Ryan and Katherine's Wedding

Last weekend, we had the pleasure of attending Ryan and Katherine's wedding and rehearsal dinner in downtown Chicago. It was a lovely wedding- perfectly planned down to the last detail. The rehearsal dinner was at an old Chicago steakhouse called Wildfire, and the wedding was at the Nature Museum. It was the perfect setting for a late summer wedding.

From out on the deck, there was an awesome view of downtown:



Mr. Mustard taking a taxi with some of his best buddies from high school:



Earlier that day, the Air Show was going on in Chicago right over where the ceremony site. Luckily, by the time the ceremony started, the Air Show was finished for the day.

Mr. Mustard and Me at the cocktail portion of the reception:



One of the planes flying over the ceremony site:



The reception was great fun- lots of dancing and wonderful food.

Ryan and Katherine's First Dance:



Mr. Mustard was the best man and gave a really moving speech. He was sweating over it all weekend, and was working on it right up to the last minute. I snapped this photo of him moments before the reception, writing down the final notes of his speech. I think he looks very Presidential in this photo! :-)

Mr. Mustard writing his speech:

Paprika's Birthday Lunch in Chicago!

Mr. Mustard, Auntie Ann, and I treated Paprika to a special birthday lunch at the Grand Lux Cafe on Michigan Avenue in Chicago on her actual birthday, Saturday, August 16th. She had a great time. We had the best seat in the house and Paprika loved looking out the window at the horse drawn carriages, the shoppers, and all the activity going on outside.





We ordered her a special piece of birthday cake first so she could enjoy it before the entrees arrived. It's one of those rare occasions when it's okay to eat dessert first. ;-) The adults had sangria, crabcakes, and sandwiches while Paprika stuck to a cheeseburger and fries- her favorite!



We had a great time laughing, dining, and enjoying Paprika's special day. After the lunch, Mr. Mustard ran off to attend to his best man duties for Ryan and Katherine's wedding, while Ann and I took Paprika shopping at Nordstrom's. All Paprika wanted to do was try on shoes- and so she did! She tried on grown up shoes and baby shoes, and had a blast doing it!

Beckers and Finns Converge In Chicago!

Eric and Robbie came up to Chicago while we were there for Mr. Mustard's work, and we all got to spend some quality time together.

Uncle Robbie showed Paprika how to play with her new toy:

We went to the Lincoln Park Zoo, which is a wonderful zoo- not too crowded, full of great animals and lush habitats-- and best of all, it was free! That was a surprise, for sure!

Paprika liked pointing out the animals to us, especially the big bear:

She got so tuckered out from animal-watching, it was time for a snooze:

After she woke up, we hit Chicago's famous North Beach:

Finally, it was time to get on the airplane to go home. Here's Paprika and her daddy, playing in the airport as we get ready to board the plane back to Los Angeles!

Chicago!

We're back in California now, after a really wonderful second trip to Chicago. Paprika and I took in the Museum of Contemporary Art, did a lot of window shopping on the Magnificant Mile, saw the great Chicago Water Tower, and the Fire Station. Paprika was so excited to be out and about, and loved people watching on Chicago's bustling streets. On Thursday, Robbie and Eric came to see us and we had a fantastic time! We took in the Lincoln Park Zoo, ate at California Pizza Kitchen, and went to Chicago's North Beach!

Paprika was wonderful for the whole trip- she is a very adaptable baby, we're finding. We repeatedly kept her up well past her bedtime, took her to quiet restaurants, and on long plane trips- and still she did great! She is the best, best baby in the whole world! :-)

The first picture is Paprika on the plane- she slept most of the way to Chicago! I love having her nap on me- it's one of the best feelings in the world.

Here is Paprika hanging out at her favorite spot in our hotel suite- the bathtub:

Pointing Out an Exhibit Outside the Museum of Contemporary Art:

Enjoying a refreshing sip of water at the museum's cafe:

Reading the Museum's Visitor's Guide:

The wallpaper was almost as neat as the art at the museum!

Back in Chicago!!!

We are back in Chicago for another round of notes with Harpo. We are all enjoying Chicago so much. Mr. Mustard is working a lot, and Paprika and I are enjoying the sights of the city. We checked in on Sunday night to our gorgeous hotel on the Magnificant Mile. It is beatiful here, and we are certainly getting the red carpet treatment. Paprika and I have been doing some shopping these past few days. On Monday, we hit a big sale at the Baby Gap, where I bought her many, many adorable outfits. Then I got home and realized that half of the clothes are too big for her, and by the time they fit her, it will be the wrong season. So, it looks like another trip is in store for us- to return some of those clothes!

Our flight into Chicago was easy, breezy. Mr. Mustard flew with us, and we had a whole row to ourselves on the plane. We had a short layover in Phoenix, where we had lunch. Paprika was perfect on the plane- not a tear was shed the whole day. She's a trooper, for sure! That night we had dinner at the Grand Lux Cafe on Michigan Ave. and then brought dessert back to the hotel to eat while Paprika was sleeping.

Monday night we went to a great Italian restaurant around the corner from our hotel. The food was so good that we went back last night with Mr. Mustard's co-workers to eat there again!

Right now Paprika is taking a nap while I sit in the other room checking my email. We have a suite, which is so nice for us. It means that when Paprika naps, I get to do something other than sit very quietly in a dark room, which is how it would be if we had a standard hotel room.

Yesterday, we did some more sightseeing- we went to the Chicago Water Tower, one of the only buildings to survive the Great Chicago Fire. We also did lots of window shopping around Michigan Ave., and had lunch at our old standby- The Corner Bakery.

Today, we went to the Museum of Contemporary Art, which is only a few blocks from our hotel. Paprika loved looking at all the art, especially the large photographs that were on display. I took some pictures of her there, which I will post when I get back to LA. My memory card on my camera doesn't work with our laptop.

Tonight we were supposed to have dinner with Mr. Mustard's friend, Ryan, but something came up, so now we'll just be the three of us (Mr. Mustard, me, and Paprika) for dinner. I've scouted out a few casual restaurants close-by that will be great.

Paprika turned 11 months old yesterday! Now Mr. Mustard can finally say she's 11 months old and have it be true- he's been saying that she's 11 months old for the past few weeks! I always wait to say she's the next month when it's finally here- I don't want to rush her one day! She'll grow up fast enough as it is.

Sunday, July 1st- Packing Up and One Last Trip to the Park

Helping Pack Up To Go Back to Los Angeles:

One Last Lunch at The Corner Bakery:

Sunday we packed up our suitcases and checked out of the hotel. Paprika helped us pack- well, actually she unpacked everything we packed! After we re-packed everything she unpacked, we headed out for a nice and big lunch, since we knew that we wouldn't be eating much on the plane back to Los Angeles. After that, we went and explored all of Millenium Park. We walked all the way down to Lake Michigan and got to see the amazing gardens in the park and the Pritzker Music Pavillion, where people were having picnics and playing frisbee on the lawn. It is truly an amazing park.

At the Pritzker Pavillion in Millenium Park:

At the Gardens in Millenium Park:

Then Ryan came and picked us up and took us to the airport and then we were off! Mr. Mustard flew first on American and my flight left later on United. Paprika did great on the flight- she is such a trooper. Now that I have figured out how to distract her with Cheerios and raisins and play songs for her on my IPod, she is a very happy traveller. She didn't cry one tear the whole flight, even though we had a very long layover in Phoenix. We had a lot of fun together running through the airport and twirling around in the stroller. It seems to me that as long as she is with me or Mr. Mustard, and she is engaged, she is a very happy little person.

Saturday, June 30th- The Aquarium, The Taste, and Gino's Pizza East

At The Dolphin Show at the Shedd Aquarium:

On Saturday, Mr. Mustard had the day off work, so we had fun sightseeing in Chicago together. We went for a long walk down the marina to the Shedd Aquarium. We spent a good part of the afternoon at the aquarium looking at the dolphins, the beluga whales, and all the other marine life. We even got to see a dolphin show! Paprika fell asleep in the Ergo after a few hours- I guess all the fish were starting to blend together. So, we walked back to the hotel and on the way stopped at The Taste of Chicago food festival for lunch. Paprika woke up when she smelled the food and heard the crowd!

Paprika at The Taste of Chicago Food Festival:

Mr. Mustard and Paprika at The Taste of Chicago:

At Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park:

The "Taste"- as it's called in Chicago- was packed with people! I am not a huge fan of crowds, so I wanted to get out of there asap. Once we got our food, we went over to a side lawn where they were having the Country Music Festival and Kenny Rogers was playing "The Gambler." I couldn't believe that we stumbled on a free concert in the park. So, we stayed and watched that for awhile before heading back to the hotel.

Listening to Kenny Rogers in the park:

Once we got back to the hotel, Paprika took a two hour nap, and then we headed out to dinner with Ryan and Katherine. We took a cab to Gino's Pizza East, a great pizza restaurant, famous for its deep dish pizza. They were featured on one of the episodes of The Amazing Race, so of course, we had to go and see it for ourselves in person. By the time we got home, it was after midnight, so we all went to sleep!

Eating dinner at Gino's Pizza:

Friday, June 29th Down By The Waterfront

On Friday, Paprika and I started off our day at our usual lunch spot, The Corner Bakery. Then we went for a 4 mile walk along the marina, all the way to the Shedd Aquarium and the Field Museum and then back to the hotel. Paprika loved looking at the boats and every time I would say "the boats"- she would say "da bose"- it was really cute! We looked at ducks, geese, and people watched. The path down to the aquarium had an amazing art installation of globes focusing on different environmental issues. Paprika loved feeling the globes and looking at their different colors.

While we were walking, we saw a Segway Tour roll by. It had to be one of the dorkiest things I've ever seen, so I had to take a picture!

On the way back, we walked by The Taste of Chicago, which is a huge food festival that had just started. It lasts for over a week, and draws thousands upon thousands of people to Chicago. We got a glimpse of it as we were walking back to the hotel.

That night, Paprika and I took a cab over to Mr. Mustard's work, and then we all took a cab to Ryan's apartment. Ryan is one of Mr. Mustard's best friends from childhood. He and his girlfriend, Katherine, have a great apartment in the city. They cooked an awesome meal for us. We then went and had Italian Ice at an amazing little hole in the wall restaurant a few doors down from where they live. Then we went to Ryan and Katherine's new house that they just bought. It's a great duplex in the city and was built in the 1800s. They are completely restoring it, and we got to see the "before"! It's a really neat home. After that, we went to a very upscale dessert restaurant called "Hot Chocolate"- by this time it was about 11 p.m., and Paprika hadn't even napped for the day yet. She does so well even when she's tired. She loved listening to the music at the restaurant, and even got to sample a small taste of Mr. Mustard's chocolate souffle. So good. Then, we went back to the hotel and she fell asleep very easily for the night!