Minnesota Fun

 
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All smiles after the Splat!

  

  We've been in Minnesota for about a week now and I love the scenery.  The farms are pristine and this is the time of year that Georgia and I take in the landscaping as we pass perfectly manicured lawns in some of the quaint towns through which we drive.  The colorful flowerbeds and sharply cut shrubs remind me of growing up in Dayton with my grandparents.  Grandpa and Grandma kept beautiful beds of pansies along side the car port.   Every tree and the lamp post by the street were surrounded by multi-colored tulips standing at perfect attention.  And when I hear the mowers and smell the fresh cut grass I can see Grandpa behind the mower in the backyard. 

Georgia's 2nd visit to Claire's

  Since we hit Minnesota Georgia's been asking about the Mall of America.  The last time we were there was on this show in 2007.  Georgia was 4 and remembers our visit vividly because she got her ears pierced at the Claire's on the first level.  Since her cousin Lana has two holes in her ears, Georgia's been expressing an interest in getting a second piercing for quite some time.  After thinking it over and running the idea past Casey, we decided it would be perfectly fine for her to visit Claire's again.  She was a little nervous at first but bit her lip and toughed out the sharp pinches.  Her pretty purple flower studs sparkled as much as her smile when we left the Claire's.

  A must-stop was the Build-A-Bear.  Lana, Noah and Georgia have been to many a Build-A-Bear but we were all excited that this would be Toot's first visit!  And, at the Mall of America!  How special!  Lana decided on a fuzzy monkey, Georgia picked out a white sparkly kitty and Noah picked a cute penguin. They were all excellent choices but I was a little surprised no one chose a doll from the new line of B A B Smurfs.  We looked around at all the possibilities of  a potential bear friend for Toot before she finally decided on a white bear with multi-colored hearts.  She was a little groggy as she'd fallen asleep on the ride over hadn't been awake too long before we entered the store.  Her excitement level wasn't really what we'd hoped.  But, she did pick out the heart to put in the bear and seemed to enjoy watching her new buddy get filled with fluff.  We picked out a bathing suit (it is summer time) and promptly dressed the bear to Toot's delight.  

  We were able to wander around the giant mall for a few more hours. All of us wanted to eat lunch at the Rain Forest Cafe but decided we'd rather shop and eat on the go since our time was limited.  We snacked on everything from giant salty pretzels to Toll House cookies.  We visited a few more stores and needless to say I got my souvenir magnet.  The one thing we all were anxious to do was ride some rides!!  Since our last visit the theme of the park had changed.  It's all Nickelodeon themed, which was just fine with the kids as they are fans of Brain Surge, Dora and Diego, Yo Gabba Gabba ( :/ ), the Fresh Beat Band and dozens of other Nick shows.  Noah, Lana and Georgia had a blast on the Splat ride and the Pepsi coaster.  My personal highlight was riding the Blue's Clues ride with Toot!  The expression on her face was priceless when we pushed the button to make Blue rise high in the air!  (And me without a camera on the ride! :/ )  We hoped to visit the aquarium but ran out of time.  So, we quick bolted through a couple must-visit stores before we met up with Robin, Simone and Mel Ray and headed back to the lot.  A good time was certainly had by all!

  Since Monday's town in only a half hour from the mall I have a second chance to get that picture of Toot on the Blue's Clues ride!  And we hopefully we'll get to take a look around the aquarium and make time for the Rain Forest Cafe.