Grandpa + Mimi come to Chicago

My parents booked a last minute surprise trip out here this weekend and we had a really awesome weekend together. We got our first snowfall Thursday night and I really wanted to take advantage of the snow (& my red Hunter rain boots) so Friday we took Landon sledding & skating for the first time which was so much fun. (How my dad managed to bring my hockey skates with him in his carry-on is beyond me). We went to the Daley Bicentennial Skating rink literally steps outside our building - It's smaller and much less crowded than the more popular and larger skating rink @ Millennium Park, but cheaper ($7 rentals with no charge to skate), and much better to bring a little one to. Landon absolutely hated being on skates, but loved being carried around and watch us skate around him. Eventually he got too heavy to carry so I returned his skates and put his little timberland boots back on him and let him walk around the skating rink. I was happy I got him a bike helmet beforehand because he took a few spills but it didn't bother him at all. Afterwards, we warmed up with some soup @ the new Panera on Michigan and Washington and then hit the hills for some sledding. It was getting dark so we went down a little baby hill nearby and then went back to our place for some takeout, wine, & Cranium (of course Cranium).
Saturday morning we met my parents for breakfast at the Omni, which probably has the best breakfast in the city. (Must go back). Then bopped into a few stores to find Landon a new snowsuit. The kid is growing like a weed and no longer fit in his 18 month snow bib. So my parents bought him some cool new snow gear @ Columbia along with some new winter boots and now he is totally equipped to pick up some little snow bunnies.
The rest of the day we spent at the Museum of Science & Industry. I'd never been before and I'm not a huge museum person, but it was actually really cool. We unfortunately missed the Dr. Seuss exhibit which left last weekend, but was really cool to check out the U-505 war submarine exhibit, the YOU exhibit, and science storms. Landon loved the train exhibit, the Idea Factory, and playing in the John Deere tractors. Could have used a few more hours before they closed so we will definitely be back in the future. Enjoyed it much more than the Children's Museum downtown, (much more to see and to do that is cool for adults and kids, not as crazy busy, and it was also more affordable - kids under 2 are free). Saturday night we came back here and had Mexican night full of homemade guacamole & salsa, quesadillas, shrimp fajitas, more wine, and the Patriots.
Sunday morning got up early for one more Omni breakfast and more sledding before their flight back to Boston. This time we made a game time decision to go to Flick Park in Glenview, which was a real sledding hill, and much more fun. Everyone took a turn going down with the little guy (even Mimi) and towards the end Landon was actually going down by himself in his baby sled (tied behind one of us). Landon was getting a little restless so we ended the day with one final run with Grandpa which of course ended with a collision with 2 other kids. fyi, no one was hurt...although L was a bit shaken up. Wish I got a picture of this because in retrospect it was actually really funny, but I was too concerned for little L and ran down the hill like a crazy mom to make sure he was okay. Called it quits after that & from there drove my parents back to O'Hare and bid them adieu until next time.
All in all, we really had an awesome weekend, with lots of photos to show for it:

Everything is so much more fun with a kid ♡