Spring Break 2011

This year's Spring Break didn't include an airplane, warm weather, frozen drinks, or the beach. (That's next year!) Instead, it included an energetic 3-year old, a high-maintanence baby, and Minneapolis.  This trip was definitely about the kids.
We left Des Moines on Monday morning and got to the Mall of America around 2:00.  We decided to skip Carter's nap that day (let's just be honest, he skipped his nap all three days) and went straight to Nickelodeon Universe in the middle of the mall.  This place was perfect!  Bright and sunny, not too crowded, and lots of rides that Carter could ride.  He just reached the 39 inch mark, which meant that he could go on some rides by himself.

This might have been the funniest ride.  I don't think Carter had ever operated a moving vehicle before and Cary and I laughed so hard as we watched him try to drive.  He was constantly looking the wrong direction, getting wedged in between other cars, and then finally just stuck out in the middle of the place without any cars around him.  He thought he did great though, so that's what matters! I laughed so hard I almost peed my pants!

The only ride that Carter really did not like - as you can see by his expression. 

We don't even watch SpongeBob, but Carter was sure excited to see him!

 After riding rides for a couple hours, I went on my own for about 45 minutes to hit-up H&M and Nordstrom Rack. Cary tried to handle both kids on his own, but since Carter needed help on some of the rides, that was easier said than done.  So around 5:00, we made our way to our hotel.  We stayed at the Radisson which had the Waterpark of America inside...apparently the country's biggest indoor waterpark.  After a quick dinner, we put on our suits and headed down to the waterpark.  At first Carter didn't want to get into the water (which then led to a conversation on being grateful).  But once we found the kiddie area, he was in heaven!

Cary was a rock-star at the waterpark!  He did whatever Carter wanted.  They played and played for hours on end. They went down the blue slide, then the orange slide, then the blue one again and again.  Then Carter jumped to him, then they waited for the bucket to dump on them, etc. I was tired just watching them.  But someone had to be on baby-duty! :)  Brynn did put her toes in the water a few times and she seemed to like it.  But for the most part, I think she just liked watching all of the action. She smiled at Carter every time he came near us.  And just for the record, I did go down the slides too. But Daddy definitely is more fun at those things than I am! We swam and played from 6:00 - 8:30 on Monday night, and then got up and swam from 9:00 - 2:00 on Tuesday.  The little boy just never got tired!

On our way out of the waterpark, Carter wanted to pose with the animals. 

 We rested for a short while, showered, and then headed back to the Mall of America.  We stopped for some ice cream, did about 30 minutes of shopping, and then went back to the rides. 

It was right after this ride that our diaper bag fell off the stroller, sending our camera straight into the ground and breaking our lens. The good news is that we have another (better) lens at home.  The bad news is that we have no more pictures from the getaway. 

The rest of the afternoon went down-hill.  Brynn had had enough of the stroller.  She wanted to be held and talked to.  And I think she had a bit of sensory overload.  We had made reservations for dinner at the Rainforest Cafe.  But the minute we walked in, Brynn started screaming.  Long story short, Cary and I ate in shifts while the other one tried to calm her outside of the restaurant.  By the time dinner was done at 8:00, Cary and I were EXHAUSTED!  We'd spent 5 hours at the waterpark, 2 hours riding rides, 1 hour walking the mall, and almost 2 hours trying to calm a crabby baby. At that point, I told Cary that I needed a vacation from our vacation.  And after he dropped Brynn and I off at the hotel's front door, he and Carter drove around the parking lot taking in the silence.  Even Carter said "It's nice and quiet, Dad."  And wouldn't you know it, when I laid Brynn on the hotel bed, took off her clothes and talked to her, the little stinker started smiling and squealing. 

We didn't have much of a plan for Wednesday other than coming home.  Luckily everyone slept until almost 8:00 and when Carter woke up, he immediately asked if he could go back to the waterpark.  Although our pass expired at 4:00 the day before, we decided to get a day-pass for he and Cary and let him soak in the fun for a few more hours.  So while the boys swam, the girls went to Ikea.  I found a few little things, but after an hour, Brynn was crying again and was tired of her stroller.  She literally cried for over an hour as I checked-out at Ikea (which couldn't have happened fast enough!), got to the car, carried her inside the waterpark to round up the boys, got dirty looks from all sorts of people since I had a screaming baby, took her back out to the car as we waited for Cary and Carter to get dressed, and finally hit the road.  After about 5 minutes on our way home, she fell asleep...and slept the entire way home.  Yet again, when we got home and got her out of her carseat, laid her on her blanket and played with her, she was happy as a clam.  That baby loves attention....I'm scared to even think about what she's going to be like as a teenager!

All in all, we had a great time.  Carter loved the waterpark and the rides.  And we loved just being together as a family.  Brynn definitely didn't make it that easy, but it was worth it.  I hope Carter is old enough to remember this trip when grows up.  We want him to know that we did fun things like this with him when he was a kid!