Family Reunion

Ha ha ha!  I am such a dork!  But ya know!

 

 

The kids are trying to imitate their cousin.  ;)

 

 

 

I love how tall these guys are. 

 

Almost there...I just can't quite reach...

 

 

Grace and Libby were our guides for the day, so when Grace said, "Let's go see the sheep."  I corrected her with, "No, that is a ram."  We got over to the sign which read, "Dall Sheep."  Mommy was busted!

 

This is John's hand compared to a polar bear paw.  :)

 

 

 

The polar bear was by far everyone's favorite attraction of the day!

 

 

 

 

It was stinkin' HOT!!!

 

 

This was the educational leg of our vacation.  We are studying World Geography this year.  As maps are part of World Geography, they were handed a map of the zoo and they took the reins.  I was very impressed with both of their skills, but Grace just amazed me!  She really took charge and really guided this whole experience.  She did a great job and followed the pictures on the map to guide us to where we needed to be.  I am quite proud of my girlies!!!

Charlotte's Web

This was a cool little park we found on our way to the zoo.  The girls decided to do a little bit of monkeying around before going to see their cousins.  Hardee-har-har!

 

 

 

John opted for the cool looking swing.  Unfortunately, this was just a photo op before popping him out.  There was a missing nut.  I am glad that Chris found that before we found out the hard way!

 

 

Room Shots

This was the first night.  Daddy wa telling the kids to head to bed...this is where they all crowded!

 

 

The view from our window!

 

This is the second day before we went swimming...he didn't have any issues waking up.  ;)

 

 

Just Keep Swimming, Swimming, Swimming

Mommy kind of screwed up when she was deciding where to go and what to do.  I decided to skip the Wisconsin Dells because I just didn't know how we would would do with two parents on three kids.  When I saw the deal for the Radisson with the waterpark next to Mall of America, I thought, "Well, we can go to a small waterpark and handle it...let's do it!"  I registered and paid for our room...and then I checked the map out.  It was actually pretty big...Oops!  It was actually larger than the one I had been looking at in the Dells.  That being said, Mt. Olympus (the resort I was checking out at the Dells) does have an indoor AND outdoor waterpark, plus an indoor AND outdoor amusement park.  Either way, I guess it was doable, but we had just as much fun here!!! 

 

These are different angles of the kiddie water park.  The big blue tube in the upper right hand corner of the picture is the family raft ride which is over a mile long. 

 

 

 

Johnny playing...and Grace really is in the slide.  ;)

 

The impressive thing about the water park for me was that, although they HAD a kiddie land, there was only one ride Johnny couldn't ride...the Flow Rider.  He could go on every other thing they had available.  As for Grace?  Here is a picture of her body boarding on the Flow Rider.  Libby gave it a shot, but flipped off her board and got shot up over the waves before I could snap a shot.  She decided that was enough for now!

 

The lazy river was her cup of tea instead!  That being said, she had a blast on all the rest of the slides, as well.  :)

 

We Made It! Where's the Pool?

Pool?  What pool?  This is the Water Park of America!!!  Forget the pool! 

 

Oh yeah!  Our room had a seperate nook with bunk beds for the kids.  They loved it!  So did mom and dad!  We love www.groupon.com!

 

 

Can I stop modeling and start swimming please?

Fashion Statement!

As we were headed out the door Chris and I called to the kids to wear COMFORTABLE shoes because we'd be walking quite a bit.  Yep, this is what Grace wore.  Not only that, but her and John fought over them the entire trip.