We ate lunch in the dining car while riding through central Wisconsin, and sat with a nice lady traveling home to Cleveland. Sarah ate some of grandpa's salad, then enjoyed some penne pasta with meatballs.
Then she settled in with a Scooby-Doo video and some crackers ...
... before falling asleep for a couple of hours before we got to Milwaukee.
Beauty and the beast.
Sarah sees the Sears Tower in Chicago!
After getting off the train at Union Station in Chicago, we had to walk about a quarter-mile with all of our bags to catch the El train to Midway Airport to rent our car. Here's Sarah and Grampa walking over the Chicago River. It was a little windy and cool, so Sarah didn't want to pose too long for a picture.
Walking through the Chicago streets.
Sarah and Daddy wait for the El to come by.
We told Sarah to hang on tight when the El started and stopped. It looks like she's ready for about an eight-G pull here!
Ridin' the El.
Almost to Midway Airport, a quick view of downtown Chicago.
But on Monday, she and Daddy spent SIX HOURS splashing around at the hotel's big water park. A big red crab from "The Deadliest Catch" even showed up to play!
Sarah didn't have any fun at the water park AT ALL.
Aunt Florence joined us for supper at Famous Dave's, and Sarah fell asleep after her meal.
On Monday evening, Grandpa Gordon helped organize a Lutheran communion service that Uncle Arthur had requested. As family members showed up, we gathered in a beautiful garden outside the hospital. Sarah showed cousins Crystal and Dawn her puppy doll.
Waiting for the chaplain to arrive.
Look at these three cutie-pies. Amber approves of the job Crystal is doing on Sarah's hair.
We had to gown and glove before going into Arthur's room for the service, and Dawn provided a little bit of levity.
On the way back to Minneapolis on Tuesday, Sarah and Daddy took an quick opportunity to check out the Beaux-Arts architecture of Chicago's Union Station, which was build in 1925. The station was busiest during World War II, when as many as 300 trains and 100,000 people passed through each day. Those numbers are reduced by half today.
An ornate lamppost and beautiful Corinthian columns at Union Station.
Sarah orders Grampa to color.
That little girl really knows how to crash!
As we crossed the Mississippi River back into Minnesota, a woman started playing peek-a-boo with Sarah. Sarah really took to her, and Daddy invited her to sit with us as we rode past Lake Pepin. Lulu was traveling home to the Twin Cities from her first year of college in Illinois.
Sarah wanted to be in the picture, too...
It was a beautiful night last night, and after daddy mowed the lawn and spread some fertilizer, he brought Sarah outside to play. Before too long, all the neighborhood girls came over, and Sarah and her new friend Melissa got a ride in Sarah's wagon from the bigger girls.
Sarah and Melissa pose with Lissy, Janet and Mark.
Sarah's friend Melissa is two, and is the youngest of five Russian-American kids.
The "duck count" at our house is at four and holding ... Caleb is the duck-napper who is responsible!
Sarah and the ducks. She always wants to hold them.
Three of the ducks took a spin on our trampoline.
"Quack quack quack!"
Four ducks at rest. Flipper is one of the bigger ones in front, and there is a really small one in back.
This is the preschool Sarah will be attending in the fall, two days per week.
Caleb and his friends found a baby duckling all alone in our neighborhood yesterday and brought it home. So now Caleb's room has been converted into a duck playground, complete with huge box for it to live in, and a swimming pool. The duck has been named Flipper ... and now Flipper's new daddy has been tasked with driving to Fleet Farm to see if they have duck food. Later ...
Flipper makes friends with Sarah.
Success! Sarah finally decided to use her little potty last weekend! Yeah, it's buried there underneath that blanket. She's so proud of herself that mommy and daddy are required to watch her every time she goes, and she likes to go potty about every 30 minutes. Yay, Sarah!
I didn't know models could pose while on the kids' potty. Sarah has only had two little accidents since she stopped using her pull-ups. And she loves the new Dora the Explorer underwear mommy got her. AND the new Barbie doll that she earned as a reward for going potty.
Sarah fell asleep next to mommy on the couch this past week, and Harley snuggled right in next to her.
Awwwwww!
