So it is still hard for us to believe, but on October 3, 2013, Callie Alexis Bowes turned six. That's a lot to soak in. And while we had a wonderful birthday party last year at Evans Orchard, we decided this year that a special family trip would be a great way to make this birthday memorable. And what would be more memorable than a trip to the American Girl flagship store in Chicago.
However, before we get into the excitement of the weekend, we must admit to a few mishaps that still haunt us, seeing as we are not rookie travelers. Mishap number one was the realization that occurred five minutes before we left the house that although we had looked at different hotel options, we had never actually made a reservation at one. Mishap number two, we forgot to bring with us the pre-paid American Girl birthday extravaganza packet that we needed to celebrate the big day. Mishap number one could be handled through the magic of smart phones on the drive. Mishap number two, which we became aware of about two hours away from Chicago and four hours into the drive, was handled, though it took a few more deep breaths and a little more time.
But we made it to Chicago safely and slept in a fine hotel room we had booked only hours before. And the next morning, after a fun ride on the L, we had arrived at the place that would be our home for the next five hours. Callie's eyes grew big the moment she saw the American Girl sign, and they never decreased in size the entire time we were there. It made it clear that we had made the right decision for this particular birthday.
The first order of business was the purchase of Julie, the doll with the long hair pictured below. Julie is a child of the 1970s, and adds some free spiritedness to our family. With Julie in tow we headed off to the cafe for our birthday lunch.
It is safe to say that the folks at American Girl know what they are doing. They considered every little detail. Since we had pre-paid for the birthday package, Callie immediately received birthday hats and gift bags for her, Reese, Julie and Zoey, one of the Bitty Babies who tagged along with us to Chicago. And yes, the dolls are expected to be a part of things every step of the way.
The dolls even get their own little chairs that attach to the table. Reese loved having Zoey next to her, and made sure that she had enough to eat and drink. Although Reese knew it was Callie's birthday, she could not have been a better sport. She loved the whole experience and never asked for a single thing. It may be because she is only two and doesn't know better, but we are going to say that it is because she is such a sweet and selfless child.
Here is the whole family after lunch. It is important to note that the American Girl Cafe also serves adult beverages which certainly helps the parents prepare for the rest of the afternoon. And yes, those are cupcake headbands that Sarah and the girls are wearing. Those are not AG - Sarah bought them for this special day.
So lunch was done and Julie was in our possession. But we couldn't just let Julie walk out of there without making sure she got spoiled as well. Off to the salon!
It falls into the category of, you have to see it to believe it. There it is, a counter that has about eight of these chairs for the dolls. And at any given moment four or five of them have hair stylists giving these dolls the full treatment. It is truly stunning to behold. After the salon, Callie got a photo taken of her and Julie as a gift from Grammy. And then the final step in the process was Callie picking out a full outfit for Julie as a birthday present from Kate and Ashlyn. Needless to say, at this point we were tired and needed to find a good place to sit down and eat. Unfortunately this was easier said then done. We walked quite a bit before finding a good place for deep dish pizza.
But we have to say that we absolutely love Chicago, so even though we were dealing with one cranky child and another who was falling asleep, we enjoyed the sights. And once we had all been revived by a good meal, the four of us were able to take in the great city that surrounded us. So on our walk back to the train station we took advantage of the opportunity to get a picture with the Sears Tower. It worked out pretty well.
Let it be said that we would not drive six hours just to spend a full day at the American Girl store only to turn around and drive home the next day. We had to make sure we saw more of Chicago before we left. So it was off to Navy Pier on a beautiful Sunday morning. We went to the Children's Museum, which was fantastic by the way. We had a bite to eat at Harry Caray's, and then it was time to take on the ferris wheel. Apparently the ride on the ferris wheel required sassy attitudes, as you can see in the picture to the left. Looking at the two of them we are not sure if we should laugh or be scared.
John wasn't sure how the girls would react to the ride, especially because we don't often spend time more than a hundred feet off the ground. But both Callie and Reese loved it. And on a day like that, we could sit back and enjoy the beautiful skyline and shoreline of Chicago. It was pretty amazing. Fortunately, the girls were easily lured to the car by the promise of ice cream, and we headed back to Lexington without any fuss.
The very next day Callie was excited to wear her American Girl t-shirt to school and to show off Julie. Notice that Julie has a matching shirt. Reese refused to be outdone in the whole affair and was excited to pose with Zoey. Callie couldn't stop talking about the trip for the next several weeks, and we were happy to have shared a fun weekend as a family. All in all, it was a successful excursion.
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