Winter Wonderfest at Navy Pier

To get into the Christmas spirit, we decided to head over to Winter Wonderfest at Navy Pier. We went there once before Mason was born and it was really cute. We left the house early in the hopes of beating the crowds. Luckily, it worked! We arrived at 10:00 am sharp (when it opened) and it was pretty much a ghost town. We were able to ride all of the rides, with no line and move around freely. We wrapped up around noon and it was definitely starting to fill up and the lines were getting long. Leah road the train, went on the merry-go-round, the teacups and the tilt-a-whirl. She was able to go in a few bounce houses and down a few big slides. Leah had such a great time and reminded me what the holidays are all about! Everything was magical and she was in awe of all of the lights and tress.

After the fest, we decided to grab lunch on the city to celebrate Rob's birthday (which was the next day). We ended up at Hub 51. After lunch, everyone was ready for a nap and fell asleep on the way home. It was a great day of family fun!

 On the carousel

 Enjoying the tea cup ride

 Decorating a sugar cookie

 The finished product

 Mase hanging out in his wagon

 Me and my babes

Leah's Preschool Holiday Program

On Thursday, Leah had her very first holiday program at school. I was so excited for her and couldn't wait to see her. I took the day off because the program was at 1:30 pm in the afternoon. For the weeks leading up to it, her classroom would practice their songs. She would sing them at home too. On the day of the program, we arrived a little early. It was being held at the church across the street from her school. It was a little hectic, but luckily I was able to get a seat near the front. Leah met her class in a different room and at 1:30 pm, the kids all walked out to the main area and took their place on the stage. It was so cute. There were 3 classrooms performing. Some of the songs they would all sing together and others they would sing with just their class. They sang "Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Twinkle Twinkle Christmas Star and We Wish You a Merry Christmas." I know all mom's feel this way, but I was so proud of my little angel. She did a great job. It made so happy! After the 'performance,' we walked back to the preschool because they were hosting a potluck social gathering. We stopped by and had some food. It was a nice little afternoon!

 All ready for her big performance

 On the way there....she just melts my heart!

 Leah and one of her friends

 Leah and Laney Jo

 Leah with her class

Mason's First Haircut

Mason does not have a ton of hair, but the hair he does have was starting to get long in the back and a little shaggy over his ears. It was time for his first haircut. We were out running errands and passed 'Boozle B's' in Plainfield. We didn't have an appointment, but thought we would stop in to see if they could take him. It was SO cute in there. Perfect for a little kid. They also do kid parties, which could be an idea for the future. They had a princess party option that I think Leah would love! Anyways, we lucked out. The receptionist told us they were booked solid all day, but happened to have an open slot just at that moment. We were able to slip Mason in for his first haircut. The offered a "1st Haircut" option that came with a certificate and picture. Mason was placed in a race car and his haircut began. I was so proud of my little guy. He sat perfectly still and did not shed one tear. He was such a good boy!!

 Before Pic - you can see the hair growing over his ears

Before Pic - the back of his head is a hot mess!

 Excited to sit in the car!

 Prepping for his first haircut

 So serious!

 All done! Handsome little guy!

Leah had fun waiting for her little brother!

Such a 'Yo Gabba Gabba' Good Time!

About three months ago, I received an email that Yo Gabba Gabba Live was coming to town for a holiday show. I knew I wanted to get tickets. Then to make the deal even sweeter, there was a Groupon for tickets a few weeks later. Yo Gabba Gabba is one of Leah's favorites!! You may recall her 2nd Birthday Bash where we went all out Gabba style! You can read about it HERE. Leah was very excited about the show!! Each day she would ask if it was the day for us to go see Gabba. So when the day finally arrived, she was so happy!

The show was out in Rosemont at 5:00 pm, so we decided to stop for an early dinner beforehand. We went to Toby Keith's in that Entertainment District right by the theater. As we were walking to the restaurant, Santa happened to be there too! There was no line, so we stopped over to say 'hi' before we went to eat.

After dinner, we headed over to the Rosemont Theater. There was lots of little kids dressed up in all of the Gabba Gear. It was really cute. Our seats weren't great, but we were able to see everything. Leah had a great time and danced her butt off. Mason was pretty entertained too! It was definitely fun family night!

Just before the show.

When we got home, both kids were tired, but that didn't stop them from taking a quick sled ride across the yard!

Christmas Lights!

I follow "Fox News Chicago" on FaceBook and they did a story about a house in Bolingbrook that decorates to the extremes every year. They have over 80,000 lights on their home and each year invites the public to see their display. They've since turned it into a charity fund-raising initiative. Anyways, Fox News reported that they were going to be at the house for the official "Lighting Ceremony" that evening and everyone was invited to attend. We figured that since we were so close, we'd go check it out. All I can is....WOW! Leah was in awe and I loved seeing the excitement in her eyes. She then asked why we don't do lights like that. :) I haven't really been in the Christmas spirit, but this definitely helped!