When our plans to take the kids to the Mall of America changed after Mila threw up at our friends' house the morning we planned to go, we had two disappointed kids on our hands. We weren't sure if she was even sick, but didn't want to take our chances and purchase a day of tickets to ride rides if we were already dealing with upset tummies. We decided to just head home that morning, and poor Cruz softly cried for half of the three hour drive. We had been craving a weekend away since the holidays ended, and had planned the ultimate kid weekend to take advantage of our day off for Martin Luther King's birthday. Because we knew it was so important to them, and us too, Beau and I vowed to make it happen before spring. But then when we got home and looked over our calendars, our free weekends were few and far between. Definitely wanting to avoid the Super Bowl frenzy up in Minneapolis, we decided to head back up there just two weeks later, and made Cruz's day when we picked him up Thursday afternoon and shared that he wouldn't be returning to school until Monday.
The icing on the cake, though, was the last minute change of our hotel thanks to our adventurous Daddy. We had plans to stay at a hotel close to the Mall of America, but the night before, Beau called the new Great Wolf Lodge to check on their pricing and availability. They happened to have a room at a price that actually beat our other reservation! So we left early Friday morning to take full advantage of all the fun this indoor water park has to offer!
I'm not a huge indoor water park fan (the only time I prefer to wear a swimsuit is if I'm going to get some sun), but quickly fell in love with all the extra amenities this place had to offer. The check-in staff greeted us upon arrival with a pair of wolf ears for each of us, we received wristbands that also served as our credit card for the weekend so we didn't have to bother carrying anything along with us, and we had full access to ice cream, cocktails, french fries, and lots of other goodies, wherever, whenever. The water park area had plenty to do for all ages, including a lazy river, wave pool, large toddler zone, and several slides including a big family one with a light show as we made our way down the tube.
We swam for a few hours, and then us girls decided to change into our cozies and check out what else our lodge had to offer. We got some ice cream and sat by the big wood fireplace in the lobby, made friendship bracelets and played Bingo, and then met the boys for bowling and pizza. I loved the atmosphere of everyone being there for the night, most people walking around in either pajamas or swimsuits, completely unaware of the happenings of the world outside our fun zone. After eating our pizza overlooking the pool area, the boys decided they wanted one last before-bed swim, so Mila and I headed for a pajama party and story time together. And I had a martini! It was glorious! Then we tucked our very tuckered out kids in their bunk beds and turned out the lights!
We woke up early and excited to spend a day at the Mall of America Saturday. We had no plans to shop, just to soak up our kids and ride rides until we dropped at Nickelodeon Universe. We hadn't done this since Cruz was just two and realized pretty quickly our kids' ages opened up a whole new world at this place! At first, Mila was very timid, screaming when we put her in a little kid bumper car where Cruz and her were the only ones on the ride! The ride operator had to stop midway to get her out. Beau and I were shaking our heads thinking maybe it wasn't a good idea to get us all unlimited wristbands. But a couple of hours in, our girl got brave and wanted to do it all.
It's pretty clear both kids get their fearless spirits at amusement parks from their daddy! I enjoy rides now, but you couldn't even get me on the Tilt-a-Whirl when I was their age. But to Cruz, the bigger it is, the more it spins, and the more it goes upside down, the better it is in his book. He loved it all and we were quite impressed with him as the day went on! From the water slides to the roller coasters, he was very much in his element!
The highlight of our day was definitely taking a ride on the new, Fly Over America ride that is very similar to the famous, Soarin' ride from Disney. Afterwards, we took a break from the rides and split up boys vs. girls so the kids could spend some of their birthday/Christmas money at the Lego and American Girl Store. They were both in their own little piece of heaven as we gave them ample time to explore and pick something special out. I followed Mila around for an hour as she touched lots of dolls and finally decided on a sweet Wellie Wisher. Then we had burgers and milkshakes at Burger, Burger, and went back for more rides as the sun went down and the rides lit up.
As we watched the sweet ways Cruz took care of his little sis on rides, or Mila's face as the little tower of terror dropped for the twelfth time, we were both reminded of how important it is to invest in these little experiences. They are a break from the normal routine that often distracts us and blinds us to the small little things that make up these days of our family. When we break away from it all, we just linger in the moments more...their sweet facial expressions and their ways with each other, the silly things they say, and all the feelings that go along with being their mom. We are quite the crew together and these memories of adventure, whether they be near or far, are so very special.
And I could have watched them on this car ride forever. Mila's arms up the entire time, sitting as close as she could to her brother, giggling uncontrollably at every crazy turn as she fell on his side. And he let her, over and over again. And when she flung herself a little too far and bumped her head? He spent the remainder of the ride with his arm around her, consoling her as the ride ended and came to a stop.
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