We also went back and forth about going south or north and decided to travel north to Minneapolis for a long weekend. As many people know, Justin and I are big planners. In fact I know it's probably pretty annoying to some people the degree of planning we do...
Surprisingly we planned this trip relatively quickly, booked a hotel, and waited for the weekend to arrive.
The kids were so excited for our vacation. In fact, even when we were on vacation, Caleb kept asking when we were going to be at vacation in "Missisota."
We woke up early Friday morning and left the house a little after 8 to head to the Minnesota Children's Museum. I had very high hopes for this as we loved the Children's Museum in Omaha. There was not as much to do at this one and I wasn't as impressed with it but the kids were entertained for a good 4 hours or so.
After checking into the hotel, we went to the Mall of America to walk around for a bit and then did dinner out before swimming at the hotel pool.
I always dread sleeping in a hotel with my kids. It's usually guaranteed to be a poor night of sleep. The kids brought their sleeping bags and decided to all crash on the floor, leaving the two beds to Justin and I. Because of the excitement of the trip it took them all a while to fall asleep and Lauren was up a couple times during the night with various complaints. Of course, she was up early at 5:30 so that meant we were all up early. Her internal alarm clock has been set at this time for weeks now. I need to learn how to turn that back an hour...
Since we were all up early, we went to breakfast and then hit the pool for a bit before getting ready for the day. We spent Saturday at the Mall of America which was perfect because it was so hot outside. I haven't been to this place in years and was overwhelmed by the size. (I need to plan a trip there sans kids for some shopping!).
Since it was such an early morning for us, we were one of the first at the mall, ("First ones here, first ones here!"). They were anxious to try out some of the rides so we bought some tickets and went at it. They loved the bumper cars, even though Lauren just went around and around and around because she couldn't figure out how to drive. She also wanted to ride on the big-go-upside-down roller coasters that adults ride, and was quite upset when I told her she couldn't. She is definitely my dare devil. A few rides Caleb and Lauren needed an adult to be with them so Justin and I had to ride along. I used to love thrill rides. Not anymore. Even just spinning around and around on the Bubble Guppies ride was enough to make me want to puke!
After a few rides we headed up to the Rainforest Cafe for lunch. I haven't eaten at this place for years. It was just as I remembered and the kids loved the thunderstorm that came every 22 minutes :). There was so much to keep them entertained that it was a very successful lunch for all.
We then decided to try out a few more rides and enjoy a little time at the Lego store. They probably could have spent quite a bit of time there as they had a variety of different sized legos for them to play with. Each kid got to pick out one thing from the mall. Caleb picked a lego set and the girls picked stuffed animals, (as if we don't have enough...).
We also decided to check out one of the many candy stores in the mall, It's Sugar. This is probably not a great idea with two three year olds who have trouble keeping their hands out of the candy jar...If you can imagine lots and lots of plastic containers with accessible lids full of sugary goodness that is what this store had. Let's just say the employees were really happy when we left that store, with a bag full of candy for each kid. It's a rare treat for them so they savored every piece, (and I may have gotten in trouble for stealing a couple pieces from their bags).
We left the mall and while the kids napped in the car I did a little shopping at a local outlet mall before heading back to the hotel for more swimming and dinner.
We spent our last day at the Minnesota Zoo. I haven't heard any reviews about this zoo so was anxious to check it out. I feel like we have been to many different zoos recently and the kids always enjoy going, (as do I), so I was anxious to see what this one had in store.
We took a chance and didn't bring a stroller/wagon hoping the kids were old enough to walk the entire zoo. Although we did end up carrying the twins a couple times, (mostly Lauren), we were able to see most of the zoo. The zoo is very nice, and pretty spread out which did require quite a bit of walking. I was really impressed with it and would definitely plan another trip there. They have a few different play areas for the kids, including a little splash pad that many kids were enjoying.
It was a very successful vacation and I'm so glad we went when we did as our summer is quickly filling up with activities. Lauren and Caleb's favorite part was the "hot pool" at the hotel and Alena said she enjoyed all of it. I guess the twins would be happy just staying in a hotel, anywhere!
