Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Family Reunion Trip to St Paul, MN.

We’re back from yet another family road trip, (if you’re keeping score, that makes 3 road trip weekends in a row!).

This time we headed north to St Paul, Minnesota.

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The main reason for this trip was to attend a family reunion for Matt’s side of the family.

We were going to leave after Matt got off work on Friday, but with the weather being cooler than normal, Matt got the day off so we were able to leave earlier, which was nice for Matt because, #1: He wasn’t as tired as he would have been from working all day, and #2: We were able to spend more time with his Sister, brother-in-law and his niece.

We headed out around noon and got to St Paul around 7:00 pm.  The temp outside was only 62 degrees F, but that didn’t stop Emerson from asking, “Can we go swimming?” the very moment we got there.  Luckily, the pool was heated, so she got to swim from about 30 mins.

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Emerson and Vivienne made very quick friends with their cousins, Frannie and Sophie, and the four were inseparable the entire weekend.

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On Saturday, the family reunion was great.  Matt got to see relatives he hasn’t seen in years and I have to say, I even enjoyed myself talking with my relative-in-laws, (that’s the correct term, right?).

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On Sunday, we all took a quick trip to the Mall of America.

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I thought I was going to spend a lot more money than I did, but instead, we spent most of the time in the indoor amusement park there with the kids.

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The children’s television channel Nickelodeon has taken over the Mall of America’s theme park, so we got to meet all of the BIG stars, like SpongeBob, Patrick, Dora the Explorer and Kai-Lan.

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Matt and Emerson even went on the absolutely most insane rollercoaster  that made me sick even looking at it.  The “Rock Bottom Plunge”.

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Meanwhile, Vivienne and I stuck to the smaller rides like SpongeBob's Pineapple bounce house and the Wonder Pet's Sky Ship.

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After a fun day at the Mall, we went back to my sister-in-law’s house, packed our bags, said our always sad goodbyes, and took the 6-1/2 hour drive back home.

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We had a really great time, but I think we are going stick a little closer to home next weekend…  But then again, we have a whole week to change our minds. 

15 comments:

Cammie said...

I cant see the pics darnit but sounds like a fun time!! I would LOVE to go to the Mall of America

Anonymous said...

I've always wanted to visit that mall...but I would do the "shopping" for sure!☼

LadyStyx said...

Oh my! I'm surprised iggy's not been by yet. Wait, maybe he has and has passed out from Spongebob overload. I mean two different blogs each having that character in their entries musta been too much for his heart to handle! *laffin* Seriously, looks like everyone had a great time!

LadyStyx said...

PS...I ~ADORE~ the decor! That pic up in the header is awesome.

betty said...

looks like fun!! I always wanted to go to the Mall of America; some year perhaps

isn't it neat that your girls are of two different ages where one parent "has" to go on the kiddie rides? I was always glad I was the parent that "had" to go on the kiddie rides; those other ones don't look like fun at all

glad you all had a chance to spend time with extended family!

(love the new picture on your blog header :)

betty

Becky said...

You guys are on the GO this summer! Whew!!! What Summer would pay to see Kai-lan AND Dora! Wow!

Thanks for the support on my SITS day Sitster;)

Grand Pooba said...

Holy crap do you guys ever slow down?

Love the new look!

Intense Guy said...

I thought I stumbled into the wrong place. Wow. What a makeover! I love the pinup in the banner! So fresh and bright!

Add the brilliance of that bright yellow sponge and the radiance of young cousin love... it makes for the perfect weekend and the perfect blog post!

Heather said...

I would love to go to the Mall of America! Looks like you had a great trip!

PictureGirl said...

Looks like you had a wonderful time. Like your photos.
I envy families that have reunions.

Anonymous said...

Looks like great fun! (I would stick to the smaller rides too! lol)

Toriz said...

Sounds like a great weekend. Glad the kids got on so well together.

Deanna said...

I love the new look. My daughter is looking for cherry material identical to your background for her laundry room drapes! I just want to grab it off the computer!
It looks like another fun trip. It isn't nice to tease Iggy with all those pictures of Sponge Bob and Patrick. Not nice at all...

Lacey said...

Your new layout is adorable, lady!

Also, I don't get cartoons. Like, at all. What's with the sponge, and that other pink thing... what is that pink thing even supposed to be? I know, I know, if I had kids I'd know these things, but in the meantime I'm just going to be reeeeallly weirded out.

I'm glad you guys had so much fun on your trip! Hey, did you ever finish the kitchen makeover?!

Liz Mays said...

I'll be so glad when my computer is fixed tomorrow and I can stay caught up better with you all. I'm so far behind it's embarrassing.

I've always wanted to take a trip to the Mall of America. I think it's about a 9 hour drive for me but with no money to spend, I guess I won't go. Yet.

Your family is adorable!