It's actually been awhile since we've taken an overnight trip anywhere. We've gone camping and to a cabin a few times recently, but we haven't stayed at a hotel. On Thursday as we were getting ready, we realized that Anna had no recollection of what a hotel even was. She started walking walked around the house, room by room, mumbling about how she would miss everything when we were gone. She was so sad and so sincere...
But she certainly changed her tune when we arrived. We stayed at the Hyatt downtown, right on Nicollet Mall. The kids were so excited, checking out the little shampoos and toothpastes, seeing if anyone left anything behind in the dresser drawers (thankfully, no!) and JUMPING ON THE BED!! Beside a great room, the view was fabulous.
Despite being 23 floors up, this was Anna's favorite spot. (It gave me the willies....)
The view was even better when the sun went down.
Besides all of the fun things we did downtown, I think the kids enjoyed hanging out at the hotel the most. Swimming, riding the elevator, and piling on the bed to watch movies and eat treats.
I distinctly remember staying at a hotel now and again with my family when I was little. For no other reason than to take a little "vacation." And among my favorite memories....eating Oreos and drinking 7-Up in bed. (guess what we had for treats....) It's the little things....
Big news during our weekend. We bought Henry new tie shoes and he learned how to tie them! Double knots even. Second grade, here he comes....
Anna chose new shoes too. The princess sandals on the right. I tried to steer her towards a nice pair of sneakers, but no luck. It was hard for my cute little Chuck Taylors to compete with light-up Cinderella. (yes, the sandals even light up!)
Here, Anna was trying out two looks for her outfit on Friday. You'll never guess which pair won out....
I love the lazy mornings we had. No where to rush too. Time to really relax and just be together for a change. It was lovely.
And when the kids would suggest something to do, I relished in being able to say "Sure, we can do whatever we want." And we did. We went to a movie downtown, and had ice cream, visited the Central library, went to the Science Museum. Swimming, eating, and lots of walking. We even rode to the top of the IDS Center, the tallest building in Minnesota. As expected, Anna loved the view. The rest of us - not so much.
Even though I work downtown and see the sites all the time, it was so much fun to see everything through the kid's eyes. They noticed every sculpture and piece of art. They asked about every building. Crosswalks were cause for an adventure. Escalators were like a carnival ride.
As I promised myself, we did try for our April family picture. And it was a miserable failure. (no detail necessary. Just imagine uncooperative kids that turned into uncooperative everyone). Next time....
I did get a few good shots of the the kids together though....
These were waiting for the elevator at the Science Museum. I loved the tile walls!
Saturday we were back home again, getting ready for Easter.
This was Henry's favorite egg. Mine too....
Over the weekend, Anna discovered she LOVES hard boiled eggs. With Henry's past egg allergy, I really never offered them much. But this weekend, Anna couldn't get enough. Fine by me!
On Sunday, Grandma & Grandpa hosted brunch and their annual Easter egg hunt. And at last, we had a beautiful day.
It really was a lovely weekend. I'm so in love with my family. Sometimes it is good to take a step back from all the craziness of daily life and really remember that.
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