Afternoon Tea with H & E

As I shared earlier, I took my nieces to High Tea at the Peninsula Hotel in Chicago as part of their Christmas gifts last year.  Not only do they have a wonderful selection of finger sandwiches and pastries for adults, they offer a special tea just for children.  Both of the girls were so excited.

To make sure each had a special day with Aunt Julie, I took them separately.  H and I started off at the IO Chicago theater in Wrigleyville.  Just a few steps from the famous ball park and the red line stop, we climbed the stairs to a children's interactive play in which the characters, scenery, and entire story line are developed by the actors with input from the children.  Some even had an opportunity to participate in the show.  H was a bit shy at first but quickly found her courage and took to the stage like a fish to water.

After a short ride on the elevated train back to downtown, we headed to Water Tower Place.  A magical building housing not only a Lego store but the American Girl Store.  We arrived just in time to participate in the hula demonstration honoring the newest American Girl doll, Kanani.  H really enjoyed wearing the hula skirt.

Of course, no trip to the Lego store would be complete without a picture.

Our final stop was the Peninsula Hotel.  I had no idea how fond H is of chandeliers.  Here is a picture of the dining room and beautiful crystal ones inside the dining room.  H insisted that she have a picture of them.

The children's tea included a variety of small sandwiches and treats.  H didn't care for the grass fed beef burger but the jello in the shot glass and the french fries were a big hit.  She was a good sister and brought home the gummy bears in a doggy bag for her brothers.   

 
She is such a wonderfully sweet child and we had such great day.

E and I went the following weekend and started our Saturday with breakfast at Flat Top Grill in Oak Park. It was wonderful to pick and choose our own toppings for pancakes.  Then we headed over to Bead in Hand for a lesson in jewelry making.  E was a natural.  She has quite an eye for symmetry and really enjoyed the creative part.  The store was small but had quite a bit to choose from.  Here she is modeling her new bracelet and necklace.

We boarded the "el" green line and changed over to the red line to get downtown.  E wasn't thrilled with the noise the train made and didn't hesitate to tell me so. Once we got above ground, however, she seemed to enjoy the trip.  But I think I'll drive her down next time.  

E didn't care for the hot chocolate or the ice tea but she loved the ham and cheese finger sandwiches and the  little desserts.  Here are some images of the regular tea sandwiches and desserts.  Everything was almost too pretty to eat!

E and I had such a great time and I must say we never had a lull in the conversation.  She always has something to talk about and I love hearing every word!