap of their crazy haul!

I am just relieved they actually went to sleep tonight! Tomorrow is a big day. We take the train to Chicago! I am very excited.

Anyway, time to get to sleep.

Goodnight all 

- Sophie

Bird Show

Unfortunately it's taken me two days to get my internet in the hotel room working, so this is a day late and probably not going to be as detailed as it could have been.

We started the day very early. We had to get going by 9 and I was so paranoid I would sleep late I ended up getting up crazy early. I was thankful it gave me a chance to clean out my car a little and pick a few things up from Walgreens.

We eventually went to meet up with Megan and Co and got on the road.

The bird show was about an hour away and we had to drive through Chicago. I hear the traffic could have been much worse, so I am grateful it was, what it was as my nerves were already plucked.

We did get a cool picture of the city.

When we arrived at the bird show I had no idea what to expect. As you walk in the room, obviously there are lots of birds, but very few of them were in cages. There were so many to see. Canaries, Cockatiels, Love birds, Mccaws, Other noisey ones that start with C.... and my new favorites, Parrotlets.  

We walked around the room looking at all these beautiful creatures, and I stopped at one station who had around 20 birds just waiting to be picked up. Before I knew it, I was covered in birds and I turned around to find my children in a similar way. I ended up staring in to the eyes of a chubby little cockatiel that waddled like a penguin. He was so cute I could have stuck him in my pocket and brought him home, but alas I put him back a carried on.
Then we came to John's Pocket Parrots. A breeder of parrotlets. He hand feeds all his birds as soon as they hatch from the egg.
He even had brand new babies you could watch him feed. They were tiny and bald.
He has them all perfectly trained to fly back to their cage, but they have never really spent time in there because they stick with their people.
Then I saw her. A beautiful gray/white Parrotlet with just a touch of green and blue here and there. He placed her tiny little self in to my hands and that was it. Love and first flap.

 We named her Leeta. After a star trek character of course.
We walked around some more while my friends took care of their purchases, I gathered lots of ideas for toys I could make our new feathered friend but all  I could think about was getting home to play with her.

She was so sweet and friendly. She never tried to bite or fly away. I placed her in my hair band and she peeked out.

I spent the entire rest of the day bonding and playing with our new baby.

I was a tiny be alarmed when she started making a noise like a broken radio, Megan assured me its just a baby birds way of asking food.

Eventually we got back to the hotel. Megan and Co all came over to play cards until it was time for bed.

All in all it was a pretty awesome and special day.

Def one worth remembering.

- Sophie

The Stookeys

Today has been such an awesome day! Unfortunately at the time of writing this blog I was unable to add pictures so I have come back to add them, which means they are all just added at the bottom of the post.

The kids and I enjoyed another awesome breakfast. We also managed to get dressed, pack up the car and check out of the hotel by 9. I was pretty proud of myself!

Today we got to visit family. The last time I was here seeing these wonderful people, I was 7 months pregnant with G but it was like it was just last week.
I can't tell you how much I love them. They are kind, warm generous people.

We arrived early. and D let me launder all of our clothes (which is not for the feint of heart when you are toting 5 kids around in a van for a week.). This made my life so much easier as the hotel charges $5 a load to wash!
They had put up balloons for my birthday which I must admit made me feel so touched.
They had set up toys and games for the kids which the kids dove right in to!
It was so great to sit and catch up.
Then D cooked all the kids favorite foods. It was quite the feast!
Then it was time to swim.  My children could not have been happier. It was hard to drag them out for dinner. B even managed to charm D in to getting in the pool with her. Those big chocolate eyes are very hard to resist. Even when your fully dressed and had not been planning to get wet!
I was treated to a margarita while the kids played, which happens to be my favorite drink!

Baby F fell in love with D's oldest daughter and I feel like it was very much mutual. She has been loved on and snuggled all day.
Although nothing with beat B's adoration for the human Cat he got to sit with. If cartoon heart eyes could appear in real life, It would have been my son! I am pretty sure if C told B he could live with her forever, I wouldn't have even got a kiss goodbye.

We ate some yummy spaghetti for dinner and Darlene surprised me with a beautiful chocolate birthday cake. It was so so good! Everyone sang me happy birthday and it was a  lovely end to the day.

Even my sweet, shy S had a wonderful time. All the way home she told me she wished she was brave enough to tell Baron how much she loved him and spending time with him. She calls him "My favorite big cousin".

I am so grateful for all their hard work and kindness that went in to making this day relaxing and fun.

I am also super excited as we will get to see them again before we leave for Kentucky in a week.

We got back to the hotel around 8 and got to check in to our new room. It is so very very big. The kids feel like we rented an apartment. We are so spoiled to be living in such luxury!  It didn't take long to get everyone settled and ready for bed. We enjoyed watching Ninja warrior for a little bit but soon the cute little snores started echoing around the room from each little bed. 

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you, Baron drew me a picture of the space station DS-9 for my birthday. I am excited to hang it in my room when I get home!

I know tomorrow I am going to wake up and think of 100 things I wish I had added in this blog. I have laughed all day long but unfortunately my head is pounding and making my eyes hurt so I need to get to sleep.

What a wonderful start to my last year in my 20''s.

Goodnight all

- Sophie

Indiana Day 1

Our first day in indiana has been pretty excellent.

Breakfast at this hotel is amazing. They have more choice than the kids know what to do with.
They ate so much, not one of them said the word "snack" to me until lunch time.
B was particularly happy because he thought his chocolate waffles were brownies.
My mom laughed at me because  I described the fruit as magazine fruit. I just meant, it looked good, not bruised up and gross.

We stepped outside to clean out the car a little. It felt like I was driving a rolling trash mobile and it didn't smell much better. I was so excited to discover Gracie has used her map of the U.S to locate the license plates we have found and color in the specific states. I have managed to sneak in a little geography!

Then our friends came and we followed them to a local county fair. It was still early-ish in the morning so none of the rides, or food were open, the air was cool and there was hardly anyone there!
We walked around looking at all the animals, I found several I wanted to smuggle home. One cow in particular, I felt I should call it Taco and put it in my mini van. Apparently that is not allowed though. I had such a wonderful time and it reminded me so much of the day my Mother took me to the royal agricultural show as a child. I am thrilled my kids got to experience this and I hope they remember it as fondly as I have.
   

B really wanted to bring this goat home.

I feel like her picture iis accurate and adorable.

This one too!

I feel like I could have fit this in my minivan.... Taco (I named it) Is the cutest cow ever!

Serenity is not afraid of pigs... 

These two watched the freshly born cow, stand up for the first time.

I would like a flock of black chickens...

I didn't know horses could be soo tall!

We also stopped at a local store. The kids (and I) really loved this little guy!

After the fairground, we grabbed a quick bite to eat. Then my friend took me on a tour of her childhood home. It was fun to see where she grew up, and let the kids play.

We attempted to take the kids swimming but unfortunately the pool needed one more day to clear after being cleaned yesterday. Hopefully tomorrow it will be good to go. We decided to let the kids play at a playground instead.
It was lovely. Megan, Baby F, and I, all sat in the shade of a tree on my picnic blanket. I laid back and watched the clouds roll by. It's probably the most relaxed  I have felt in quite some time.

We parted ways with our friends and came back to the hotel. I took care of a few chores and then upon discovering all my bread had grown a fur coat, we decided to walk to the gas station.
We whatever we could make in one small microwave and headed back to cook up our feast.
I think we were hungry enough to appreciate whatever it was we brought home.

The day ended with us all snuggled up watching movies. Everyone went to be very easily and I am hoping that means they wake up rested.

Tomorrow we have to switch to another room in hotel. Thankfully this is the last move we will have to make before we get back on the road. We also get to visit family, which is going to be on of the best parts of our trip!

Well that's about it for today.

Goodnight all

- Sophie

My pants betrayed me.

Today was the ride to Ohio

The kids were so good while I packed up the room.

B snuggled baby F

B is having a new experience with real T.V. Both his father and I only have netflix in our homes so he isn't used to the torture of commercial brakes. Every time they come on, he rolls on the floor begging us to put his show back on.

My mom managed to get  a video of our big tv debut!

It's not going to be easy to live with this new found fame ya'll.

They managed not to burn the hotel down during breakfast this morning. They did eat enough, I think the hotel may reconsider their all you can eat policy.

Then we drove the 115 miles to Ohio. The drive was smooth and I even made a new friend.

This tiny cricket seriously held me up for 20 minutes. It was so cute and I had a hard time getting it out of the car because I was afraid to hurt it!

By the time we got to our destination we still had 4 hours to wait for check in at our hotel and the skies were blue so we decided to go waterful hunting. I had considered taking them hiking today but Ohio forests have bears and honestly, I don't know the trails. The last thing I wanted to do was get lost and be eaten by a bear. I felt a bit of a flop not being brave enough but it made my Mama happy lol. So I decided on waterfalls we could drive and do short hikes to.

First stop was Brandywine falls. 

"I think we hear water Mom"

"I cant believe they didn't wait for us Mommy"

It was worth it!

This area was so cool, it was surrounded by old ruins. I forget of what and I didn't take pictures because this is the part where the kids all got hangry, and I went in to full on survival, just make it back to the car mode. No joke lol.

 Oh... I lie... There was one picture I took, because it made me laugh way too hard.

Ohio takes its trash seriously guys. (I have been on the road for days lol) Also some locals were totally eyeballing the crazy, purple hair lady, with 5 children, hopping about taking pictures of their trash cans....

We stopped and had a car picnic, used the bathroom and then it was back on the road to find our next waterfall.  Buttermilk falls. Which we NEVER FOUND. True story lol.

So where we actually went was our last stop, Blue Hen Falls.

Guys, I climbed down that with a baby strapped to my body and a 3 year old in tow. I felt invincible.

We had so much fun playing in the water, until someone yelled snake lol.

This is two seconds before it started raining... 

Look at this boy go!

Then it started to pour and thunder lol. 

Then my pants totally betrayed me and I had to walk up a giant hill, in the pouring rain with my butt hanging out! It was honestly the most fun ever.

Pants of betrayal.

We got in the car, pulled on our pjs and decided to drive to our hotel. We ended up being stopped for a while by a big freight train. The kids were excited to watch it.

We got to the hotel an hour before we were supposed to check in but the lady let us in our room anyway. I was so grateful. 

We plopped on the beds and crashed. All this evening holds for us now is T.v and Pizza as we are all wiped out. Oh and James is hard at work, building his obligatory couch pillow fort. I wish I had been keeping picture documents of them all lol.

Tomorrow we drive to Indiana where we will be for a week. We are excited to visit family and meet up with our friends who will be with us for the remainder of our trip. It's around 5 hours away.

I'm still unsure if we will drive the 30 minutes out of the way to Cleveland to see Lake Erie. I feel like I am missing an opportunity if we don't, but it will depend on how sick of the car the kids are, if my back is still hurting, and how well the weather holds up.

Time for a hot shower and hopefully an early night!

Thanks for reading all.

-Sophie