On our way out of Sweet Tomatoes, I noticed signs for the Kohl Children’s Museum. We were already pushing naptime, but it was so gorgeous outside and I just couldn’t BEAR the thought of going home yet. We decided to go and it was so worth it!! It’s very similar to the Chicago Children’s Museum at Navy Pier, very hands-on and interactive…there were tons of different “rooms” to play in, even a “Dominicks” grocery store and a “Potbelly Sandwich Works” where you could make your own (plastic) sandwiches!!

We happened to be there during an off-time, so we had no trouble seeing everything. And, the bonus was, literally 3 minutes after I put the girl in her carseat to head back to the city, she was out for the count. Looks like I sufficiently wore her out.

Here are some various pics of our visit to the Kohl Museum. For more info, check out: http://www.kohlchildrensmuseum.org/ They do offer birthday parties…you pay a fee for a “party room” and get free admission for you and however many guests (different packages for number of guests), but food is not included. Would be a fun idea, though, so something to think about…

Yesterday morning, we woke up with no plans. Originally I thought I would be lazy and just try to stay home, but the weather was forecasting a beautiful day and I’ve had this girl cooped up for too long. We decided to go to the mall. Now, in Chicago, the mall is not just “down the street”. There are actually quite a few to choose from, but you have to be willing to drive to get there. No worries, I thought, we have a Garmin and nothing to do…and we’ll just stay until she gets tired and then drive home and she will (hopefully) sleep in the car.

We had a blast!! It was so nice to have a day where she was in great spirits and behaving (for the most part, except for when I had her trying on shoes at Stride Rite) and it was wonderful to be out of the house.

After some delightful retail therapy (for me and the girl), we stopped at Sweet Tomatoes, a salad buffet joint (a lot like my beloved Souper Salads from my college days) and had a nice lunch. The aisles were made for strollers and I even had a helpful employee carry my tray to the table for me. This pic is of Charlie enjoying her first ever fro-yo cone. You can see that she’s VERY focused on it…

I just love these two pictures!! I caught two of my girls watching pigeons yesterday…

Our last stop was what I think should be coined “The Great Hall”. It has an amazing train set that fills almost the whole room, taking you through major US cities and ending up in Chicago. There is actually a full-size model of downtown with the Hancock building and a little El train snaking through. Poppy would LOVE it. Hanging above Chicago in this first picture is a life-sized 747 airplane. Who knows how they got that thing up there, but it is impressive!!!!

Can’t wait to go back!!

For more info on the museum, check out: http://www.msichicago.org/

I really wish that I knew where I could find Charlie a pirate ship like this one…

Our next stop was the “Idea Factory”, a huge room with interactive activities for kids, kinda reminiscent of “Sesame Place”, if anyone remembers the old Sesame St. theme park. This “Idea Factory” has a section just for toddlers, so it was nice to close the gate and let the young ones go to town. It was a good thing Charlie had on a sleeveless dress that day (an adorable gift from Mimi!) because she refused to wear the rain coat provided for the really fun water fountain. She couldn’t resist splashing, something she LOVES to do in the tub.

Recently we paid a visit to the Museum of Science and Industry with Ms. Jen and the Jernigan boys. To say that Charlie had fun would be a huge understatement! It is by far one of the coolest things that Chicago has to offer. I’ve never been there with a child before, so it was cool to see it through her eyes. Our first stop was the “Farm Tech” room, which boasted life-sized cows and tractors!! Charlie couldn’t believe her eyes….

A little look back…our girls when they were only months old…Lord knows, don’t take me to see kittens because I. cannot. leave. without. one!!!!

I realize that some of the people that read our blog may not be interested in this particular post. For those of you that DO think your pets are your “babies”, as we do (and you know who you are), well, this one’s for you.

Allie and Siena turn 3 this month, so what better way to celebrate Charlie’s kitty sisters than to throw them a birthday party? We got these two shortly after we returned from our honeymoon in Italy. They were rugrat kittens who were fostered together at Treehouse, a cageless shelter in town that specializes in cats only. We almost lost Allie the first weekend we had her to a mysterious sickness some cats get when they exit the shelter environment. I begged for one kitten and we ended up with two, and they couldn’t be more perfect for our family. Here’s why:Allie is a jet black shorthair. She’s densely packed (read: heavy), prefers to be alone, and shakes her collar when she needs a little extra attention. She never really gives anyone the time of day except for Vann. To say that she loves Vann would be a huge understatement. They actually have “quiet time” on the couch together every morning, Vann flipping through the weather as she nuzzles his neck and purrs louder than a freight train. Me, she can take or leave. But, wouldn’t you know it, God made the perfect cat for moi….Siena is a black and white longhair with curly whiskers. She is most definitely the most popular girl in school. Social and verbal (almost annoyingly so sometimes), she LOVES people and is always up in all the biz. She sleeps with me. She likes to follow me around somedays, ready to claim my lap the instant I sit or lie down. She greets the mailman everyday, and alerts us when there are visitors at the door. I jokingly call her my “Dog-cat”, because, let’s face it, she’s more like a dog than a cat. I had a beloved childhood cat that was put down the year Vann and I started dating, but I’m afraid that Siena is now the cat that can never be replaced in my heart. She is truly my little daytime companion, aside from Charlie, of course. She relaxes me and makes me laugh. All in all, I MIGHT be a little obsessed with her…she is my 7 pound phenom!!I hope you’ll excuse the “waxing poetic” about our feline friends. I happen to think that cats are the best pets ever. We do want a dog someday, when we have a yard, etc, but that puppy will definitely have his hands full with these two ladies. They rule the roost. You’ll notice that Charlie is enjoying the birthday cake that Vann picked out. We think she thought it was HER birthday…..