A Cookie (cutter?) Kidsfest

Didn't we just remind you about the heat wave in Louisville last October? Well, it's suddenly hot-tober here in Chicago. The temperature cracked the 80-degree mark today.

So what did we do? We spent a chunk of the afternoon in a climate-controlled building, just as we had planned for Day 2 of our weekend.

We were one of the few lucky families (thanks to advance registration) to get into Cookie Magazine's Kidsfest Chicago in the swanky River East Art Center that neighbors Navy Pier. A lot was packed into a very small space: mural painting, button making, block building, snack tables, a music stage and more.

The highlight for the boys was the fake Cookie Magazine cover shoot, a let-a-monkey-climb-on-you photo op. The little primate, a kind of capuchin, sat on Dad's shoulder, reached out and tapped Lincoln on the nose. Lincoln didn't care for that at all, of course, but he was obsessed with the monkey for most of the rest of the time we were there. Mom and Levynn got their picture taken, too, but Lev didn't like the monkey from the word "go" and seemed to forget all about him as quickly as she could. Unfortunately, we only have hard copies of those shots. Maybe when we see you next...

The highlight for the girls was much more sedate. Most of you know that Levynn's had her toenails painted, right? But her fingernails had been untouched until today, when she experienced a professional manicure. As Mom described, "It was clean, file, clip, base coat, two color coats, top coat (with OPI's O'Hare and Nails red)." Levynn loved it.

And she held out her fingers until we got home, kind of like this:

She's a character.

It all was a tad tacky, though. Every station had a relevant corporate sponsor with obvious signage, like Playskool offering the blocks. But it was free, it was well-run (there even was a stroller check-in!), and it occupied the kids. So who's to complain?