FRIENDS, PHOTOGRAPHS, and Birthday FUN! 3/3 30 Day Photo Challenge Day 21

[Tink-erin-belle]

I was about to reply about an hour ago but then I got caught up in that blog! Then I thought, "I need to catch up on the DIS before I start reading something new!" Anyway, the P&F party looked so cool! I have also been known to watch that show when the kids aren't even around I like a lot of cartoons that they "force" me to watch! LOL!

So, I think your Arkansas trip was this past weekend? I hope you guys had fun! I also can't wait to see what you did for Kya's birthday

 

[-Hope-]

I was about to reply about an hour ago but then I got caught up in that blog! Then I thought, "I need to catch up on the DIS before I start reading something new!" Anyway, the P&F party looked so cool! I have also been known to watch that show when the kids aren't even around I like a lot of cartoons that they "force" me to watch! LOL!

So, I think your Arkansas trip was this past weekend? I hope you guys had fun! I also can't wait to see what you did for Kya's birthday

I do that with a good blog- it's easy to get sucked in and I think Bonnie (the writer of the blog I linked) is an AMAZING writer. I tend to fancy myself a writer but Bonnie makes me think I should stay in the kiddie pool.

I'm going to update with Kya's birthday party and our Arkansas trip today. I was going to do it now since this is my first day with no place to go in quite a while. But while I was catching up on the DIS Robbie called and needs me to run to town for him so I'll have to do it when I get back.

 

[-Hope-]

Hey all. Finally finding the time to get you all updated on Kya's birthday party. I have to start by saying that I can hardly believe my baby is ELEVEN! Seriously, how did that happen?? On the day before her birthday we were in the car discussing the many things that had changed while she was 10 including (and some of this may be TMI): Beginning to wear a bra, shaving under her arms, and dying her hair for the first time (and of course her first trip to WDW). We could only speculate and wonder what changes 11 would bring but I know this, my little girl is becoming a young woman and it is both exciting and heartbreaking.

But, life marches on and this year we decided to really celebrate with style. Kya is OBSESSED with French culture in general and Paris in particular. A few people have asked why she loves Paris so much and at first I couldn't quite pinpoint it but now I think it has to do with the fact that she loves ballet, art and fashion and Paris is a mecca for all three.

So, for her birthday we redecorated her room (which had been the same since we moved into this house just before her 2nd birthday). I'll try to get some pics to share but for now I'll just tell you that it is Paris themed. She wanted to show off her new room to her friends so we decided to have a Paris themed party at home. We decided on this theme months ago so I had plenty of time to gather things and think about how we would pull it together. The party looks ellaborate but I am the queen of a good bargain and it was actually all very reasonable. All of the paper decorations you see including invitations, happy birthday banner, napkin rings, decorative flags, etc. came from a PDF I purchased from www.paperglitter.com. For $10 I got the PDF with all of the things I needed to create a perfectly themed party, all I had to do was print it out! I purchased the plastic wine glasses for under $2 at a discount store and all of the other decorations were either something we already had or borrowed from friends. So, for the pdf, cardstock, printer ink and wine glasses I spent about $20 and the only other money was spent on food and a few small party favors; altogether we spent less than $50 (Jace's party at the bowling alley was much more expensive). So, without further ado... an afternoon in Paris:

We gave all of her friends these invitations which had a passport cover, invitation with all the party info and a boarding pass...

We decorated the table...

The eiffel tower was one of the things we got for her room makeover and the pink umbrella is the hand painted one she got outside the France pavilion at Epcot.

The PDF from Paper Glitter also included a birthday banner made from decorative pennant flags. It was hanging over the table but I didn't get a decent picture of it.

The menu:

Mini quiche...

Cheese, baguette and sparkling juice...

Chocolate covered strawberries...

Mousse filled chocolate cups...

I made these by painting dipping chocolate (also used for the strawberries, found in the baking aisle) into cupcake holders. Once the chocolate was hardened I simply removed the paper. Note that the thicker I painted these the better it worked. I then made the mousse and filled the cups with it.

There were also grapes which you can see in a crystal bowl in the shot of the whole table but I didn't get a close up shot of them.

We also had party favors for her guests (printed out from the pdf)...

The purses contained a flavored chapstick and a small candy bar. And just for fun we printed out the napkin rings to add even more flair to our table...

The girls devoured the food (Karen and I MAY have indulged a bit as well). and hung out in Kya's new room. But first they had a toast for the birthday girl (or maybe for her mama's camera)...

It was a fun and fabulous way for a girl to turn 11.

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Those strawberries were SOoooooo good.

 

[-Hope-]

Disney Day!! We have had to postpone this for a while due to Memorial Day and then my trip out of town... but finally today we were able to do...

Lilo and Stitch!

Kya was really excited about this one- Stitch is her FAVORITE Disney character (as you can see from the absolute JOY on her face when she met him)...

We had actually planned to just swim today- Karen has a client with a GORGEOUS pool who generously lets her (and close friends, yay) swim when they're out of town. So, we figured we'd just swim but Kya put on her pouty face and really wanted to do this one so we decided to just do it poolside. Uhhh... cue the rain, thunder, lightening and drops in temperature. I guess it's a good thing we planned to do the Disney day since our entire day would have been shot without it. We just moved everything to the table inside the ADORABLE guest house. Kya's well-loved Stitch (she sleeps with him) is guarding over the leis, a grass skirt, beach ball and tiki themed plates that helped fill in the table...

The girls enjoyed some fresh pineapple and yummy pineapple pizza...

Of course they had Hawaiian Punch to drink- and glasses garnished with pineapple and a little umbrella...

And in true Disney day fashion the girls hid their faces for the picture.

The girls played while Karen and I gabbed. There was surprisingly little Disney talk today- we didn't even come up with our next theme! But I'm sure whatever it is will be loads of fun... stay tuned!

 

[-Hope-]

Not sure if I have any readers at this point; it seems as if everyone is enjoying their summer too much to DIS. Oh well, I'll just keep talking to myself (I do that anyway- as long as I don't answer myself I'm okay, right? Yes, that's right. Oh, okay I thought so.)

So, I don't have much to report in the way of Disney planning. We just had a Disney day and haven't made plans for another yet (because the weather is better and we'd rather enjoy the pool for now). HOWEVER... I do have some Chicago related rejoicing to do... we leave one month from today!

​

We are starting to get really excited and I'm already realizing that we won't have nearly enough time in this city! I thought I had it all planned out but of course my mom has ideas about things too so... I'm working on the art of compromise. The main thing is that she keeps talking about shopping on Michigan Avenue and that is just not going to happen. For one I don't think we'll have time but mainly it's because Jace would be absolutely miserable. He's already being a good sport about going to the American Girl Place and I'm not going to subject him to hours of shopping. She doesn't want to go on her own but I guess if Kya wants to go with her she can do that while Jace and I hang out at the hotel pool or go to Millennium Park (our hotel is right across the street from it). She also says she wants to go to the beach. I'm really frustrated because part of the reason we have time constraints is because of her- she has to work Saturday so we aren't arriving until Sunday and we have to be back Wednesday for my dad's birthday. Which is ALSO because of her since I wanted to go the previous week and she asked me to change it due to a work conflict. *sigh* I'll just have to figure it out. We'll do what we can and the rest will be fine...

Anyway, I thought since I'm a month out I'd share my plans for each day. This kind of detail would normally be reserved for a Disney trip but that is sooooo far away and I want to share the fun and excitement of THIS trip. And it's my PTR so I can do what I want.

So, this time next month...

We are taking the Amtrak from St. Louis to Chicago. Our train is scheduled to leave at 7:55 and the train station is about 2 hours from our house so we'll have to head out the door at around five. This is an unheard of hour for me but I'll manage- and I can sleep on the train if I need to. In fact Robbie and my dad will take us so we don't have to pay to park the car (they're both going so they can keep each other company on the way back) which means I can also sleep on the way to STL. Aside from parking the car my dad also wants to take us because he has the ridiculous notion that I'm not capable of driving in the city- in spite of the fact that I do it on a regular basis. Not all the time because it's a long drive but we go into the city at least a few times a year and I manage just fine. Parents.

Anyway, we'll catch the Amtrak at 7:55 am (although I've been warned not to count on it being on time) and arrive in Chicago at 1:50 pm. We'll take the eL (Chicago's elevated train) to the station that is very close to our hotel and get checked in. I'm hoping that even if the train is delayed we'll be checked into our room by 4:30 at the very latest. After we settle into the room we'll have a few options:

1) If we're tired we can just hang out in the room and rest for a bit.
2) We can go check out the hotel pool if the kids want to take a quick dip (this is where I'd place my bets, my kids love water).
3) We can walk over to Millennium Park and walk around for a bit (this will be my first choice but I'll go with the flow on this one).

Finally, we have a 7:00 reservation at Rainforest Cafe. I'll check with the concierge about the best way to get there using public transit but if we're pressed for time we have budgeted for cabs to the few places we're going that the free hotel shuttle won't take us (RFC and Legoland). I have $125 in FREE gift cards through My Points for RFC PLUS the kids are working on ChaCha goal calendars that Karen directed me to on the RFC website. If they complete their goals then they earn a 99 cent kids meal (with a paying adult). Kya is trying to read 15 books before the month is out and Jace is trying to exercise for at least 90 minutes per week. They both selected their own goals and I think they did a great job. So, 99 cent meals for the kids and $125 in gift cards means the kids will be able to get some FREE souvenirs in the gift shop as well. I My Points! (If any of you want more info PM me- we both get bonus points if I refer you.)

So, that's our first day- mostly travel but a bit of fun thrown in as well.

 

[Parla]

Don't forget, there is supposed to be a giant Disney Store on Michigan Ave somewhere near American Girl. I didn't realize it was a big store or I would have planned a trip there on our Spring Break trip a couple of years ago but now everyone keeps mentioning it to me so I want to hit it the next time we head up to American Girl. Something you could do while your mom shops? The kids both love the Hershey store next to Water Tower Place. Oh and we all really enjoyed going to the top of John Hancock (once again right next to Water Tower Place) and doing the listening tour as we walked around.

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

So, 99 cent meals for the kids and $125 in gift cards means the kids will be able to get some FREE souvenirs in the gift shop as well.

and DRINKS! You forgot the most important thing!

I'm so excited for you!

 

[-Hope-]

Don't forget, there is supposed to be a giant Disney Store on Michigan Ave somewhere near American Girl. I didn't realize it was a big store or I would have planned a trip there on our Spring Break trip a couple of years ago but now everyone keeps mentioning it to me so I want to hit it the next time we head up to American Girl. Something you could do while your mom shops? The kids both love the Hershey store next to Water Tower Place. Oh and we all really enjoyed going to the top of John Hancock (once again right next to Water Tower Place) and doing the listening tour as we walked around.

I didn't know about the Disney store, thanks for the tip! I can pop over with Jace while Kya is shopping at AG if we don't have time to all go together. Also thanks for the ideas for things to do while mom shops. I really don't know how we'll fit it all in but I'm working on it.

and DRINKS! You forgot the most important thing!

I'm so excited for you!

Oh, there would be drinks with or without free gift cards. I love my mom but I"m SURE I'll need a drink at that point.

 

[Parla]

Good luck. We spent our whole Spring Break there a couple of years ago. I planned it out like a Disney trip. We stayed downtown (Don't think I would spring for that again. The parking cost almost as much as the hotel room.). I had the days as split up between Field Museum, Adler Planetarium, Shedd Aquarium, Museum of Science and Industry, John Hancock Building, American Girl and we ate at Rainforest Cafe and Gino's East. DD still talks about that pizza. Our hotel was near Rainforest Cafe. We walked to it. I got some help from a Chicago thread that runs on the community boards. Oh, DH took DS and my nephew to the Legoland Discovery Center while my cousin (they live in the burbs) went with DD and I to American Girl so we got to ride the train downtown. I still don't understand the schedules and a cab took us to the wrong train station when we were heading back. What an adventure!

 

[DrMomof3]

I haven't been DIS'ing much recently. Too busy!!!
Your Chicago trip sounds like fun. We're considering a weekend getaway this summer but I don't know what to do.

Amanda

 

[-Hope-]

Good luck. We spent our whole Spring Break there a couple of years ago. I planned it out like a Disney trip. We stayed downtown (Don't think I would spring for that again. The parking cost almost as much as the hotel room.). I had the days as split up between Field Museum, Adler Planetarium, Shedd Aquarium, Museum of Science and Industry, John Hancock Building, American Girl and we ate at Rainforest Cafe and Gino's East. DD still talks about that pizza. Our hotel was near Rainforest Cafe. We walked to it. I got some help from a Chicago thread that runs on the community boards. Oh, DH took DS and my nephew to the Legoland Discovery Center while my cousin (they live in the burbs) went with DD and I to American Girl so we got to ride the train downtown. I still don't understand the schedules and a cab took us to the wrong train station when we were heading back. What an adventure!

We're staying downtown but I found a good deal on Expedia and since we won't have a car we don't have to worry about parking costs (which are quite shocking). I planned this like a Disney trip as well- once you've planned a vacation on the DIS I don't know how you could do it any other way! I'll be posting more plans over the next few days and you'll see many of the places you mentioned showing up.

I haven't been DIS'ing much recently. Too busy!!!
Your Chicago trip sounds like fun. We're considering a weekend getaway this summer but I don't know what to do.

Amanda

I totally understand that- our summer has been extremely busy so far!

I'll have more plans over the next few days that will have some ideas for you about things to do in Chicago- even though your kids are much smaller than mine I think you'll still get some ideas. In addition to things we have planned a few things I WISH we had time for include more time at Grant Park and the museums there as well as visits to Chinatown and Greektown.

 

[-Hope-]

Well, I just posted plans yesterday and they've already changed... shocking I know.

I'm playing around with things to try to accommodate my mom's wishes so things have been moved around a bit. I know I complained and it is admittedly frustrating but I want it to be a good trip for her as well. My mom rarely goes anywhere unless it's with us and she definitely deserves to have a good time!

So, our new plans on Sunday July 17 will now look like this:

• Amtrak from St. Louis to Chicago
• Settle in at hotel (Essex Inn on Michigan Ave, not sure if I said that before)
• Navy Pier

I called Rainforest Cafe and changed our reservation to a different night. This helps with a couple of things. First of all we won't have a deadline for when we need to be somewhere on our arrival night. I was worried that our train would arrive really late (Amtrak is a bit notorious for this) so we wouldn't have time to really do anything and still get to our reservation on time. BUT if we did arrive on time (or not terribly late) that we'd have too much time to just be hanging around the hotel before dinner. This way, no matter when our train arrives, we can get settled into the hotel and then head out to explore without worrying about being somewhere on time. Second, it will make touring easier later in the week but I'll explain more about that in a later post.

 

[Parla]

I really hope that you can make a plan that leaves everybody with wonderful vacation memories.

Where do you think you'll eat arrival night? My vote is Bubba Gump on Navy Pier.

I really want to get back for a day trip but paying for Disney has been top priority this year.

 

[-Hope-]

I really hope that you can make a plan that leaves everybody with wonderful vacation memories.

Where do you think you'll eat arrival night? My vote is Bubba Gump on Navy Pier.

I really want to get back for a day trip but paying for Disney has been top priority this year.

Oh, I can't believe I left that part out! We're eating at Billy Goat Tavern. It's supposed to be one of the best burgers in Chicago and is SUPER cheap. It has the added bonus of being the place that the "Cheesburger, cheesburger, Pepsi" place that the Saturday Night Live skit is based on. My mom was a big SNL fan when I was a kid so I think she'll get a kick out of that.

I definitely understand about having to choose. We had to cancel our Disney trip when it became obvious we couldn't afford this trip and a Disney trip- my kids picked Chicago over Disney!

 

[-Hope-]

Okay, I think I have the schedule worked out to suit everyone's needs. So, on to day 2...

Monday July 18:
-First we'll catch the free hotel shuttle to American Girl so Kya can shop. She's been saving for MONTHS and has enough to get a new doll (she picked out Kanani) along with some other things she's picked out from the catalogs. She also has a little extra in case there's something in the store that isn't in the catalog she wants (a friend told her about the clearance section so she's excited about that). Then we have a lunch reservation at the American Girl Cafe at 11:00.

-We'll probably walk back to the hotel after we eat so mom can do some shopping. I'm hoping there are street performers out because I think the kids will get a kick out of that. I remember a few living statues the last time I was there so I'm keeping my fingers crossed about that.

-I'll have mom and the kids take the shopping bags to the room while I get us a cab to take us to Legoland Discovery Center. I bought the tickets online which means that you choose a time to pick up the tickets without waiting in line. We are supposed to pick up our tickets between 1 and 2 so I thought a cab would be our best bet vs. public transit since it would have involved two changes.

-We'll take a cab from Legoland to a pizza place near our hotel called Aurelio's because I got a gift certificate from restaurant.com. If you're not familiar you can sign up and have coupon codes emailed to you and get these certificates really cheap. Since you MUST spend more than the face value, I consider it more like a really great coupon than a gift certificate. Anyway, I paid $2 for a $25 "gift certificate" and our bill must be at least $35. So, we'll have to spend a total of $12 (plus tip) for authentic Chicago pizza.

-The restaurant is only a couple of blocks from our hotel so we'll probably walk back to the hotel after we eat.

Looks like a long day but should be fun!

 

[-Hope-]

Hi all- I hope you are all out enjoying Father's Day with someone special! We attempted to have lunch with my dad earlier today but he got called away for his job. We still had a great lunch and Robbie's sister and her family joined us with my mom since this is Robbie and her first Father's Day without their dad. We managed to have a nice afternoon in spite of everything. And my dad will be home in a bit so we'll go back over for dinner with him. I think it actually worked out really well that we have a reason to go back because it has kept Robbie busy on what could be a very difficult day.

So, our next day in Chicago will be our last full day. It's a short trip because we decided to do two shorter trips this year (plus a quick family weekend in Arkansas earlier this month but that does NOT count- I didn't even post about it here because there was so very little to tell).

Tuesday July 19:
-First on the agenda is a trip to the Field Museum. We are VERY excited about this. They have an extensive dinosaur collection including Sue, the largest, most in-tact T-rex ever found. In their Egyptian collection there is a really well preserved mummy. There is also a history of mankind evolution section and lots more. Both of my kids LOVE science and this should be loads of fun for us.

-There is a cafe in the museum where we'll probably get some lunch to go and then eat in Grant Park. The museum is actually a short walk through the park from our hotel so a picnic on the way back will be perfect.

-I'm sure the kids will want to swim for a bit. We're going to be really busy and finding time to swim will be difficult. I'm sure they'll get a little bit of time on Sunday (which may not be at the hotel but instead at North Beach before heading to Navy Pier depending on when we arrive and get to the hotel) and we may be able to squeeze in a quick dip Monday evening but Tuesday afternoon they should have plenty of time to swim. There is a lifeguard on duty at all times and a beautiful rooftop garden adjacent to the pool so I'm looking forward to a quick dip and then relaxing in the sunshine with my Kindle.

The amazing pool...

And adjacent rooftop garden...

-After a relaxing afternoon we'll head over to the Skydeck at Willis Tower. I'm hoping for good weather so I can get some good pictures.

-After the Skydeck we'll head over to RFC and have a fabulous final meal.

 

[DrMomof3]

Your plans look great so far! Chicago is a nice city. Nathaniel went twice as a baby (I had a job interview and then my uncle died) but the other kids have never been. Which is sad since I have plenty of family in the Chicago area and I went to elementary school in Evanston...

Amaanda

 

[-Hope-]

Your plans look great so far! Chicago is a nice city. Nathaniel went twice as a baby (I had a job interview and then my uncle died) but the other kids have never been. Which is sad since I have plenty of family in the Chicago area and I went to elementary school in Evanston...

Amaanda

Thanks! We are really looking forward to it. I wish we had more time because there is just so much to see and do!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

I'm getting so excited for you. That pools looks GREAT! Can't WAIT to see all the pics! Will you be able to get any nighttime/cityscape shots???