Exploring Chicago and Thanksmas

For our annual trip to Michigan during Thanksgiving, we decided to have a little fun along the way and spend a couple of nights in Chicago. Collin unfortunately wasn't able to join us but Kevin was with us and we had the best time enjoying the windy city. We stayed in an Embassy Suites downtown and the kids immediately loved the window seating with awesome downtown views. They played there in the windows for hours during our stay!

I've always loved the Embassy Suites for the spacious hotel suites, nice breakfast buffets, and evening happy hours. We definitely enjoyed the facilities and amenities, and Connor pretended to be a rule-breaker in the parking garage, haha.






It was COLD in Chicago during our visit! We wanted to take advantage of our downtown location, so we bundled up and visited the nearby mall. It was a dream for Kaitlynn because we were able to go to the original American Girl store. Oh my, was she in heaven! We spent HOURS there while Kaitlynn decided on the perfect gifts for herself with some of her personal money. We also visited the nearby Lego store and other shops in the mall.

For our first full sightseeing day in Chicago, we wanted to do some exploring. We took a long walk past the Trump building and over to the Chicago Bean. It was a cold and sunny day, and the Bean was amazing to see in person.

We continued over to the Navy Pier for some more sight-seeing, and we ended up taking a ride on the Chicago Ferris Wheel while we were there. Those things freak me out but it was a fun family experience.

Our last activity in Chicago was, of course, enjoying some authentic Giordano's Chicago style pizza. We were all starved and it didn't disappoint!

Finally, it was time to continue our drive to Michigan to enjoy our Thanksmas celebration with family. We had missed the previous year together due to the passing of our beloved Uncle John. The family time was long overdue and we were overjoyed to be together again. This year, we were even blessed by the addition of our new baby cousin Tyler. I just couldn't get enough of him!



It was a bittersweet Thanksmas for so many reasons, and we were tremendously grateful to be in Michigan together as a family. After the holiday celebrations, it would be back to Katy for our final days and so much uncertainty ahead.