Since Covid started, we've stayed pretty close to home. We have been comfortable hanging out with most vaccinated family members and friends, but still have chosen smaller groups and less-risky activities. Since the kids finished their vaccine series in January, we decided this semester was going to be about making family memories...a sort of making up for the lost time of the past two years. We excitedly started planning a trip to the Twin Cities.
We left on a Thursday morning, heading to the Mall of America first, hoping to avoid most of the crowds and busyness by going on a weekday. We didn't get ten steps in the door before Simon spotted a fish tank at the entrance of the aquarium, and he was entranced. The bright colorful fish were so fun to see and he spotted a fish that looked just like Dory. He was jumping up and down with excitement!
We continued in to the Mall, quickly ending up at Nickelodeon Universe where the kids were mesmerized by the rides. Nolan was talking big about wanting to go on a roller coaster, but when push came to shove he decided to join Simon, Olivia, and I on the carousel and the Bubble Guppies ride. Simon wasn't scared at all and they had a blast. After our rides we made a stop at Barnes and Noble and I felt like I was in heaven looking at all the amazing new books. I brought home a couple of good ones - a beautiful picture book of the Seven Wonders of the World and another one on the Greek gods and goddesses. Nolan found an awesome Minecraft book and Olivia wanted a stuffed rabbit puppet. Simon didn't really ask to bring anything home, so we just left it at that, thinking he'd get a souvenir at another stop if needed.
One of the things the kids were looking most forward to was swimming in the hotel pool. We had the whole place to ourselves and the pool was super warm. Since the kids have been taking swim lessons, they have really improved and have become pretty good swimmers. We had a blast playing sharks and minnows, having races, and diving for the sinking toys.
The next day was a trip to the Science Museum of Minnesota. We visited a few years back and it was a favorite of the kids. We were especially excited to show Simon the dinosaurs! The exhibits are so fun and interactive. The big kids loved the bottom floor that was all about movement. They made slo-mo videos, practiced their balancing and even raced a T-rex. Meanwhile, Simon was absolutely entranced by the dinosaur exhibit. He found a museum worker and asked her about all the different dinosaurs. He remembered the names of the new dinosaurs he saw. He absolutely loved it.
We finished our day there with a movie in the omnitheater, "Dinosaurs of Antarctica." Simon did really well for the first half, but got antsy and bored so we had to leave for the remainder. The rest of the kids enjoyed it - it's always so cool to see movies on that giant screen!
The remainder of our trip did not go as we planned. Our intention was to stay with our friends Ray and Abby for the next two nights and hit Como Zoo on Saturday. However, after we arrived on Friday evening, Abby developed a fever. Even though her rapid test said she was negative for covid, we didn't feel comfortable staying with someone who wasn't feeling well and decided we should depart in the morning. All of us were disappointed, as this was a big highlight of our trip. The silver lining, however, was an impromptu trip to Eau Claire for some bonus time with Grandma and Grandpa. We spent the day going out for lunch (first restaurant for the kids since covid!), meeting baby Leo, hitting the candy store, and hanging with Luke and Annalyse's family. The next day we got some cousin time at the coffee shop with Everett, while they took Leo in for a doctor appointment. It ended up working out well and we all had a wonderful time away. We are grateful for many wonderful, beautiful moments together.
