Olivia's Winter Performance

On December 2nd Olivia performed with her ballet class at the Daley Center in downtown Chicago. She looked absolutely adorable in her costume!!! Nana & GG took off work to come with us and see her dance. Grandpa and Grandma Binkowski also came to see Olivia's performance. After the show we went to lunch and the American Girl store which is Olivia's favorite.

We Love Fall

Fall is my favorite season especially in Chicago. I love the leaves falling and the brisk air welcoming the new season. I have such fond memories of fall as a child growing up in Chicago and I have missed this season the most. When I was younger we always raked leaves at my grandparents house and then had fun playing in the huge piles we made. This year my girls got to experience fall in Chicago and had their own fun playing in the leaves.

Thanksgiving

The week of Thanksgiving the girls were sick so we laid around the house and rested hoping they would be feeling better by Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving day Brooklyn still had a temperature so we decided to go to Nana's house because she said to come sick or not and the girls could lay around at her house. So, after breakfast the girls opened their Thanksgiving books (a tradition we have started in our family by giving the girls books on holidays because they love them so much) and then we headed to Nana's house to relax and enjoy a nice little dinner with my family. Daddy stopped by Aunt Nicole & Uncle Brad's house and had lunch with his side of the family because we didn't want to get anyone sick over there. We had delicious food and enjoyed spending time with family and reflecting on all the things we are thankful for. Although the girls were under the weather we still had a wonderful day :-)

Over Thanksgiving weekend we went to my Aunt's cabin at the Grand Bear Resort in Utica, Illinois and had fun entertaining the girls at the indoor amusement park and enjoying a home cooked meal my mom made. And of course we stayed up late playing board games with my family, which according to Brian is the norm if there are more than three Beninato's in a room we are playing a board game (lol). We love playing games as a family. We only stayed for one night but it was a fun little getaway.

Brian's 27th Birthday

The day before Brian's birthday we went to brunch at a country club with our families after church. We had delicious food and celebrated Brian turning 27 :-) We surprised him with singing "Happy Birthday" and the girls helped him open his presents.

Singing to the birthday boy...

Presents...

On November 14th we celebrated Brian's birthday by having dinner as a family, opening more presents, and enjoying the day together.

And of course we had to sing to him again...

The Circus

In the beginning of November my mom treated the whole family to the circus. I haven't been to the circus since I was little and could hardly remember it. It was an awesome show and the girls loved all of the entertainment. Olivia's favorite was the juggling acts and Brooklyn loved the clowns.

Marine Corps Ball

This year was the 236th Birthday of the Marine Corps. I love that every year there is a Marine ball held to celebrate the birthday of the Marine Corps and acknowledge the sacrifices made in the past, present, and future of our country. We have been to quite a few balls in the past seven years and I have loved every one of them. This year Brian's unit held their ball at the Union League Hotel in downtown Chicago. We had a delicious dinner as we watched the traditional ball events...speeches, tributes, the cake ceremony, and more.

Afterwards, we went to a cute little lounge with some of our friends who also attended the ball. It was a lot of fun having a night to commemorate all that our troops do for us and enjoy some time with my Marine :-)

Unfortunately I did not take a lot of pictures, but here is one of Brian and I at the lounge after the ball...