Some Things Are Just Too Good....

I don't even know where to begin this post. In fact, I've been putting off posting about this particular grand event for like two weeks because the task has seemed so daunting. That, and my sister has been holding half of the pictures hostage. And I still don't have them. But more importantly, there are just no words to properly describe

MERADITH AND JASON AND CO. COMING TO VISIT CHICAGO!!

See what I did there? See how I made it all big and rainbowy so you could tell how fun it was? And how dreamy I feel thinking back on it? I'm pretty good at making complex emotions simple with rainbows.

Anyway, it was an action packed, fun-filled adventure. In fact, we're such fun-gluttons that at one point we actually drove three hours for frozen custard. More on that later.

We'll begin today's journey with a little photo delight of Leah and Lucy. These little dears were so in love your heart may just burst witnessing a bit of their splendor...

But don't let them fool you. They would become quite vicious at the slightest provocation. And wouldn't hesitate to grab each other by the collar and go blow for blow. It was terrifying and exhilarating all at once. But for the most part there was love, love, love all around.

And this Tiny Tuna was as sweet as cherry pie.

Oooooh I can't handle her tiny face and huge cheeks and overall gushiness!

Our first day we ventured to Milwaukee to sample the frozen custard that, many moons ago, inspired Meradith's hub, Jason, to open Coney's in Utah. If you live in Utah Valley, better yet, if you ever have any reason to go to Utah for anything at all, and haven't tried it, I urge you to do so. So freaking good. And their burgers and hotdogs and custard win all sorts of awards and crap. For reals. So good. Go there.

Anyway, we went to Milwaukee and got custard and then went to this fun zone place that was full of great food and fun and everything wondrous.

Sam and Jason with their respective wenches following an invigorating round of mini bowling.

I hadn't been bowling in years before I stepped foot on that little mini bowling lane. And I'm not afraid to admit that obliterating my husband in a game awakened the bowling passion in me. I've been heckling Sam to take me real life bowling ever since. Turns out he's too scared.

Mer and the munchies on the frog hopper...

Before you look at this next group of photos, please beware that they were taken while I was under the influence of, and completely intoxicated by, dessert pizza. You'll notice the sequence of events, peaking somewhere in the middle and then slowly declining into the dark world of dessert pizza poisoning...

... finally resulting in a complete dessert pizza overload brain implosion....

Meradith experienced something similar, but I'll allow her to divulge the details on her own blog at her discretion. I will say it started out like this....

... and didn't end pretty.

On day two we headed off downtown on the metra to visit Millennium Park and Big Willy, formally known at the Sears Tower (rest in peace). The best part of this picture is the crusty old curmudgeon in the bright pink jacket behind us...

Fun fashion tip, ladies. If you want to look 700lbs, go ahead and zip your baby up in the front of your coat. It worked for me, and with a little work, it can work for you, too...

The Bean, or "Cloudgate" always makes for some good ol' fashioned family foto fun..

Not quite....

There we go... note Froto Baggins on the right. Well, I guess Sam Wise would be more fitting...

The babes desecrating some spring blossoms. It was a toasty 40 degrees out that day. Those blossoms didn't belong....

Big Willy!

Yuv this one...

Pictured here; Leah grooming her mother like a baby baboon. It's a sweet, tender service she renders only to me... and sometimes Baby Eve.

We were killing some time at a mall in Milwaukee when Meradith decided to have a little fun at my daughters expense. The munchkins were dutifully playing along in the fun toys when Mera very casually said, "Leah, go bring me that lady bug..." Being the obedient little girl she is, Leah went straight to work trying to retrieve that bolted-down lady bug for her auntie...

After a few minutes Leah would look up at Meradith and say, "Auntie, it's too hard..." and abandon her futile task... and then, minutes later, Meradith would, very casually again, say, "Leah, go get me that lady bug over there." And off she'd go...

This charade repeated itself no less that 15 times. Which means that Leah spent, pretty much, the duration of her time in the fun toys trying to heave this huge ceramic bug from it's mount on the ground. All for her mean, mean Auntie.

You'd think I would have put a stop to this mental and physical child abuse. But you'd be wrong. Because I was having too much fun pointing at her and peeing my pants with laughter.

And that concludes the first installment of

MERADITH AND JASON AND CO. VISIT CHICAGO!!

...because Meradith still has all of the pictures from the second half of the trip. Cause she's a reeeaaal 'sombeech. And while I'd like to tie the documentation of their glorious trip up in a pretty little bow and send it on its way, I can't. Not 'til I get them pictures. So stay tuned....