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There is nothing more special than a bond between a little girl and her daddy…
and my most fav. daddy/daughter song…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXhJ3oCg3K8[/youtube]
PS- I’ve decided to give my blog a facelift…so bear with my white walls as I decide on my new look. (like I have time for this, but hey, why not!)
It’s nice to see that after spending basically the whole summer together, they are still having fun with each other…
(yes, Matthew needs a hair cut, I know…it’s on the things to do list this week)
I am We are definately going to be sad when our pool days for this season are over…
No this is not an Obama post…it’s a post about our winter break! The theme of our vacation was change…seems as if whenever we made plans they were destined to be changed. Most of you know we were actually supposed to go to Washington DC for break, with a stop in Hershey and NJ…but after several conflicts (long story) we decided to postpone that trip and hang locally (change #1). Seems as if things happen for a reason and due to weather and some other factors we made the right decision.
In a nutshell break was fine. We had a nice mix of downtime and being completely busy. As you know, we did some low key activities, like bowling, movies, the Christmas Light Extravaganza, had a pj movie marathon day at home (totally fun). Matthew went to went to winter camp for 2 nights/3 days and had a blast. While there, he went snow tubing, spent an afternoon at an indoor water park, played sports and did other various camp activities. Shawn took the other 2 boys snow tubing one afternoon (Syd is too short still so we didn’t go), we spent 3 days at the indoor water park (yes, I promise, those pics are coming soon….lol) and we went to Chicago.
When we made our last minute Chicago plans, we were SUPPOSED to go overnight but when we went online to purchase tickets to the science museum, we realized the month of Jan. (after the 5th) offered free admissions. With that, we modified our plans again..and decided we’d go for a weekend in Jan. We have had to make an IKEA return, and Jan. 2 was the last day (90 day policy), so regardless we had to go to IL. So, instead of going over night we did a day trip… we left here in the morning and didn’t get home til 11pm!
First stop, IKEA (this is further from our house than downtown Chicago)…we did our return (it took longer than we expected). That place was a zoo. Finally got out of there and stopped at our favorite Jamba Juice. Man, I wish they would open one in WI. Now mind you it’s already mid afternoon…but that didn’t stop us…from there we headed downtown. About a half hour ride away, but closer toward home.
We have never really spent time in Chicago proper…what a treat. It was just like NYC only a little smaller, a lot less traffic and a lot less noise (no blaring taxis). We made a quick detour by Millennium Park and then found a garage and parked the car. The Magnificent Mile was just that, magnificent. I totally felt like we were strolling 5th Avenue in NYC. The window displays weren’t quite as spectacular but they were still nice. The Christmas tree…not quite Rockefeller Center, but I am thinking that once you are spoiled by Rockefeller Center nothing compares. Strolling the streets in the cool (not cold…we had a nice night) air was just refreshing.
The highlight for the boys was the Lego Store. There are a dozen or so around the country, but none in WI. However, we have been to some of the locations but what made this so fun is that Max has really been into Lego’s lately, the Star War’s sets in particular. He was excited to purchase a set with his Hanukkah money and we bought him a set as well. Granted, you can get most sets at Toys R Us or order from Amazon, but this is just better! Plus, all the Lego displays are truly out of this world. (Lego pics to follow in another post)
The Lego store was in a mall…so excuse the wonky lighting/colors. This was taken by the entrance
I just loved all the little displays on the sidewalks. It was nice to see that they were not vandalized in anyway. It was hard to get pics of them, as the sidewalks were full of people but I did manage to snag one (Syd didn’t feel like getting out of the stroller!)
We stopped at Sanrio (aka Hello Kitty store)…Syd was beyond thrilled, didn’t know where to look first, it was very cute.
The real excitement for her came after dinner when we went to American Girl.
We were planning on going in NY while we were there, at least we were still able to go to one. She was overwhelmed and didn’t know where to look first. After we did the initial browsing and checked out the new girl of the year, we landed in the Bitty Baby Zone… (this is familiar to her, as she has 3 of them.. a single baby and a set of twins) she was in awe…
Needless to say, we did a little shopping there!
Unfortunately, we didn’t get to Chicago until late in the day due to our IKEA stop and our time was limited but we are planning to go back in a few weeks. I look forward to a little more shopping, fun at the science museum or whatever other fun place we decide on but I am most excited that we are planning to meet up with Amy and her family.
