Our weekend in MN!!

I finally found time tonight to post about our wonderful trip to see Mary and Jack!  It was great and we had a fabulous time.  The kids did really well and got along fairly good together for never having met before.  And meeting Mary for the first time was like meeting a sister I knew was out there somewhere but it had taken me years to find!  I can't wait until we get together again, and I hope its sooner instead of later.

As soon as we got there, we went to Mary's apartment to unload the suitcase and give Sara a few minutes to move around since she'd sat on the plane a while.  Sara took to Mary really well, and they played on the floor together while Mary showed Sara where to find Jack's toys.

Later that evening we picked up Jack, and the kids got the chance to be together for the first time.  They took to each other really well and were laughing it up in the back seat all the way home.

The following day we went to the zoo, and we all had a good time.  The kids did well for the most part, until they both got too tired and we had to leave because it was obvious that they both needed a nap.  But other than that, it was great!  Mary had a friend that worked at the zoo, so he kind of gave us the tour and told us the animals' names and little bits of side information.  Here is a pic of Mary and the kids when we first got there.

We then went and saw the Grizzly Bears, and they were out in full force playing and swimming right next to the window.

This is the only picture we got of the 4 of us together, and Jack wasn't much for having his picture taken...but neither was Sara really as you can see!

We did manage to get the kids to cooperate enough to get pictures of us as pairs though.

Toward the end the kids were getting tired, and they were both just annoying the other to no end.  That's when Mary and I decided that it was time to head home for a nap.  The kids napped really well all the days we were there.

After the kids napped we headed to the Mall of America for some dinner and riding.  It turns out that Jack doesn't like rides, or people dressed up as characters, but Sara has learned that characters and rides are awesome since we went to Disneyland.  So we took the time to let Sara meet Spongebob Squarepants and ride one ride before dinner.

I took this picture of Jack and Mary while we were at dinner at the Rainforest Cafe.  Its one of my favorites from the whole trip.

Then it was home for a bath and bed time.  The kids had a great time in the tub.  I know I shouldn't have let my baby in the bathtub with a boy, but we were saving water...that's my story, and I'm sticking to it!

Mary got the honor of reading the bedtime story. 

The following day went much the same, except instead of the zoo we went to a softball game.  The kids got to play catch with some of the guys, and had a great time.  They were using bean bags instead of a ball, but the kids could have cared less.

This trip was awesome, and I can't wait until we can get together again!  The kids had a lot of fun together, and spending time with Mary was great!  I always thought of her as a close friend, but now she truly is more like a sister to me than anything else.  I can't imagine my life without her or Jack!

Mary, thanks for a wonderful time!  I hope you and Jack had as much fun as Sara and I did.  See you again soon!