50* and Snow All Over

Chicago got a small dose of springtime this week. For the second week of February we are unseasonably warm, but I couldn't be happier. Nothing is worse then being stuck inside for months! It was so nice to get outside and get some fresh air. The girls and I went to the library and read some books and then stopped by the park. While it was still covered in snow, the swings were perfectly dry and they were excited beyond words to go in them. I actually got a mini-tantrum from each of them when it was time to get out of the swings.



A little timeline for you:

Exactly 2 weeks ago today we were bombarded with a blizzard dropping 2 feet of snow all over Chicago.

Exactly 1 week ago today the temperature was 10 below 0, with the windchill it was 20 below.

And today was 50*, tomorrow is projected to be near 60*

Next week at this time we will have had 2 days worth of snow

Chicago weather....I'd love to be a meteorologist for this city, you could honestly never be wrong. Things change so fast you just blame it on the winds changing.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Today the girls got a special treat or lunch. They had PINK chocolate chip pancakes! They ate up every bite, more then I think any adult would eat. They also got a special treat while I was making the pancakes. They got to see "Charlie Brown's Valentine." Normally the only "tv" they get is at the tail end of the day after their 2nd nap, but it is 3 or 4 of their current favorite YouTube videos. I found Charlie Brown on YouTube as well and they loved that too. They were laughing through the whole thing.  Good thing there are movies that only run 15 mins!

Happy Valentine's Day

These are the pictures that will be on the front of the girls Valentine's Day cards. Enjoy!

Snowy Day

 Snowy Day Pictures Before the Blizzard

Clara's Walking!

 Clara has begun to walk...sort of. She is taking more and more steps each day, until she realizes crawling is far more efficient then attempting to walk. She seems to do much better in shoes as opposed to barefoot. Hopefully we will start choosing walking over crawling soon. I know my arms would appreciate that, esp when we are out on fieldtrips!

New Blog Features

I have added some pages to the blog! You can find them right under the header. CMA Food is Clara and Magda Approved Food. On that page you will find recipes and ideas when you might be stuck on what to give your little one. Chicago Outings and Suburban Outings are just that. In Chicago Outings you will find places in Chicago that are great for kids to visit. Suburban Outings is the same thing, the places are just located outside the city limits. Lastly, is the links page that will connect you to websites that I would highly recommend.

All of the pages will be updated as we come up with newmeals, visit new places, or stumble upon helpful websites. So check often!

Peruvian Fashionistas

Charlene took a trip to Peru and brought back these sweaters for the girls. They looked so cute in them! Thanks for our gifts Charlene!!!!

 

Fantasy Kingdom

Today we went to Fantasy Kingdom. It's very similar to Kid City except for one very important thing...INDOOR PARKING!!! It was great to not have to bring in all our coats. They played very well with the other children there. I was very proud of them sharing all the toys with everyone. They may seem sweet and innocent but these ladies like their toys and would hold onto them forever if they could. :) Today we played dress up. Clara was a giraffe and Magda was a ladybug. They love being out and about and exchanging a smile with someone. On the way out they were such hams. They were waving bye and blowing kisses to everyone that walked past us.

They took down a whole sippy cup of milk before we left. They played so hard!

Kid City

Kid City was a hit today. It is basically an indoor playground for kids. They have toys galore, a mini shopping center, a dress up boutique, a little cottage, and a pet shop. The girls loved it there. The second we walked in they were off playing before I could even pay. They got along very well with the other kids...even though a few of the devil's spawn were in attendance. We stayed alot longer then I had planned, but they were having too much fun to leave. We will definitely take advantage of this place through these cold months. It's great socialization for the girls, and I can talk to adults. It' a win-win situation.

 

 

Magdalena Grace Nolan- 15 Months Old

Magdalena Grace- 15 Months Old

 

Clara Mae Weber- 13 Months Old

Clara Mae- 13 Months Old

 

Busy Toddlers

 

Even with the cold weather and the outdoors being off limits for awhile, these girls are always busy and never run out of things to do.

 

Winter Wonderfest At Navy Pier

Today the girls were a hit at Winter Wonderfest at Navy Pier. Not a single person that walked by didn't smile when they saw these two. They absolutely LOVED looking at all the trees and seemed to think they could rearrange all the ornaments. We were going to ride the train, but I would have had to get the girls wristbands that allow you access to each ride and/or activity. Being that the train and a bounce house were all they could do I chose to opt out of the rides and just let them walk/crawl/roam around the place. That is after I went to the head of Winter Wonderfest asking why they don't have discounted wristbands for children under 2, and that might be somehting they want to consider for next year as it is a total rip off to charge the same for every person regardless of age when toddlers can't partake in everything. His reply was that it was financially beneficial to have people buy a wristband rather than tickets for each indiviual ride. My reply was no s#@t!  You have people paying for a whole wristband when the child can only use 3 things here. I digress.

We even saw Santa and got a picture with both girls! Granted I had to have Magda on my lap to prevent her from having a Santa Meltdown, but we got our picture!!! Clara had no prblem with Santa and was much more interested in Mrs. Clause then Santa.

Merry Christmas from the Webers, Nolans, and Jen!

THANKS FOR THE DRESSES BECKY!!

Santa's message to the girls!


Click on the link above!!

Magda's Birthday Collage

Clara's Birthday Collage

Clara's Birthday

Today was Clara's first birthday. To celebrate we went back to the Chicago Children's Museum since they loved it so much the first time around. The water tables are still their favorite by far...hint hint to any of Santa's helpers. The girls spent most of the time in the treehouse which is geared towards ages 1-5. Another room that seemed to be a bigger hit then last time was a garden room with giant flowers and bumblebees. The girls even made a friend while playing in the "pond." Clara loved inspecting the giant flowers and Magda was drawn to the fake rain they had. It was bascally silver tinsil that had a fan behind it blowing down from the ceiling.