girls just wanna have fun

The annual girls’ trip to Chicago was a bit different this year, since we couldn’t find a weekend that worked for everyone; it was just Mom, Kelsey, and me! Mom and I drove up Saturday morning and met Kelsey at her apartment. I hadn’t seen this place yet, since she moved in during COVID and I missed last year’s girls’ weekend. The view is amazing! She’s way up in a high rise with a gorgeous view of Wrigley Field and Lake Michigan! The weather was frigid but beautifully clear for our weekend, so we could see for miles!

We shopped on Saturday, working our way from store to store until an early dinner at Grand Lux. (We got a table in the round room surrounded by all the Christmas lights!) We followed that with dessert at a cute little marshmallow cafe (yes, this is a thing that exists). We tried the s’mores, hot chocolate, and marshmallow turtles (the clear winner, in my opinion!)

Sunday we went to church and then back downtown for a visit to the Christkindlmarket. We ate pretzels and potato pancakes and each picked out a pretty glass ornament. Kelsey got a cute little “bean” with the Chicago skyline, and I got a pickle for Mae! She learned about the tradition of hiding the pickle on the Christmas tree in school last year and will be excited to have our own pickle this year.

Meanwhile back at home, Dan had a busy weekend with the kids. After school Friday, Mae had her first basketball practice followed by a movie night at a friend's house. Dan and Colin went out for dinner and gelato. Colin loved watching the toy train that drives around the burger restaurant!

Saturday, Dan took the kids to breakfast with Santa. Colin is a much bigger fan of Santa this year than last apparently!

I was a little disappointed to miss out on breakfast with Santa, but glad that Dan and the kids had fun things to do while I was away!

little full, lotta sap

For the last 10 years, Dan and I have driven over the river and through the woods and to the parking lot behind the strip club to pick out our Christmas tree. Last year, the prices went way up, so we decided to try a different place. We found a local tree farm that also sells pre-cut trees and drove there fully intending to grab a tree, put it on the car, and drive back home. Well, the precut trees were pretty limited and about twice as expensive as the cut-your-own trees, so we grabbed a saw and cut down a tree for the first time!

Mae and Colin had fun running around in the trees and helping drag ours back to the entrance. We got to watch as they put it on the tree shaker, drilled the hole, and tied it to the car. At checkout they gave us free popcorn and a cute handmade Christmas ornament! Excellent hospitality. On the way home, I asked Mae if she liked the new place or the old Christmas tree place better. She was quite unimpressed with the lack of candy canes at the tree farm. Next year I'll bring my own to keep everyone happy.

We got the tree the Saturday after Thanksgiving. GranE and Batman visited for the holiday. We spent Wednesday and Thursday cooking and eating and playing. Mae had a whole list of activities she wanted to do with them at the house including picnics and fort-building. Friday we went to the zoo and got to see the new baby hippo. So cute! We had a fun visit!

kings island, finally!

After many delays this year due to weather, illness, injury, work schedules, and weather, we finally made it to Kings Island in mid-October! We were especially determined to make it work since we had these matching "Cousin Crew" shirts made and wanted an excuse to for the kids to wear them! (Special thanks to my friend Stacey for making these on relatively short notice.) The bright color helped us keep track of the 5 kids running around... plus they matched the blue ice cream perfectly!

This year Mae rode her first real roller coaster, The Woodstock Express (formerly known as The Beastie.) Waiting in line, she was very excited. As soon as the ride started, she buried her head in Dan's shoulder yelling, "I hate this! I hate this!" But, at the end of the ride, she was all smiles and shouted, "I loved it!" She was even brave enough to ride a second time later in the day!

Colin loved everything he rode, especially the bumper cars ("crash!") and the little train ride. I did have to convince him that Boo Blasters was fun and not "too scary." He has NOT STOPPED TALKING about Kings Island since we left. Every time we are in the car he asks about going. Every time we pretend we are riding on a train or a plane or a boat or a horse we are "going to Kings Island." It clearly left an impression!

Everyone had lots of fun. We took turns splitting into different groups so everyone could ride what they wanted. We finally got to ride the new roller coaster, Orion. I bought an Orion shirt for Kevin almost 3 years ago, thinking we'd be able to ride the coaster shortly after it opened in 2020. Between COVID and other stuff getting in the way, this is the first visit we've had since then! Kevin saved the shirt and finally got to wear it for the first time!

Thanks for a fun trip, Mom and Dad! I'm glad we finally made it work!