Mini-Markt

Eugene saw an ad in the paper the other day for a Christkindlmarkt going on the first couple of weeks in November at a nearby mall. Long-time readers of this blog know we go to the one in Chicago every year, but we thought that we'd try this one. After all, if it was in a mall, it would be inside, and we wouldn't have to go when the the weather gets even worse than it is now. So after we got everyone ready, off we went. What we didn't realize, however, is that this mall was an outdoor mall. So we were out in blustery weather anyway, which made me feel bad for Alex, who has a cold. (The poor guy already has cabin fever; as we were leaving, he led me down the driveway to the park. We let him go around for a few minutes, but the equipment was too wet for him to play.) We stopped in at Crate&Barrel/Land of Nod to warm up. Alex fussed to get out of the stroller. When I get him out, he was all over grabbing things. He especially enjoyed Land of Nod, where he got to play with a wooden train, grab paddles for an air hockey game, and play the tambourine. Somehow, we managed to leave without breaking or buying anything.

Eugene and I were disappointed by the Christkindlmarkt. It was smaller than the one in Chicago, and some of our favorite booths weren't there. The only thing we wound up buying was a shirt for Alex:

Also, Alex made up for his long nap yesterday by waking up early from his nap screaming. I gave him Motrin, and Eugene calmed him down. But I didn't get to take him to the library to play again. So it turned out not to be one of the most fun or productive Sundays we've had in a while. At least Eugene did get to put up some floating shelves in Alex's room and the study. We've had this house for almost a year; it's about time we decorate a little.