OK, so here is a post that may bore you but I so wanted to share cause I love you guys, you’re like family after all…didn’t you know that! We decided last week to take a mini-vacation to Minnesota, can I get a WOOT WOOT for us actually taking a whole FOUR day vacation! We just got back and I just had to share some pictures from our trip, hope you don’t mind.
We had such an amazing time, the weather was perfect and so were the kids…well, for the most part! We were more than a little nervous to have them in the car for so long but they did really well. Thank goodness for junk food as special treats and Leapsters to entertain them! Oh, yeah and DVD players playing the same Caillou DVD for hours on end…not sure how I could forget that!
We headed to the Minnesota Zoo first because I absolutely love this zoo! It’s one of my all time favs. The set-up they have is great for seeing all the animals up close yet it’s super expansive so you can get some good walking in. I love the fact that they have a monorail train system there for a enjoying a whole different zoo experience, I always loved riding it as a kid and was really excited for Noah and Penny to go on it and see everything from a bird’s eye view.
Noah couldn’t get enough…he kept calling it ‘Thomas’ whenever he would see it go by!
Sitting on a turtle cause if it’s there you just have to, right?
A happy smiling zoo face! Love it!
We also stopped by Chutes and Ladders in Bloomington, MN. It’s this huge outdoor play land in the Hyland Recreation Park Area that has loads of climbing structures and slides…yup, that’s right, lots of chutes and ladders! Some of the slides are 50 feet long!! It was super fun, still not sure who had more fun there, the hubs and I or the kidlets.
Who said you can’t climb rope ladders at 30 weeks pregnant?
(Ok, just don’t tell my midwife!!)
We spent a good chunk of hours at the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory, well mainly the kiddie playland 🙂 It was hours of entertainment for the kids. They have all these little kiddie rides there that Noah and Penny could go on all by themselves. It was hilarious to watch them all buckled in and yelling “hi moooomm, hi daaaaadd” whenever they would pass by us. If you ever get to the Minneapolis area, you definitely should check this place out. Aside from the kiddie playland there is a free zoo, a conservatory, and a huge park to walk around and picnic in.
Noah and Peanut, going up, up, up and down, down, down on the Aladdin ride!
One of the last places we had to check out was the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum (since we love the one in Illinois so much!) It was the perfect place to let the kiddies burn off some energy, letting them run wild through all their different hiking trails, before we hit the long road back to home.
A picture with Daddy in the Japanese Garden
Here is my weekly preggie shot at 30 weeks along
(gotta get the picture in even when on vacation, little Bean III you should be proud!)
Wow! Why do another 10 weeks seem so short yet so very long?
All and all, it was a great trip! The kiddies were a perfect age, no strollers or diapers bags needed…can’t say that for very long now! I wasn’t too huge to chase them down and the meltdowns and tantrums were really at a minimum. Yay us! We did it! A last vacation before the new baby arrives!
Hey, can I get a pat on the back!?!
YAY! Seems like it was a lovely family getaway. Well done! 🙂
I. am. jealous. It looked so relaxing and so fun. I am glad you got away before #3 makes a grand entrance! And I know what you mean by 10 weeks being so far away yet so close…Thanks for the fun and cute pics!
that looks like so much fun…
…and you look FABULOUS!!
The kids are so beautiful and it looks like yall had a great family memory. Thanks for sharing!
Wow Girla, you look fantastic with your beanIII tummy!! 🙂
First, you look amazing! So beautiful! Second, that vacation sounds awesome!! Lots of outside time and smiles…hooray! Glad you had fun!!
Yea! I love the MN zoo! We live close, but we don’t go often enough! And the pic with the turtle ~ I think everyone who goes there has one. Really, how could you not? Love como, we’ve never been to chutes and ladders, but I have it on my list of places to hit this summer. So glad you had a great family trip! And you are one darling pregnant mama!
Thanks ladies! We had such a good time, Minnesota is just such a beautiful place to visit..and live…minus the snow 😉 haha!
-Mags
You look so cute!!!! Love the baby belly!