Fancy Cocktails

We wanted to scope out the new Trump Hotel while we were in the city so we stopped by Rebar for a fancy-smanchy cocktail while overlooking the Chicago River. It was an awesome way to ring in the evening!







It takes a confident man to sip a martini that's this pink! You'd think this drink would be sweet based off its look, but it was actually very smooth & almost cucumber-y.



This drink here was called The Scrooge & was made with jalapeno-infused vodka & ginger; very spicy!



And this was the martini I ordered; very fitting for the season with peppermint creaminess! It was such a pretty drink with the contrast of the white with the bold, blue sugared rim.

A Day In The City!

Yesterday morning we hopped on the train & headed to the city for a little getaway while Cam stayed home with Grammy. We had a blast walking around, sightseeing & enjoying the cold weather that put us in the perfect Christmas spirit!



This is my absolute favorite part of the city! Fills my heart with happiness!







Absolutely adore the quaint Christkindlmarket in Daley Plaza where we chowed down on some potato pancakes, brat with sauerkraut & curry sausage which I'd never tried before. We also warmed up with hot spiced wine.



The pigeons had the right idea with staying warm by the Eternal Flame in the Daley Plaza!

Sharing a Candy Cane!

Flying With My Love

I must admit that I was a tad nervous about flying with Cam for the first time. I was hoping he'd be cooperative on the flight and he ended up being an absolute angel.

We had such a nice time playing at the airport & enjoying breakfast before boarding our flight. Cam watched a couple of Baby Einsteins on the portable DVD player, ate a TON of snacks (he polished off an entire container of puffies!!) & played with some toys.

Grammy & Papa were waiting at the airport with open arms for their little boy! Looking forward to having a wonderful vacation with some time to relax and do NOTHING for a change. As I sit by the window typing this, I'm enjoying the sight of flurries in the air & a soft layer of snow on the ground.

Here's to the start of our Christmas vacation! Horray!

Brotherly/Sisterly Love

Stella is always trying to sidle up to Casper to get some of the kitty lickings she lives for. It's so funny to watch her prance up to him & bow her head in hopes that he'll give her a nice bath. We usually joke by saying, "how many licks till he gets to the bite?" since Casper will usually commence his licking sessions with some playful nips.





And her wish was granted Monday evening as Casper licked away! We have such odd pets!

My Family

We ended up having such a nice morning on Saturday; it was great to hang out, open presents & enjoy the breakfast I made. Granted, I ended up breaking my back cleaning the rest of the afternoon, after sending Mike & Cam out of the house, but it was worth it. I wanted to make sure I got some deep cleaning done before heading to Chicago for a week & a half. Plus, I had to prepare for the arrival of my family later that day.

After lots of munching on appetizers, we opened presents & enjoyed some homemade pizza that Mike made. I will be very sad to be away from my family this Christmas, but thankful that we'll get to see Mike's family, some of my aunts, uncles & cousins & all of our friends.

P.S -- Mike ended up getting me an IPod Touch for Christmas! I was so thrilled that I literally jumped up & down!

Funny Side Note

Just hit "publish" on that last post when I started to hear Cameron babbling over the monitor. And I had to make note of the fact that lately he's been getting up, putting his little music machine on himself & just hanging out for a while, looking, listening & dozing off. During the week, we sneak into his room & watch him. It is absolutely adorable to see him sitting quietly in his room, gazing up at his toy.