DC to CA: Day 2--Chicago

I fulfilled my promise our second day out! Amalia got to see some horses at a service plaza on the Ohio turnpike.

Plus, we got to meet up with my good friend Jen Henry who drove up from Tiffin, OH to meet us for breakfast. It was great catching up, even if the ambience in the service plaza left a bit to be desired.

From Ohio straight on to Chicago. After we unloaded our bags and snuck Jake into our hotel room (a recurring theme on this trip), we headed out to Navy Pier.

 The view of Lake Michigan from the ferris wheel. 

The Chicago skyline. 

Speaking of sneaking, we also snuck Amalia onto the swings even though she was about an inch or two shy of the height requirement.

After cooling off with some Italian ice and ice cream, we played in the water a bit and headed back to the hotel. 

Then we set out for dinner with our friends the Castros, who live in Chicago. 

Lily and Sofia were best buds in the "Threes" room at their old DC daycare. 

 They picked up right where they left off without missing a beat. 

My other favorite part of Day 2 were some of the in-car time-passing activities. Lily had a set of cards with riddles on them, which she was reading aloud for us to guess. Not one to be left out, Amalia (who can't read yet), looked at the pictures on her cards and just made up her own jokes. For example, "What did the dinosaur say when he said moo? 

Answer: Hey, I'm a cow! (Followed, naturally, by hysterical laughter.)