Christmas Morning

Enjoy the Magic!

We shared Christmas morning with our good friend Melissa.

Christmas Eve

We enjoyed a day filled with old and new traditions. 

The Gingerbread house.

Christmas Eve Gift exchange with the Jenkins.   It was unfortunate that Zana was not feeling good.

Christmas music and beauty at St. Mary’s Catholic Church.  

Dinner at the Japanese Steak House

Christmas Nativity Family Night

I grew up participating in a nativity play with my cousins every Christmas.  I have to admit that there were many times in my teenage years that my parents had to drag me to the Christmas party and bribe me into costume.  Yet at the end of the day it remains one of my fondest memories.  Every year my family gathers and carries on the tradition. I am always sad that my girls are missing out.  So this year I decided to gather together my Ohio family and put on our own little production.  The girl got really into the costumes.  I had two sheep and a shining star.  I think all our friends had fun too. 

Christmas in Chicago

We planned a weekend trip to Chicago in hopes of experiencing the windy city in all its Christmas Splendor. We were not disappointed.  The drive was five hours and we got there in time for lunch and shopping. It was cloudy and rainy in Chicago which gave the whole city an eerie feeling.  The skyscrapers vanished into thin air.  

We started our adventure on Michigan Ave with all it’s amazing shops and pretty lights.  The girls were excited to see the American Girl Place.  It was huge! We had lots of fun looking at all the displays and JJ got to spend the money she saved from her birthday and chores.

The girls had a blast going through the revolving doors in and out of every building.

 

The Lego store was awesome too.  We ate dinner at a fun Pizza restaurant then headed to the Embassy Suites Lake Front for some swimming.

 

Having never been in a city as big as Chicago I could not get over the size and scope of the buildings! It was amazing. Our hotel room was on the 11th floor and put us just high enough to get an awesome view of the city and a peek into the lives of city dwellers.  We got to see the Christmas party in the building next door and count the number of Christmas trees in the apartments of the neighbors across the way.

 

The next morning we walked around State Street.  The girls loved Macy’s Christmas Windows.The nine story store with balconies, columns cool retro elevators and a Tiffany Mosaic ceiling was also impressive.

Next we visited Daley Plaza and joined the throng of crowds at the Chirstkindle Market.  The girls and I got some yummy German treats while Burke waited in line for the Santa House. Santa was very jolly and the older girls loved their visit.  The Bellie however, was not so fond of Mr. C. She respectfully kept her distance.

After visiting Santa we headed to lunch at Picadillys.  They have the most amazing Italian Beef sandwiches and Chicago style hotdogs. The drive home was a little scary.  We were traveling with a storm that dumped sheets of rain.  Burke did a great job driving and we arrived home safely.  It was a wonderful weekend of amazing sights, yummy food and new Christmas memories.