Here are just a few of the AMAZING shots we ended up with!!! We’ve already booked another shoot for late September. Enjoy!!You’ll notice that we have a new header on our blog!
A sneak peek from our talented friend, Leigh….
Well, this is about the best we could do after church on Sunday. Charlie refused to pose for any pictures, but we managed to grab this quick shot before she melted down. What you can’t see is that she’s wearing her “Wizard of Oz” dress from Orient Expressed. It was one of my treasures from last Fall that she’s just now able to wear.
We enjoyed a lovely brunch (prepared by Vann) and then Poppy went to work on the apartment. Not only did he fix our screen door, but he and Vann performed a complete computer rehab and hung up our outdoor string lights on the back porch. Mimi made some amazing homemade banana pudding, and Charlie generally made mischief and was the target of many tickles and hugs. What did I do, you might ask?? Well, I partook in the banana pudding and spent my time cooking a baby. ;)Originally, we were going to hit up the Museum of Science and Industry this morning so that Poppy could see the trains, but we unanimously decided to sleep in instead and have a lazy day watching HGTV and catching up on all the video footage we had taken of Charlie over the past six months. It was such a wonderful visit and we are so thankful for all of the help and sweat that Mimi and Poppy put into their time here. We love you!!!!
After we picked Poppy up from the airport, we walked around downtown Chicago and stopped at a park along the way. It was so crowded on Michigan Avenue, but we just couldn’t stay away considering it was Mimi and Poppy’s first time to visit the city during warm weather! It was a lot of walking and this prego was definitely exhausted!!
That evening we had dinner at Volare, one of our favorite restaurants from our old neighborhood in Streeterville. It was probably a little ambitious to bring a toddler there, but luckily there was a lovely family sitting next to us that had two older daughters who entertained Charlie throughout the whole meal. Poppy was so appreciative that he bought that nice family dessert for their “trouble”!!
At least Charlie is getting used to dining al fresco…
Saturday morning we got up bright and early to meet our family photographer, Leigh Wilcoxson, at the Ryerson Forest Preserve in Lake County. We love Leigh so much, and this was our third time shooting with her. We almost cancelled due to the prediction of rain, but decided to go ahead and drive out to the ‘burbs considering we had to pick Poppy up from the airport anyway.
I am so glad we did because it ended up being a gorgeous morning and we had no traffic getting out there. We’ve never used up the whole two hour shoot time before, but Charlie was in a fairly good mood, so we took advantage. The first half was taken at the Brushwood House, a historic home that’s used for weddings and parties. Luckily, the Matilda Jane “Ballerina” dress that I lucked into (missed it the first time because it was only made in limited supply) got here a few days before, and once I tried it on her I just KNEW it was the outfit for Saturday. I am SO pumped to see the pics!
Leigh always graciously allows us a couple of watermarked shots for the blog, so I will be sure to post them ASAP. For more info on Leigh, check out her website and brand new blog: www.leighwilcoxsonphotography.com.
Friday night Mimi graciously offered to babysit Charlie while Vann and I had a wonderful date night at North Pond, one of the most delicious and memorable restaurants in Chicago. When we made our reservations, we requested a table in the front dining room, which faces the downtown skyline. It was definitely the best seat in the house!! Not only that, but they made our desserts extra special because we also told them that we were celebrating a new addition to our family. The morning sickness is almost totally gone, so on that night I was able to fully enjoy every part of the meal. Yay!!
At some point I am going to learn how to add a link so that all you have to do is click on “North Pond”, versus having to post the link elsewhere. Anyone know how to do that? Until then, you can check out North Pond at www.northpondrestaurant.com.
…as Auntie Em would say, is what happened to Charlie on Thursday when we spent the morning outside. 
Some highlights of the week so far:
Picking Mimi up from the airport… 
Playing inside with Mimi…
Charlie in her new “S-Beach” dress from the Oilily summer sale…
