Illinois Hawaii Part 7: Chicago

I am now almost a year behind on this blog. It makes me want to cry--both in a weeping way and a hysterical laughing way. It is always frustrating as a mother when it seems like I can never get to everything I intend to accomplish, but at the same time, some failures are just funny and you just have to laugh at them to maintain some sanity--here I am, posting pictures of kids that barely look like them anymore because they have gotten so big since last year. 

But I am posting anyway.

While we were in Illinois last July, we took our little crew up to the big city of Chicago. Our main destination--one we have been talking about for months--was the Shedd Aquarium. Despite Ramona's favorite animal being a dolphin, she had still never seen a real one up close. This was the best we could offer without booking a trip to the beach.

I loved visiting Shedd Aquarium as a kid. It was still pretty awesome to be there at age 33.

The trash art displays were of course very memorable for me.

Paula dressed up as an otter:

Dolphins!

In order for us to make the most of our day at the aquarium, Wylie had to sacrifice some nap time. Fortunately, I was able to pull him off to a quiet corner and tip his umbrella stroller horizontally like a hammock so he could doze off for a bit. Forest and the girls went ahead to explore more exhibits.

The grand finale of our Shedd experience was the famous dolphin show. Somehow Wylie and I were able to pick through the crowds and reunite with the rest of our family before it started so we could all sit together.

Wylie's short nap helped him behave quite decently during the show.

The girls were each awarded a stuffed animal from the gift shop before we left. Paula got a little grey dolphin, Ramona got a sparkly pink dolphin, and Mika got a sea turtle.

Once we got out of the aquarium, we had just enough time to walk around Millenium Park and grab a bite to eat before it was time to get back in the car and drive downstate.

I may have failed to post about this day in a timely fashion, but the fact that this day happened, whenever it happened: success.

Illinois Hawaii Part 6

One important lesson I learned from spending a week with Forest in Hawaii is that children can be a major stressor in a marital relationship. Occasionally taking them out of the equation so you can just focus on each other can be extremely beneficial--and relaxing.

Despite how stressful it is to raise children, however, it is such a meaningful responsibility. If we had never become parents, we would certainly have maintained more sanity, but we would have missed out on something precious. Maybe that is another important lesson learned from our week away from the kids.

Coming back to Illinois definitely felt like waking up from a dream and getting splashed in the face with a dose of reality. Reality can be so cold sometimes--and so overwhelming. But when you look at it the right way, it's also refreshingly vibrant. 

Forest's mother picked us up from the airport and kindly drove us back to Parry's house, where we eventually reunited ourselves with our four little ones and distributed some souvenirs. I tried to give Wylie his stuffed rooster, but he seemed completely unimpressed--I think he was upset with us for being gone so long. At least the girls were excited about their pearl necklaces, flower barrettes, and carved wooden animals.

Paula and Paca showed us some tricks in the pool that afternoon. She loved getting flipped and thrown into the air before landing in the water with a splash.

The next day after playing with toys in the morning . . .

 . . . we visited the Decatur Zoo.

Back at the house, the kids played in the backyard and chased fireflies. I do miss my Illinois fireflies.

We are so grateful to Parry and Teresa for taking our children into their home that week so Forest and I could have that time to ourselves. I know it is no small task to care for our four children, and it was a lot for us to ask of them. I'm so glad the kids were able to get a taste of central Illinois in the house where Forest grew up, and that the two of us were able to make one of our dreams come true and escape to Hawaii together.

That splash of reality when we returned was colder than we expected. But here's the other thing about reality: It doesn't just happen to you--you constantly have a hand in creating it. Some days, my personal reality is less of a masterpiece than others, and some days other people's realities come into a head-on collision with my own, leaving everything in shambles for a while. The more people you invite into your life, the more collisions will occur. But I have to remember that I can pick up the pieces and rebuild--and that every small effort is part of some infinite reality that is more beautiful than I can imagine.

Maybe even more beautiful than Kauai.