Happy Third Birthday!

We celebrated M and N's birthday this morning with a trip to the Mall of America for rides at Nickelodeon Universe, Mac and cheese at Noodles, and ice cream at Coldstone. The boys had a blast and now are giving ME a birthday present by napping. Tonight we will have cupcakes and set up the tee ball set they chose for their gift with Daddy yesterday. They've been talking about it all day! We've celebrated their birthday in MI with family the last two years but decided against traveling with Caleb's birth being just 16 days ago. It seems different, to be sure, but to have our first Family Fun Day with little brother made it very special indeed. Here are a few iPhone pics from today's adventure:

Surprise Staycation

We are having a fun week by surprise!  Auntie L and her special man, K, have come for a last minute visit and since Daddy had vacation days to use up too, we are having an impromptu staycation right here at home, complete with fun, food, and MOA (so far!)

(All of these pics are from iphones, so I apologize for the quality.  We have an outdoor adventure lined up for this afternoon and I'll remember to take the Nikon (finally) and try to get some better shots.)  But you get the idea of how fun it is to have company we love so much and time at home with Daddy.  The boys are making fast friends with K, who is wonderful with them, but has decided that maybe he doesn't want twins of his own someday, after all!  It's exactly what I've always wished for - someone who SAYS he'd love to have twins than actually BORROW mine for a couple of hours! Bwahahahahahaha!

Yesterday was "Superhero Day" at Toddler Tuesday at the MOA, so we convinced the boys to wear their adorable matching Superman T's and we headed out. 

Watching "Super Why" on the Jumbotron at the MOA...cool...and loud!

Daddy and M snackin' and relaxin' with Super Why.

Earlier that day, making pancakes together on "vacation"

Gentlemanly K pushing the Superkids into the mall...me and Hubs waddling behind.

Bedtime stories with K...we've all been replaced.

Mall walkers with Aunt L and K

"Big Rigs" was the  highlight of the day - their favorite ride at the amusement park.

M tickling K got tickled right back!

L and K :)

 P.S. K is the perfect houseguest, telling me how great a cook I am and playing with my kids.  Hubs bathes them and tucks them, and with Aunt L cleaning my kitchen too...I don't want this vacation to end. 

Celebrate Good Times, Come On!

Remember that song?  It reminds me of high school because that was the theme song for our end of the year...thing.  Talent show?  Is that what it was?  I wonder if they still do "Celebration"?  My sister graduated to that tune this week, but before I tell you about that, the boys have been very busy...and it's not Christmas yet!!

This weekend, we took the boys to see Santa at the Mall of America.  It didn't turn out exactly how we expected, but what does?  We got to eat free Cinnabon rolls and hear an elf read a story and stick stickers all over a coloring page, which was probably better than actually sitting on Santa's lap!

Yum!  N gobbles up the Cinnabon.

With our friends coloring and listening to the story.

M's blond head running by Santa...as close as we got!

Listening to the elf story on Daddy's lap is more like it!

Woah!  Roller coasters!  Can we go, Daddy?  Please?

M and Aunt L waiting while Daddy bought the ride tokens.

"Big Rigs," their favorite ride!  Daddy and M in red, Aunt L and N in blue.

Even though we generally avoid the MOA in December, it was a fun outing because we started early in the day and didn't actually shop.  It was so fun to hang out with our friends and cruise the mall - the boys gawk and gawk, taking it all in!  They even behaved well at the restaurant for lunch despite it not being fast food! 

Daddy and Aunt L took the boys to Macy's holdiay display in Downtown Minneapolis when I went to watch my sister graduate nursing school on Tuesday night.  While they enjoyed the display, they again elected to NOT see Santa, despite hearing that he's the best Santa in all the world.  Maybe next year.

Daddy said they were "mesmerized" by the singing trees!

N was so enamored with his fun day with Daddy and Aunt L on Tuesday, he refused to nap, then passed out in Daddy's arms right after dinner.  So sweet. 

Then I'm told he gave them trouble at bedtime!  Haha, they were well taken care of and I got to see my baby sister accomplish her dream of finishing nursing school!  Congratulations!  Love you and see you again next week, when you'll be employed!  I'm believing she'll make you and offer you can't refuse - way to rock that interview! 

Me and my baby sis M at her "pinning ceremony" Tuesday night, right before she danced down the aisle!

Come on and Celebrate!

Staycation Adventures

What a week!  Please excuse my absence, readers - I've been on wonderful adventures with my in-laws during our "staycation."  Everyone made their way to our place to spend some family time together - by car, by plane, and by semi-truck - no joke!  It was so much fun to be a tourist in our own area - we got to do some activities that we haven't done yet in all of our seven years here in the Twin Cities.  You know what the best part of vacationing at home is?  You guessed it- sleeping in your own bed! 

Here are a few shots of Sunday and Monday, our first Staycation days spent in our town and then a few hours at the Mall of America, because what Minnesota vacation can be had without that?, after picking Mom up at the airport.

Grandma and M play the bongos at the Best Buy MOA

They didn't heed the "Please Don't Feed"

Dwinka wadda?

Aunt L and N play at the Legos store at the MOA

We kind of took over the joint

My in-laws amazed our server with their Bubba Gump trivia knowledge!

M was amazed only with the ping pong paddle

Okay, and Forrest's shoes!

Tuesday was a special day because we drove up to Stillwater and took a paddleboat luncheon cruise down the St. Croix River.  Not only was the weather perfect - and it has been all week, praise the Lord! - but the food was good and the boys were well-behaved, something I was a teensy bit nervous about.  What nut takes all of her in-laws and twin toddlers on a humongous 18th-century, two-hour paddleboat ride? Me.

Cool boy N, Grandpa, and M

N was quite snuggly and silly with my sunglasses!

All Aboard!

exploring the boat before we lift anchor

Don't kiss me, Aunt sheeshee!

Boo hoo! N spent a bit of time on the deck howling about something - like he can't jump overboard.

Upstairs, downstairs!  The boys can talk Grandpa into anything!

I said the weather was grand, didn't I?  So that evening we surprised Grandpa with his favorite cake, Pineapple Upside Down cake, which I'd never before made but everyone ate it so I guess it was ok, for his birthday (next week) and all settled down for a bonfire with s'mores.

There were grey clouds overhead but it looked like the weather was to the north of us and was going to miss us.  Hubs had a nice little fire going when we brought the fellas, freshly bathed and covered in long sleeves and socks to protect them from the evening skeeters, down the fire.  They were so tickled and thought that being outside in their pj's was the funniest thing!  We were outside for maybe 15 mintues, M was aways off "mowing" the lawn when

BOOM!

The loudest crack of thunder any of us have ever heard rattled the trees and our ears!  We all dropped low to the ground as bright lightning flashed all around us for a few seconds.  Then we grabbed our kids and our cameras and rushed inside to watch the downpour!  We were a bit rattled and had to watch an episode of "Imagination Movers" to take our minds off the fact that we had been nearly killed by lightning!

Happy Second Birthday!

We celebrated two years in style tonight with the best deal in town: Nickelodeon Universe at the Mall of America!  You can register your kids' birthdays on their website and receive a FREE unlimited ride wristband valid on the birthday!  Thank you to the MVMOMs who told me about this deal - it was a stellar idea!

The boys love being BIG and they tell us every day now that they are, but if you ask me, they're still convincing themselves - I know they're still missing the pacifiers a bit.  Today, though, they showed us they really ARE big by riding lots of rides at the amusement park.  Can you tell they enjoyed it?

M LOVED the "Big Rig" ride - he's not smiling here because it's NOT MOVING!

My favorite shot of the night; N and Daddy on the last ride, Blue's Clues.

They were a little nervous on the first ride, though - the carousel.

Choo-choo!  Our little conductors on the train ride.

It's SO HARD to wait for our favorite, the Big Rig ride.

We broke for dinner at Ruby Tuesday's, where the boys gifted US with a peaceful meal and very good behavior (for two freshly minted two-year-olds, they were great!) and were rewarded with their OWN birthday sundaes afterward, a real treat!

"Ice cream is cold!" M says.

N and his big birthday ice cream.

What a fantastic family night to treasure forever!  The boys are getting to be so much fun and (knock on wood) a bit easier to go out with.  (I know, I know, don't burst my bubble, okay?  They were so good tonight!)  We have more celebrations planned in the coming days and will keep you posted on the smiles.  In the meantime, enjoy being two with our little guys.

Let's roll!

Keep on truckin', baby!