Tales from the Six-Headed House: February 2015

I've been trying to get this post done for over a month, but every time I stop to work on it I am interrupted. And I can't save my progress as I work on this website, so it inevitably gets erased (Simon) or someone closes the tab and I lose all the pictures I've uploaded (Simon! Stop touching the laptop!). So I'm up early this morning to get it finished before someone (seriously, it's Simon) wakes up and I have to be on guard while multitasking. Which simply cannot be done.

Remember where we left off? Way back in December, before there was lovely vanilla-ice-cream snow everywhere? When we were listening to Christmas music 24/7? When the house smelled of cinnamon and peppermint? When we were constantly trying the keep the baby from eating the tree, the toddler from climbing the tree and the big kids from taking all the ornaments off the tree? I'm trying to paint a picture for you because it was so long ago...

The first really fun thing we did since sharing with you last was set up the kids' very first Christmas train. They've been barking up this tree for a couple of years now.

Then we took the (real) train from Kenosha to Chicago to check out the Christkindl market in Chicago.

There was a pretty exciting construction site along the way from the train station to the market, and if you've had a 4-year-old boy, you know we had to stand and watch the construction vehicles and workers for several minutes. I don't think Chicagoans stop and observe construction terribly often, because the construction workers looked confused for a few minutes before waving and making Leonard squeal with delight.

The Christkindl is a street market associated with the celebration of Christmas during the four weeks of Advent. It originated in Europe and now is held in lots of other countries. I highly recommend you check it out. We plan to go back next year. There was baked cheese, hot cocoa and cider...

giant soft pretzels...

and spiced wine. Yum!

There were lots of neat vendors, of course. This was a particular favorite of ours.

They had a huge nativity set up on one end of the market,

and there was a very skinny Santa handing out candy.

The kids had just gotten over a stomach virus and Marion still wasn't feeling great. We made her a really warm nest in the stroller and she was happy to hang out (but mostly sleep) there for almost the entire trip.

After the market, we walked over to Macy's. They had an area where the kids could write letters to Santa

and mail them off to the North Pole.

Here is our Official Trip-to-Chicago Group Shot, in front of the enormous and ornate Macy's Christmas tree:

The tree was multiple stories high,

and the lights changed color.

Next we walked along the outside of the building to see all the Christmas window displays.

Before boarding the train homeward, we had to get a picture of train-lover Leonard in front of one!

Next, Charlotte, Leonard and I went to see the Nutcracker with Grandpa and Great-Grandma. It was awesome, of course. The kids were very impressed with all the different dances and still act out scenes from the story when they play.