Spring Break Staycation Day #5

Today we ventured out to the Mall of America and went to Underwater Adventures. This past Christmas the girls received (from their grandparents) a gift certificate here. So, we put it to good use today. Daddy was able to join us for part of this outing, which was a pleasant surprise. We also met up with another family (you'll see them in a few pictures) from church. So, the girls were able to visit with friends a bit.

The aquarium is small compared to the Chattanooga or Atlanta aquariums, but you would be amazed at the size of it considering it's location (lowest level of the Mall of America).

The girls liked this guy!

I explained it this way to the girls, "They're like hallways made of glass and we will be able to look all around and see fish swimming."

This guy was swimming right above our heads.

There were some aquariums with smaller sea life. Here's a seahorse. McKenna was fascinated by these. Notice they cling to the plant life.

This seahorse was in a different aquarium, but I thought the shot was great! You'll notice a few brightly colored Easter eggs in a few of these pictures. Remember, Easter is a week away.

YUK! This is probably the most grotesque creature I saw there. What is it? Who can tell me? Come on, leave your guess in the comment section!

Shark's Cove was the preferred "hallway" by all. McKenna was very interested in reading about the fish and finding each one in the aquarium.

Here are some of the kids in the life size shark cage. I explained that divers stay in the cage under the water to study the sharks. Ella couldn't wrap her brain around that. "Why?" she kept asking.


Levi is touching a starfish! McKenna decided only to watch.


The "G" family!

The girls managed to find some sunken treasure while we were there. Ella liked this.

Ella didn't know what to think of this guy. I was a bit unsure myself. McKenna was happy to pose for the camera, though.

We also visited the American Girl store. Here are a few of the girls favorites.

This one is Ella's favorite.


After the mall we headed over to IKEA to check out some furniture that we are thinking about acquiring. Ikea is a fairly "kid friendly" furniture store. But, it isn't as "wallet friendly" as I remember it being. I was a little disappointed.

The girls liked this little chair. The canopy came down and it swiveled.

We thought this round bed was fun. We were looking at for 2 pieces of furniture. The shelving unit you saw above and day beds for Ella. The shelving unit might be doable. But, we will find a bed at a different store. Ella wants this gigantic round bed! I told her it wouldn't fit.

Spring Break Staycation Day #4

Spring Break Staycation Day #4
Day number four required us to do at least 2 normal activities. Laundry and gymnastics.

So, after gymnastics we headed home for lunch and cleaning. Once the house was somewhat picked up we went to a place called Color Me Mine.

The girls picked out a piece of ceramic. Ella picked an egg; McKenna picked a sea shell. We picked some paint colors and had at it!

It was interesting to watch the girls. McKenna definitely had a plan for her art. She picked specific colors and prethought what she would paint.

Ella didn't have a plan as much as an approach. She picked a few colors that she thought were "pretty, girl colors." He colors slowly blended together as she painted.

It is definitely a place that we will return to. They offer a 21 plus date night! Maybe I can convince the hubby!

Spring Break Staycation Day #3

Each morning the girls practically wake up begging for their "ticket" explaining the days adventure. This was one of their favorite aspects on the staycation.

Today's adventure included a trip to the Minnesota Children's Museum where Clifford the Big Red Dog was visiting!

At the museum we always enjoy working in the classroom. Ella and McKenna primarily enjoy painting at the easel.

Of course, we cannot walk by the face painting booth without stopping.

As usual, Ella LOVED delivering the mail all of the mailboxes.

There are several more staycation pictures and adventures to share. Keep checkign back!

Spring Break Staycation Day #2

After church we enjoyed a fun play date with our friends, Lauren and Anna! For lunch we enjoyed McDonald's chicken nuggets and fries. After lunch we went right to the art cabinet. The girls decided to make I Phones. Yes, I Phones. What does that say about young children today. (Or, what does that say about MY children?) Seriously, the girls drew a You Tube icon on their phones, texting options, phone book lists, then they "texted" each other (by writing out little notes on paper and passing them around the table). Crazy.

Then the girls played in the playroom for a while. Once I had cleaned up from lunch and I Phone creations, we put on play clothes and headed down the street to the park. It was a nice day.

Once back, the girls immediately went to their dress up clothes and put on play makeup!

For dinner each girl made her own pizzas with English muffins .

I wanted to get Lauren and Anna all cleaned up before I brought them home. We managed to fit all four girls into the tub. We added a color tablet and they had a pink bath! They all described the bath as "squishy!"

Vacation, Staycation, Nocation

Spring Break has hit us quickly! Arthur has a ton of work to do. Between framing, new photographers and school, money, and a few other reasons going on a vacation was out of the question. So, instead, we did a lot of fun activities. We went on a staycation.

It's a word that McKenna and Ella quickly assimilated into their lexicons.

I planned a few activities and made "tickets" for the girls. Each morning will bring a new ticket with a new activity. This also allows me to change things up a bit midstream, if I need to.

So, read on if you care to!


Spring Break Staycation Day #1
Today we went to the Mall of America and rode several rides at Nickelodeon Universe. We met the characters from The Wonder Pets. McKenna rode the "grown up" roller coaster and the Log Chute (where we got much wetter than we anticipated)! We enjoyed meeting Mammy and Papa at the food court for lunch. The girls also had a blast building things at Lego Land.

Lunch at the food court.

You can't really tell, but we are somewhat wet here. We had just got off of the log chute. Ella was with her Mammy and Papa.

Building at Lego Land

Waiting in line to meet Lenny and Ming Ming of The Wonder Pets.

Ella wouldn't really hug them or greet them. She just observed and that was enough for her. Though, she did say that Ming Ming was pretty soft. Lenny? Not so much.

The Things They Say

McKenna often tries to "mother" her sister (or anyone else within a stone's throw). She'll repeat my words with a "mother" tone in her voice. She'll quickly remind Ella of what she should or shouldn't be doing. Generally, my response is this, "McKenna, you are not her mother. You are not in charge."

Today McKenna responded with this, "I wish I were in charge, for just one day."