Thanksgiving and Chicago!

Three bento lunches ... for the three bears? Kind of ... ha ha ... for Papa and Mama bears, and the two little bears! All going to Chicago on Thanksgiving day!

We left the woods after breakfast.

The drive there took us about three hours. Weather was good. No snow.

Hotel check-in was at three o'clock.

Hence, we thought we should just drive to the Field Museum, made good use of the day since the day darkened around five.

It was a big museum. Bigger than I had imagined. And so many exhibits to see.

Some exhibits viewing were included in the admission fee to the museum, while some required you to purchase tickets to enter.

"Mummy, mummy, look! There's a person lying down here!" Shouted my two boys as they peered down through a glass panel on the ground.

They were looking at a "Mummy" ... no, not their mummy. A Mummy found in pyramids.

It was fun exploring the Great Pyramid.

Meet Sue, the dinosaur!

The head is 270kg, and is too heavy to be mounted.

So what you see in the photo is just a replica. The real thing was framed in a box in the second level.

Wanna feel how it is like to be a fly, with complex eyes?

Wanna experience how it is like to be inside a tornado?

Wanna know more about earthquakes and tsunami?

What elements affect the shape of a volcano?

Welcome to the underground world of the creepy crawlies!

Honey, I shrunk the kids! And they are now smaller than an earthworm!

Really, there was so much to do and to see. We spent so much time viewing the exhibits, we missed the Crown PlayLab, where the kids get to do all sorts of hands-on activities.

The kids enjoyed themselves, and so did we! So off to the hotel we went! We were so tired we went to bed at 8pm!

The next day, it's to Chinatown for brunch, before heading to the Alder Planetarium.

We thought we would spend more time here, since darling son KW was learning about the Solar System and kept asking us questions like "What happen when an asteroid hit a planet?".

We decided to bring him to the Moon ... to watch a 3D show. The second show, Timespace, showed us the Big Bang, comets, etc, had great effects.

The exhibits were not as fantastic and fun as the ones at the Field Museum. I guess the older boys would appreciate them more, since they would be able to read better than a six-year old? I didn't enjoy the Planetarium as much as I enjoyed the Field Museum.

So the visit to the Planetarium ended earlier than we planned. We could do with an early dinner outside, and then find our way back to the hotel, since it was still early. Oh dear, but the traffic was terrible! It was just like Orchard Road back home! See the bride and groom dashing across the busy road? They were on a photo-shoot... erhh... on a day when the temperature was like 5C? I had a good laugh looking at them while holding my down jacket.

We had to end our trip on Saturday morning. Plans for more site seeing and other activities were shelved. Why? I had a terrible throat inflammation, and my temperature had been on the rise since we reached Chicago. Had to drive back immediately after breakfast, so that I could see the doctor at the urgent care clinic. By the time I reached the clinic, my temperature had risen to mid 38C.

The kids had a good time though. If we were to visit again, we would definitely go the Field Museum again. And the Farmer's Market too! And walk instead of drive through the Magnificent Mile.

Visitors for Thanksgiving?

Autumn is ending soon, and it has started to snow. 

We woke up this morning to find everything covered in snow. We were excited. Like little children, we pressed our faces against the window to admire the lovely scene that greeted us as we drew the curtains open. Trees and cars covered in snow. Snow on the tree branches like icing on cakes.

Suddenly, three big birds ran across the area in front of our house! Big brown birds! No, big is not a good description for their size .. Huge? Giant! Turkeys? 

Darling husband ran out of the house with his camera! He had only his slippers, on a cold morning of 1oC, and he tiptoed around the block, quietly following the birds. 

The birds were happily digging their claws into the snow, drinking water from snow that had melted. Are they here to tell us to get ready for Thanksgiving? 

Tooth Fairy is here again!

"Mama, can you brush my teeth for me, please?" asked darling son KW.

"OK, only for today, since you are so tired." I told my boy.

The first adult tooth is now almost the same height as the other milk teeth. 

"It's a pity the tooth fairy took away your first milk tooth without letting you say good-bye to it." I told my boy.

"There's no tooth fairy, Mama." Came the reply from the first-grader.

"Maybe you will get to say goodbye to the next one." I said.

As I continued brushing his teeth, I noticed a second adult tooth had broken out of the gums, standing just behind the first milk tooth! I shook the milk tooth in front, still quite firm. 

I wondered how long it would take before the second milk tooth fall off. Darling son might need to see a dentist to have it extracted, since the milk tooth was still quite firm. We just had to wait and see. 

It did come out, in the most unusual way! 

By getting stuck in a piece of melon which darling son was biting into! 

I spotted the white spot in the melon and got him to stop eating. 

Darling son did get to say goodbye ... the Tooth Fairy heard our complaint?

I am Six!

My birthday is today!

I am six years old!

Last week, Mama asked me what kind of cake I would like for my birthday ... hmm ... I really liked Papa's birthday cake, as there was a thick layer of chocolate frosting on it! I told her ... same as Papa lah! My Mama is a magician! She baked the same cake, but it looked different from Papa's cake! It had lots of colourful sprinkles on it! I loved it!

Mama also baked some chocolate cookies for my friends in school.

I had a super big cookie with lots of M&Ms on it!

Thank you, Mama! I am a very happy boy today!