Our final day in Chicago was all about the US' first World Cup match against England. Kyle's firm, StoneWard, had organized a watch party at a local pub and Kyle had to go early to help set up.

Kyle left us for the pub, leaving several hours for the kids and I to occupy ourselves. Having checked out of the hotel, we walked outside straight into a rain shower. Sprinting down the streets, we took shelter in Room & Board. Poor us.

Brooklyn was the official furniture tester. I love that store. They were so good with the kids - bringing us animal crackers, bottled water, leaving me alone to take pictures and sit on couches. Very nice experience. And every single thing in the store was excellent quality.

Finally, it was game time! We all cheered on the US soccer team and had a wonderful time. I don't know if you watched the game yourself, but it was very strange singing along to the national anthem when you're facing off against the very country you wrote that song about. It gave me chills. I'm not anti-British by any means, but at that moment, I felt a deep pride in being American.

It was also cool because Kyle's firm took an old war rally song "The Yanks are Coming" and utilized it in their marketing for the US Soccer team. Nike jumped on the bandwagon and had T-shirts printed using that line - originally put out BY Kyle's firm! Super Cool!

The kids needed some air every now and then and this fountain was a stone's throw from the pub.

Goodbye, Chicago! We love you!

The part we'd been dreading: leaving. Or, as the case may be, not leaving. We were delayed 3 hours. So much fun with a 2 and 4 year old...We did eventually make it home, sometime after midnight. We were blessed with a great vacation. And a huge thank you to my parents for letting Rene stay with them in our absence!