A question

Q: How do you make one hour feel like seven?
A: Go on the train with two kids under 5.

We left for Chicago Thursday, around 9:50, to make our 11:50 train. We should have left at 9:30.

Josh was stressed; I was in a bad mood, the kids were crabby...it was just not a good start. Bryce started crying about an hour into our trip, and proceeded to scream, loudly and much like a cat would if being skinned alive, for the next fifty minutes. Consoling with suckers, candy, or soda was not working; I even crawled into Kayden's car seat on top of Kayden to soothe him. Finally as we exited the highway, he fell asleep.

By the time we got to the train station (with moments to spare), Josh drove around to find the lot full. I went in to purchase tickets with my MasterCard Debit to find that they only accept cash.

The train boarding went surprisingly well, seeing that we had a double stroller, two bags, one carry on full of junk, and two kids.

Kayden and Bryce did wonderful for the first hour. We had a great time viewing the cars and fellow passengers enter and exit the train. Right when they started getting squirrel-y, we arrived to our Millennium Park.

Our hotel was one mile away. It really did not seem that far to me when we booked it. We decided to walk, and Bryce decided he needed to be carried. Pushing the stroller, holding Bryce, and avoiding hoards of people went something like this:

Stop to wait for traffic light.
Watch light turn green.
Hear Kayden yell "look, there is the little white man!"
Start crossing the street, only to realize the ramp off the curb is a foot to the right.
Cut off three people to get to said ramp.
Cross the street.
Hear Josh lose his grip on the suitcase.
Turn around to see the suitcase falling on the ground and people dodging it, hopping over it, scowling.
Repeat.

Finally. The hotel is in sight. We walk into the cool lounge, a happy bellman welcoming our arrival. Truly a gorgeous hotel, I am sure that our journey has changed course. The checkout desk receptionist smiles and asks "May I help you?"

I give her our reservation....only to find out the hotel was never booked. Some glitch expedia has been having where the credit card never actually goes through. I am sent to the business center to sort through my e-mail (at $1 every three minutes), to no avail.

I start getting weepy and trudge back to the front desk. Thankfully, a room was available for only $20 more than our original booking.

We had a wonderful time. Lots of window shopping, a great Blog party, tons of quality time with the kids. Just fantastic.

Would I go back to Chicago? In a minute.
Would I take both the boys? In about five years.

Here is a slide show of our journey: