Mommy had lots of vacation days to use before the end of the year so one of the days we decided to go up to have lunch and exchange Christmas gifts with Auntie Brit and Hunter. We met them at Rain forest cafe at Woodfield Mall and the kids had a blast. They loved exploring at lunch and then the mall had a Choo Choo train that we took a ride on and they had so much fun!
We had been waiting for a mild weather day to head over to the Lincoln Park Zoo for the zoo lights and we finally had our night. A few Sundays before Christmas we bundled the team up and headed over after naps. We started in the botanical garden which was very pretty and there were lots of little trains that Avery had fun watching.
Next up was a ride on the Choo Choo train at the zoo - a favorite for both kiddos. We all squeezed into one car and they were screaming with excitement.
In the center of the Zoo they do a light show timed to music which we stood and watched. No surprise Avery thought it was too loud and covered her ears the whole time.
The best part of every zoo trip for Avery these days is a ride on the merri go round. She is obsessed with it! This time we just had Daddy and Avery go. Gavin was getting tired and figured it would be easier to keep him content with some snacks in the stroller.
We did lots of baking leading up to Christmas. We found this cute recipe that was melted snowmen on sugar cookies. Avery had so much fun decorating and she did an amazing job!
Avery's school had a holiday performance. We were so excited to go and watch her sing. Little did we know that she would cry the ENTIRE performance. 6 songs and two costume changes, there were tears the whole time! Gavin on the other hand, had a great time.
Nana and Papa surprised everyone with their new puppy Callie right before Christmas. She is the sweetest little girl and has so much energy, the kids have so much fun playing with her.
