More Weekend Pics 7.11 - 7.12

My front planter in bloom.

Kyle's soccer crew.

Team Cheetos with Coach Ian

When will we ever remember to take the stroller out before going to Costco?

2 kids, 2 carts, Costco.

Christkindlmarket and Macy's on State

Saturday's temperatures were beautiful for this time of year. At nearly 50 degrees it felt like the perfect fall day. We decided to take advantage of the weather by heading downtown to the German Christkindlmarket, where we got our 5th Christmas mug (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014) and warm, cinnamon roasted pecans. We also braved the crowds - and the 20 minute wait for the elevator - to take Kyle to see the giant Christmas tree on the 8th floor of Macy's. We had wanted to eat at either the market or at Macy's Walnut Room, but seeing as the lines were out of control at both places, we decided to treat Kyle to his first trip to The Rainforest Cafe instead. Our promised 9 minute wait turned into a 39 minute wait, but the food was delicious and Kyle got a kick out of the giant coral fish and waterfalls. Later on, we enjoyed raking up some of the excess leaves in our backyard under a beautiful winter/fall sunset.

French fry run w/mommy

Last Wednesday, I took Kyle shopping for winter snow boots. First we went to Kohls. Sadly they only had two pairs of toddler boots - one for $60 and one for $40. If I had a coupon with me, I probably would have bought the $40 ones and called it a day. But I didn't, and I just couldn't justify spending $40+ on a pair of boots that he could potentially outgrow before winter's end, so we moved on. Next stop: Target. They too, only offered two styles of toddler winter boots. Luckily, Kyle seemed to like both of them. And even luckier, they were both only $20. I asked a Target worker if there was anyone working in the shoe department/section who could help us. There was not. I asked if there was a shoe sizer. There was not. Just a mat that Kyle could stand on and try to find the right sized outline for his foot. Going off the mat and his current shoe size, we went with a size 9/10. I let him pick between the spiderman pair and the black pair. I was sure he was going to pick the spiderman pair as he has spiderman shoes and loves them, but he wanted the black ones because they were "kinda like Daddy's". Fine with me. They match his snowsuit and winter coats better. It was a lot of work to get Kyle to sit still, cooperate, and walk around with the boots on, so I promised him (and myself) a quick trip to the food court for some warm McDonald's fries after we finished. Kyle and Mommy are both big fans of french fries ... They cheered us right up :)

Saturday at IKEA

Since Saturday turned out to be a pretty ugly day weather wise, we decided to head straight to IKEA after swim class. After walking around for what seemed like a fairly long time, we ultimately purchased a matching dresser and bed for what will eventually become Kyle's new big boy room. Since converting the basement kitchen to a playroom, we have slowly began to transform Kyle's old playroom to a bedroom. We put up curtain rods, ordered curtains, added shelving and storage bins to the closet, selected a carpet depicting a map of the United States, and put the IKEA furniture together. We still need to pick out a mattress, bumper railings, bedsheets, a comforter, wall art, and install a ceiling fan. Hopefully we get all of this done before December! Kyle fell asleep on the way home from our adventure, and was no where near ready to wake up when we got home. Check out the pictures of him crashing on our couch :)

Also, after we put together the bed, we realized we never bought the slatted bed base, which the mattress is supposed to rest on, so Kyle and I went back on Monday when I came home from work to pick it up. To reward our efforts, we treated ourselves to some yummy frozen yogurt :)

Bridesmaid Dress Shopping!

Last Saturday, I joined Auntie Amy and her friends for an afternoon of bridesmaid dress shopping. After trying on many beautiful, as well as many interesting dresses, I think she finally narrowed it down to two - both lovely choices. It's fun to help her plan :) Cheers to Amy and Matt!

/sh/ shoes

Friday night we headed out to Old Orchard with one mission on our mind: new shoes. Chris wanted a new pair of comfy gymies for his bday, and Kyle's been walking a little tippy-toed lately, so we thought it was about time we get him a new pair, as well. It turns out Kyle was currently wearing a size 4. He measured at a 5. We bought him a 6 - plenty of room to grow and let those puppies breath :)