Marissa and Carly came to town

My sister Marissa and her friend Carly came to Chicago to visit, play, babysit, eat, and enjoy the last few weeks before they go to college. Alli was so excited to have the girls come. A few days before they came, Alli said, "They are going to be my best friends because we will live together."

Carly told Alli that protein in chicken helps hair grow long and shiny (she was trying to get Alli to eat her dinner). Alli pointed out that Grandma Ohio must eat a lot of chicken because her hair is really long.

We went to the Navy Pier to see the sites, buy some souvenirs, and ride the Ferris wheel.

Our neighbor Elijah came with us. He and Alli sang "Do Ra Mi Fa So La Ti Do" and "Moonshadow" and "Leaving on a Jet Plane" over and over again on the bus to Navy Pier. Everyone on the bus had a good chuckle.

Other fun things we did with Marissa and Carly:

We went to Heaven on Seven for lunch and a slice of Mississippi Mud Pie (the BEST chocolate dessert I have ever had).

We went to the Hancock Observatory at night to watch the sun set and the lights come on downtown. The city was dazzling as always.

We had a picnic at a local park. We ordered pizza and played frisbee, paddleball, and catch. One dog almost ate our leftovers. Another dog almost peed on our stroller. Not cool. (The dog's owners came running when he lifted his leg.)

We strolled up and down Michigan Avenue. Good people watching.

We went to Millennium Park to take pictures by the Cloud Gate sculpture (the shiny bean).

We went to the Lincoln Park Zoo.

Andy and I got out a few times while the girls were here. It was wonderful having babysitters! Ruby and Alli really bonded with Marissa and Carly, and we are missing them.