Chicago - A Day in the City

My cousin Will is in town this weekend visiting. The kids love it when he comes... because he likes to play with them. (And he gives in to carrying Emma around all the time, so she likes that.)
Yesterday we went into the city. This is probably going to be one of those 'picture blogs' because I took a lot of pictures.
We brought the kids to check out the lights and decorations and stuff. My dad wanted to check out a German fest they had going on also. And we went over to Millennium park and watched the ice skaters for a bit, let the kids have fun with the 'bean', walked around for a little bit and then Andrew and I headed home with the kids and stopped for dinner on the way home.
We were all going to try to do dinner in the city but it was tough with the kids, everywhere had a wait and they were cold, so we started to drive home and went somewhere that wasn't as crazy and let the rest of them stay down there. I just knew having the kids wait 40+ minutes just to get a table wasn't going to be fun for any of us.

We brought the little folding strollers, because we figured our huge double stroller would have been obnoxious trying to maneuver through the crowds, but I hate the little ones. I think I would have rather dealt with the obnoxiousness of the big stroller to have the real tires and easier glide.

Emma and her fishies.

Drew gettin a lift with his Pop

Emma & Cousin Will

My beautiful Mother!

Drew & Pop having a serious conversation. Drew had a lot to say.

Horse & Carriage

Michigan Avenue

The 'Bean' in Millennium Park

Em & Drew checking themselves out in the bean

I love this one of Drew. He looks so tiny... and then you can see the reflection of the skyline at the top

Watching the ice skaters

Andrew & The kids at dinner:

These pictures make me laugh.

They have fun with their dad

This morning Emma and I went on a breakfast run... Andrew was craving an omelet from a breakfast place up the street so we called it in and took a quick ride. I'm glad I did... it was breathtaking outside. Every single branch on every tree was covered in snow/frost or ice, and the sun was shining. It was beautiful.

Our neighborhood looked like a winter wonderland



December Catch-Up

I have not been great about updating my blog lately.... I've just been extra busy and overwhelmed for some reason. Holidays I guess? I don't know... Just a lot going on.
I think I'm a few weeks behind this time. So... We had Andrews parents in town a few weeks ago. They got to spend a few days with Emma & Drew. One of the nights we went to my parents for dinner and to help decorate the big tree.

                                            

Shauna & Drew        

YiaYia & Drew

Our finished product! (This tree is like 13 or 14 ft tall, and real!)

Last weekend Andrew and I went to the annual Holiday Metra train bar crawl  with the crowd from work. (Brooke, if you're reading - I've been meaning to tell you thank you as always for your hospitality and all of the effort you put into it and the time to organize it for everyone.) We start at Brooke's for brunch, jump on the train and go to the bars along the way that are within walking distance of the train stops. It's always a good time. This year we did the first 2 stops with everyone but then we headed home... so it was a much shorter (and less crazy) experience. Last year I think we hung for close to 8 hours.

We went home after that and took the kids out to dinner.

Em & Daddy

There was a little boy across the aisle at a another table right around their age that Emma was flirting with the whole time. It was so funny to watch. She would giggle at him, and then make crazy faces.

(With her chocolate ice cream all over her face...)

My little man & I

On our way home we went by a house near our neighborhood that goes ALL out for Christmas. I mean, it puts Clark Griswold to shame. It's tacky as all hell but it's just amazing the production they go through every year to set up their property. They have a 'U' shaped driveway and they have it set up so that you can drive through. They have Christmas music playing, and tons of little scenes set up. So we drove the kids through to check it out on our way home from dinner. They loved it.

The next morning (so, last Sunday) we really didn't like the way Emma was acting - similar to the day before she was admitted to the hospital with her kidneys. So I contacted her kidney specialist and he wanted us to get her into the ER asap to have tests done. Sure enough, her white blood cell count was elevated and once they started getting more labs and test results back they did confirm it was what we thought. Thankfully we were able to catch it really quickly and it didn't impact her kidney function nearly as much as last time.

 They were able to get her hooked up to an IV and get a strong antibiotic into her IV drip to target exactly what it was. Although this time was a lot harder because she knew what was coming. She fought every single thing. I don't blame her. She's terrified of that place. She had a rough couple of days, with high fevers, throwing up, etc... but is now feeling much, much better. She's still on an antibiotic. After the holidays we have some tests scheduled to determine if (and what) procedure will need to be done to avoid this from occurring.

I grabbed this little foam tree thing at Target that came with little foam sticker ornaments and stuff for the kids. I figured it was something for them to do. So they decorated their own little tree.

One of my besties from college was in town, so I ran into the city on Monday to have lunch with her and catch up for a little bit. That was a nice break and I loved being able to see her.

I'm off for a few days (Friday, the regular weekend... and then Monday & Tuesday) So maybe that will give me a chance to actually feel somewhat prepared for Christmas! In my mind I feel like I should still have weeks left.

I have a few things I want to make sure to get done over the next few days while I'm off - baking, our Christmas cards and anything else that I have left to do before Christmas. Today we did 'fake' baking... I didn't have the time, patience, or motivation to deal with the mess of doing the 'real' baking - making the dough, doing cookie cutters, icing, sprinkles, etc... which we will do at some point this week but I remembered I had gotten some of the slice 'n bake cookies to make with the kids, so we did those tonight.

Reindeer cookies. They were a pretty big hit.

We also did candycane cookies. Sugar cookies with like a peppermint bark mixed into the dough.

Well... until next time!!

I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays and hope that everyone is lucky enough to have family, friends or loved ones to spend time with.

I'm really looking forward to this Christmas having (almost) 3 year olds, because they are SO excited this year for Santa and all of the traditions that come with the holiday season. They get excited every day to open one of the doors on their advent calendars, they love singing and dancing around to the Christmas songs, and helping with all of the baking. Reliving all of the holiday traditions through the eyes and hearts of little kids is so much fun.

So, regardless of where you are or what you celebrate, I hope all of you get to spend some quality time with loved ones during the next few weeks.

Thanksgiving, Christmas decorating & the "oatmeal Pro"

We've had another busy week (Surprise, right?!) or few weeks now I guess since I've been meaning to get this posted for what seems like forever. We had our anniversary, my dads birthday, Thanksgiving, decorated for Christmas... and we have Andrews parents in town until early next week. It seems like work has been crazy busy lately too for some reason... I really was anticipating a slow end to the year to be able to play a little catch up, but I was definitely incorrect on that.

We spent Thanksgiving with my family at my parents... and then we go to family friends of ours after dinner for desserts and drinks every year, so we did that.
Since my dads birthday was the day before Thanksgiving... we wound up celebrating (or atleast doing the cake and presents part) on Thanksgiving because he worked and golfed on his actual bday.
My kids L.O.V.E birthday cake. Any kind of cake that has candles to blow out. Sometimes we do multiple takes on blowing out the candles... and occasionally they end up getting re-lit a few times. But they love it.

Helping Pop blow out his candles. By the way, per the birthday boys request, my mom made the BEST banana cake with homemade chocolate frosting - YUM. I'm not a big banana person, but it was such a dense, moist, really good cake.

lickin' the icing off of the candles

anxiously waiting for cake

I was checking on Emma and I peeked into the dining room, where she was talking to these little ceramic pilgrim Thanksgiving decorations that my mom has on the table and I guess they are praying, so Emma decided to join them. It was adorable. So I snuck up on her and took a picture. I had to try to zoom a little.

a prayer circle. :-)

Mimi and Emma snuggled up on the couch reading a book later that night.



We also decorated for Christmas this weekend

Bottom left is what I decided to do for the kitchen table centerpiece. I usually fill that glass (Vase? Square glass container? whatever it is) with something each season - leaves for fall, cherries or wicker balls in the summer, etc...) But Christmas is by far my favorite. The sparkles come out! (Or should I say, it's when sparkles are acceptable.)

And the candle... I'm usually a vanilla/cinnamon/caramel/sweet candle person - but this one is really good! And, since we have a fake tree (I know.... talk my husband about that. I'd be up for it.) this candle makes the whole downstairs smell like a real tree. Best of both worlds! No pine needle mess, but you get the smell. Although speaking of candles, if you are a Yankee Candle person and you do not have 'North Pole' I highly suggest that you get one. Now. It smells like candycane and vanilla. I'm a little obsessed with Yankee Candles... and Andrew doesn't like the fact that an entire cabinet has to be dedicated to store them, but I do think they are the best, and they're worth it. I've also recently gotten into the tumblers with the double wick, they burn a little faster but if you are a person that isn't home all day long and don't have an hour to wait for the candle to begin to smell up the room, the double wick gets it goin' fast.

Moving on....

It was fun to decorate this year and have the kids really into it. (Slightly on the stressful side at times when they didn't understand the difference between decoration and TOY, but still, better than not having them involved.) and I was able to get a few cute pictures out of it too.

Mr. Snowman, hangin out on the couch.... watching all of the decorating craziness.

Daddy helped them pick out the ornaments that they couldn't break. This year (and last actually) I wound up temporarily replacing my fragile ornaments with non-breakables. Because no matter what we do to get them to stay away from the tree, they just can't help themselves. So I've actually been finding ornaments in their toy bins - upstairs. Again, not understanding they are not their toys.

holding up the ornament with their Santa picture from their 1st Christmas!  (I love that we are beginning to collect a lot of sentimental, or meaningful ornaments for the tree.)

concentrating very hard to put the ornament (or as she would say, 'lantern' on the tree.)

Playing with a little photo editing. I think that picture of Emma is so beautiful.... Just totally captures the moment.

As we were decorating Emma would go up to everything and say 'Awww it looks so perfect! beautiful!'

Our Tree!

I honestly would keep a Christmas tree up and lit year round if I could. This morning I woke up before everyone and sat in the family room with just the Christmas tree lights on.... and it was beautiful.

Emma is quite our little artist, But unfortunately it's not always on paper.

This was her artwork on the guest bathroom cabinet....

(She found the bathtub crayons and decided to do this masterpiece mural real quick. Good thing is that they wipe off easily.) But, I woke up in the middle of the night and went in there and was half awake when I saw it and I was hysterical. It looks like the face on the right has it's mouth zippered shut (Andrew thinks it looks disturbing) and then the other red one is a smiley face sun.

My project last week was to make these 'hot chocolate dippers' - candy canes with a chocolate dipped marshmallow on the end and decorated with sprinkles.

Last Christmas I made cake balls - but I think I just may attempt cake pops this year! Or not... maybe I'll stick with cake balls. We'll see.

But I think I'll do Christmas baking with the munchkins this weekend.

The other morning Drew asked me for oatmeal, and as I was finishing making it (ya know.... because instant oatmeal is so labor intensive to make) Drew said "mom... you make oatmeal like a pro!!" I thought that was pretty funny. No idea where that came from.