Christmas Time in the City

Blue Line
Originally uploaded by tracyg00

Darin decided that we should take the kids downtown on the 11th to check out the decorations and see the big tree at Macy's. We took the blue line and the kids loved it. The train may have been the highlight of the day.



This happened to be the first snow of the season. We got downtown pretty early and the streets weren't really crowded and the snow was really pretty.



The Macy's decorations were pretty grand as well.





We had lunch at the Walnut Room (it was a very short line - lucky us!). The kids loaded up on bread, so I got to carry around the mac-n-cheese for the rest of the day. We rode the escalators all the way to the eighth floor, we visited the toy section -- which is not as dynamic as it once was. Actually, it was a bit disappointing, but the kids didn't know the difference, so they liked it just fine.



After the Macy's tour, we headed back to the el for a fun ride home.



A good time was had by all!

A Request from Jake

Breakfast in Bed!
Originally uploaded by tracyg00

Jake has been asking for breakfast in bed for a while now. One morning, mid-week, I woke him up with pancakes and sausage. He was pretty excited (even though he still looks half asleep in this photo). I'm sure one day he'll be annoyed that I posted a photo of him in his underwear for all the world to see. I just thought it was cute and couldn't keep it to myself :-)

Girl Scout Field Trip

Food Pantry
Originally uploaded by tracyg00

Last year, I took our Daisy scouts to the Albany Park Food Pantry to fill bags of donated food. We decided to bring them back again and they LOVED it. I can understand why these sweat shops use child labor. The director of the pantry said the girls were going to set a land speed record for bag filling. It was almost a contest between them! I think we'll make it an annual affair!

Christmas Tree Lighting

Here we go!
Originally uploaded by tracyg00

Jenny and Flip hosted a party the day after Thanksgiving for the Glen Ellyn lighting of the Christmas Tree. We pulled the kids to downtown Glen Ellyn in the wagons (note - our wagon wheels were really low on air). It was pretty cold that night, so it was probably good that they were bundled together.



I'm trying to get into more pictures so my kids will have some record of what I looked like (I'm always the photographer :-).....so here's the token Mom shot:



And, Aunt Jenny with the girls:



The party was a great follow-up to a fun Thanksgiving. It made for a really fun weekend for the kids.

Thanksgiving

Me & Granny
Originally uploaded by tracyg00

We had a nice Thanksgiving. Jenny neighbors (Lisa & Matt) joined us with their two kids, Nathan & Lauren. The six of them had a great time playing together. After dinner, we played "Celebrity" - always a good time. Here's a shot of the kids:

Rake em up!

Rake em up!
Originally uploaded by tracyg00

We had a good time picking up leaves this fall. I would rake them all into a big pile and the kids would jump in them and spread them all around the yard again. Fortunately, our fall had very mild weather and I didn't mind hanging out in the yard, raking it over and over.

First Tooth!

First Tooth!
Originally uploaded by tracyg00

Megan lost her first tooth on November 20. It came out while she was sitting on the couch and she was a little freaked out by it (since it bled a little bit). It didn't take long for her to feel a little proud.

Fun Neighbors

Burning Sticks
Originally uploaded by tracyg00

Our neighbor, Joe, had a campfire for the kids on a weeknight back in November. We didn't have any marshmallows, so the kids just burned sticks. Jake got hit by a flying spark and burned a hole in one of his favorite Batman shirts. Bummer.

Megan enjoyed burning sticks too. I think this kept them entertained for about an hour.