This year we spent Christmas with my family in Chicago. Although my "home" is in Colorado, my family has done Christmas in Chicago for several years. My Grandma lives in Chicago and so does Mandy so there are places to stay and people to see. This is the second time Dan and I have come for Christmas together, the first time was just after our engagement and just after we started blogging. See that here.
Dan and I arrived last Monday night and my sissies, Jessy and Mandy, picked us up. We all stayed together in Mandy's little apartment. Dan and I shared the couch-bed and Jessy got Mandy's trundle bed. It was smashed together siblings sleepover and it was fun!
On Tuesday Mandy, Jessy, Dan, me, and my Dad all met-up for breakfast with the family that Mandy nannies for. After breakfast, Dan and me spent the rest of the day with Mandy and her boys. We took them to Navy Pier for the Winter Wonderland they had set-up.
We rode the train, looked at the Christmas trees, admired some of the other rides (they were too little for most of the attractions) and then stood in line for a whopping 10 minutes to meet Santa. Mandy wasn't sure if they would be scared of the old man but they did great!
We had "Donald's" for lunch (aka McDonalds) and then accompanied Mandy and the boys on their usual Tuesday appointments. We had a great time with Mandy and the boys. They LOVE Dan (as most kids do) and they liked the special attention he gave them. They couldn't care less about me but that's typical.
Wednesday we woke up and decorated Mandy's delicious Christmas cookies while listening to Christmas tunes. Ya know Mandy is a Pastry Chef right? Well, she is and makes the best baked goods on the planet earth. Also, she has piping skillz. Jessy did a smashing job decorating as well. Dan and me, well, we tried our best.
We finished some Christmas shopping at Target and loaded-up on craft supplies at Michael's that afternoon before visiting my Grandma at the rehabilitation hospital (she broke her hip in October). One of the nurses there thought Dan was Mandy and my triplet! Ha! That night my mom, dad, uncle Greg, sisters, Dan, and me all went out to dinner at a fancy Mexican restaurant. It was super yum and I'm sad I didn't get a picture of everyone.
We all fell asleep watching A Muppet's Christmas Carol that night. It's tradition.
On Christmas Eve we brought my Grandma back to the condo for a few hours so she could open her presents and visit.
We also had a Thanksgiving-style dinner with all the fixings and started a puzzle.
That night Mandy escorted Jessy, Dan, and me around the village to view Christmas lights.
We all fell asleep watching The Grinch, another tradition.
On Christmas morning we headed to the condo where we enjoyed Mandy's scones while opening presents
We finished the puzzle and enjoyed all the presents for the rest of the day.
For dinner was my Mom's homemade lasagna and it was SO good. I need to get the recipe and share it sometime.
Later that night my Mom and I went over to the rehab hospital so my Grandma could enjoy some of the lasagna too. Back at the condo, we watched Inside Out which I love. Such a creative movie.
Jessy, my parents, and Uncle Greg all left early the next morning but Dan and me didn't have a flight out until late afternoon so we got some solo time with Mandy. She drove us around shopping and we had her fave Burger Boss for lunch before heading to the airport.
We arrived back home in Brooklyn by 9:00 pm with enough time to unpack and get ready for church the next day. We had a really nice trip with happy memories, hard moments, and a little bit of sister drama on the side but it's my family and I love them and they are all pretty taken with Dan, he's a perfect charmer.
I'll share about our Christmas gift haul and vacation favorites tomorrow! Merry post-Christmas Monday.
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