Lincoln Park Zoo and the baby zebra

We went to the Lincoln Park Zoo this weekend! Mr. F and I got brunch in Lincoln Park and then walked through the zoo to see the baby zebra! The little boy was born this summer on August 23rd.Source: chicagoist.com via Emily on Pinterest

The colt's name is Kito, which is Swahili for "jewel". The mama zebra's name is Adia and the dad zebra's name is Clayton.We had so much fun watching it run around the pen.Kito was so cute with brown and white stripes. He even had a fuzzy mohawk along his spine!Kito reminded me of our baby horse, Zoe, so gangly and uncoordinated. He was all legs.When we walked by the warthogs, Mr. F proudly annouced this was a poop colored Pumba. The child next to him, instantly, goes, "Daddy, daddy, it's a poop Pumba." Now he knows that children repeat everything you say, whether you mean it our not!Surprisingly, Sunday was warm at nearly 70 degrees! 

It was super blustery too.

Shockingly, it dropped 30 degrees by Monday morning and even snowed lightly. Fortunately, the weather is warming up again and should be sunny and about 50 degrees for Katy's wedding this weekend!

Wedding week for my bestie in Chicago

I had a wonderful long weekend, complete with good food, friends, and a visit to the zoo to see the baby zebra. I will post pictures soon!

I'm so excited for this week!!! On Thursday, my cousin Katy's family starts flying in for her wedding. We have a pizza dinner planned at Giordano's for deep dish! The rehearsal dinner will be at Shaw's and the wedding is on Saturday.

I've picked up my gorgeous eggplant Amsale bridesmaid dress, which was tailored perfectly for me!!

Source: amsale.com via Emily on Pinterest

I cannot wait to get my hair and makeup done on Saturday too. Here are a few hairstyles that I'm interested in:Source: weddingchicks.com via Emily on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Emily on Pinterest

Source: blushingbridewedding.tumblr.com via Emily on Pinterest

Mr. F says go simple, or even have my hair down, but I love these updos.

I'm also super psyched for wedding party pictures around Chicago.

Source: stylemepretty.com via Emily on Pinterest

Source: stylemepretty.com via Emily on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Elisa on Pinterest

Yay!

Mr. F's parents came to visit in Chicago last weekend

Mr. F's parents came to visit us last weekend!We walked from River North to the Art Institute of Chicago last Saturday. Of course, we took pictures with the Bean when we walked by it!Mom-o wanted to see the Chagall windows. They were a brilliant blue!We also went through many Impressionist galleries. We saw "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte",  Renoir's "Acrobats",

 trapeze artists and ballerinas,

 and horses at Longchamp.I was surprised how many paintings that I actually recognized!

We had a lot of fun with Mr. F's parents last weekend and we'll see them again soon, for Thanksgiving in St. Louis. 

My cousin, Katy's bridal shower

We drove from Chicago, to Wilmette, on a sunny Saturday afternoon to celebrate Katy's bridal shower.To add to this perfect fall day.......the leaves were changing and the mums were in full bloom! The Mother of the Groom's friends, the Mauies were the hostesses of this lovely party. They greeted us with cute cupcakes with Ks and Rs and St. Louis bacon.  (This is sugar glazed bacon, which is amazing!)

 The mother of the bride, the bride to be and the mother of groom had a few minutes for pictures before the rest of the guests arrived. Katy's nephew, baby Henry was a cute addition too.

 We had a delicious lunch of cheese souffle, fruit, sausages, cinnamon rolls and great company. After lunch, we had a fun question and answer video with the groom that I filmed and edited! (Please excuse some of the background noise. This was my first iMovie!)

Baby Henry tried to help with unwrapping the presents. I gave Katy fine china tea cups and saucers from her Bloomingdale's gift registry. Liz, Katy's family friend, made her a gorgeous fall table runner. Katy got a onion soup family recipe from her soon-to-be mother-in-law and a pot to cook the recipe in!

The groom arrived when the last of the presents were being unwrapped.  Baby Henry loves his Uncle Rob!

 I love making rehearsal bouquets out of the ribbons and wrapping paper, just look how this one turned out!

On our drive home from Wilmette, we stopped at Plaza del Lago to look at a few china patterns, picked up fresh pasta, and took pictures in front of the Bahai Temple!

[I had to look it up "Bahá'í literature directs that a House of Worship should be built in each city and town, and emphasizes that its doors must be open to all regardless of religion, or any other distinction. The Bahá'í laws emphasize that the spirit of the House of Worship must be a gathering place where people of all religions may worship God without denominational restrictions."]