Friday Field Trip: Chicago Botanic Gardens

Right about this time you're probably either totally in the Christmas spirit or overwhelmed by all the holiday whimsy. Maybe all you need is a little Christmas pick-me-up. If so, head to the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe.

After reading about this magical place in Chicago Parent Magazine, we decided to take my parents last Christmas. We really didn't know what to expect...other than some model trains and beautifully festive plants.

We were in for an awesome surprise.

The massive poinsettias and winter arrangements were gorgeous, but the train garden was truly amazing. Laid out exactly like the city of Chicago, the train garden includes all the landmarks and impressive details of the city. Before touring the train garden, we were given pamphlets and we were encouraged to search for the city's landmarks. (This was obviously a hit with the kids...especially Julie as she obsessively tried to check off each landmark.)

And, if you need any more convincing....It snows inside! I'm serious. As we were wandering around the train garden, snow became falling from the ceiling. I have no idea what the mixture was, but it was definitely magical!

It's not over just yet....

Last night Scott and I thought it was over.
We were convinced there was no way we could recover.

The Christmas magic had come to an end.

Our cover was blown.
We had just placed our Elf on the Shelf...on the shelf,
and I was busy in the office typing up a letter from our magic Christmas Angel. (Yes. We really love mythical creatures in this house.)

It was midnight, and Julie came creeping down the stairs. I quietly peaked out of the office door, and I watched as Julie spied the elf and the angel, and tiptoed back upstairs...just as she was caught by Scott.

I felt sick to my stomach.

Did she watch as I typed the letter from the angel on the special paper? Was she listening as Scott and I laughed about where to put the silly little elf? Was Julie trying to catch us in the act? Was she trying to figure out what was real? Her teacher did send an email on Friday explaining that one child had "spilled the beans" about Santa. Julie never once mentioned this, but that doesn't mean she wasn't mulling over the possibility of a Santa-less world.

Scott and I whispered nervously about it, wondering whether our days of Santa and tooth fairies and the Easter bunny and elves and leprechauns were over. We just weren't ready for it to end.

The next morning I asked Julie why she was up at midnight.

"Because I wanted to see the Elf and the Angel," she answered.

"You can't do that Julie. What if the elf was flying or he saw you wake up in the middle of the night?" I asked.

"Well, Santa and his elves always know when I'm sleeping or awake. So, he probably knew I was awake which is why he hurried and got up on the shelf," Julie explained.

Enough said.

I think we're pretty safe with at least one more year of Christmas magic.
Thank you! Thank you for our imaginative and gullible daughter.

This year's Christmas list....

Why do my kids always ask for the oddest things for Christmas???

When Julie was 3 all she wanted was cheese for Christmas, so cheese she got. Right beneath her stocking Santa placed a huge block of cheddar.
Last year she wanted "real glasses" though her eyesight was 20/20. But, Santa found her adorable fashion glasses.
Johnny last year requested the "Bean"---Chicago's gigantic mirrored sculpture in Millennium Park. He told us he wanted to put it in the basement so he could play inside of it. Santa gave him an ornament replica of the "Bean."

This year Julie and Johnny are asking for things that are not just simply unusual; They are not even in the realm of possibility.

To them, the sky's the limit. Santa will get it for them...even if their parents have no way of buying, finding, making, or building the requested gift.

On this year's list:

Johnny would like a Candy Cane Machine.
A quick Google search yields results for industrial candy cane machines made in Shanghai for $600,000
That's it. There aren't any cutsie kid versions of a candy cane machine, yet Johnny insists that's at the top of his list and Santa can make it.

Julie would like a "blurf".
What the hell is this, you might ask.
According to Julie, a blurf is a time machine that will transport her back to Biblical times....specifically when Jesus was born and also to the Garden of Eden.
When we asked Julie more about this her response was "You'll see when Santa brings it."

Seriously. What is with my kids?

While I love their imagination and creativity, I sometimes wonder, what goes on in their little heads??

Surprise Thanksgiving

It was supposed to be a quiet Thanksgiving....just the four of us.
Scott was out of vacation days and we didn't feel up to braving the Chicago Thanksgiving traffic.
I admit I wasn't thrilled about our lonely Thanksgiving plans.

Every Thanksgiving of my childhood and adulthood was spent surrounded by family at my grandma's house in Maryland. Last year was the first Thanksgiving I missed in Cumberland, but Scott's family was visiting, so it was still fantastic. It was a little different, but still wonderful to have family at our house.

I couldn't imagine quite picture a Thanksgiving without extended family. Wouldn't it just be like any other dinner we share together every night? Not that I couldn't deal with that possibility, but it definitely made me a little sad thinking about it.

Apparently Julie felt the same. Scott told Julie she could pick any activity she wanted for Thanksgiving weekend since it was just going to be our little family.
"But, I just want to be with family. I want to go visit them or maybe they can come here," Julie told her daddy.
Scott tried to woo her with promises of ice skating or restaurants or movies and popcorn.
Julie wouldn't budge.
"I just want family."

Finally about a week before Thanksgiving, Scott caved and convinced his boss to give him off Wednesday so we could get a start on our 10-hour trip to Maryland. I was ecstatic, and so were the kids when we told them.

Intent on surprising my family, we didn't say a word to my parents or my sister Kelly. I even tried to confuse my mom by asking for recipes and instructions on how to cook a turkey. The best was calling her right before we pulled onto their street, asking her explicit directions on how to thaw a turkey.

As I was talking with my mom on the phone, we rang the doorbell. She opened the door, completely bewildered. When it all registered, there were tears in her eyes, and my dad's too.
That made it worth the trek!

And, then of course, there was my completely ecstatic sister who jumped on me and hugged me for 10 minutes without letting go. "I just knew you would come!!" Kelly shouted bouncing up and down.

I think we might just try and "surprise" our family every year.