The Mouse Family Blog

A few days ago, what was just supposed to be a quick trip to Nordstrom for a sale and then a bite to eat turned into an adventure. We hit the sale and grabbed lunch at the cafe, but then thought that since the weather was so nice we'd stroll up Michigan Ave. Then Lauren fell asleep so I convinced Heather to indulge me in some browsing. We sniffed new fragrances in Sephora and just before we could make it to the chocolate boutique, Lauren woke up. As luck would have it, the one thing I bought her at Nordstrom was a swim suit, so we headed to Millennium Park to splash in Crown Fountain. On our way we slipped into Baskins Robbins to indulge the sweet tooth. Here's where the photos pick up the story line.

Lauren enjoyed her cone. I did not enjoy that the flavor I picked for her turned red as it melted down her face and arms and onto her clothing. Who in their right mind would make such a product for children?!

After inhaling the ice cream, we hit the fountain and ran into neighbors Rob and Emma and their 2 kids. Heather chased Lauren all over the fountain while I stood with my hand on my belly and talked with our neighbors. Bless you Heather. She also managed to get some pretty amazing shots of Lauren with her iPhone...way better than I could even do with my point and shoot.

Isn't that swimsuit pretty spectacular! I hope it still fits next summer too since I thought I was buying it a size big on purpose. After the fountain we took in a photo op with the giant dinosaur that Lauren had spied when we arrived.

We also took a trip up and down the new bridge that links the park to the brand new Modern Wing at the Art Institute. Heather told me that rumor has it the bridge is going to get stuck with the nickname "the shovel" the picture below shows the shovel like end of the bridge. Too bad since we're talking about the last ten feet of a structure that is described as: a 625-foot pedestrian bridgeway that rises over the Lurie Gardens and crosses Monroe Street. It gently arches to a height of 60 feet, offering breathtaking views of the park, skyline, and lake, as it approaches the Modern Wing’s third-floor entrance.