home again, home again...

Oh, what a weekend! We had a four day trip to Minneapolis and we are finally back, exhausted and happy to be home. The boys had a fantastic time, of course. We go every October and have our favorite spots to visit. Exploring a big city with the boys while my husband sits in a conference all day every day means ritual and tradition helps keep us all happy. We balance the crazy loud packed too much stimulation places the boys REALLY want to visit, with nature walks, parks and small neighborhood shops we ALL love returning to.



This trip the boys had a list, and we did it all. LEGO store, aquarium, amusement park rides...hotel pool, favorite restaurants...nature center and hike with new friends, natural toy & craft store, neighborhood parks, and a visit to the best kids bookstore (we think) on the planet. Oh, a bookstore with cats, lizards, spiders, chickens (and I mean chickens out walking around!), chinchillas, birds, ferrets and tons of books...what an amazing place.



We even managed to have enough energy left for a stop by IKEA on the way out of town for some things on our list. A whirlwind few days for sure, and this mama is happy to be home!

minneapolis in full color.

We had a nice 3-day weekend in Minneapolis. While my husband was stuck inside at a conference all day every day, the boys and I explored parks, beaches, nature centers and more - anything to be outside! The weather was nice and the fall colors were just breathtaking. OK, we did do a little of the inside stuff on Friday evening when my husband was finished...a little of this,


and a little of this.


But the rest of the time was spent wandering. We visited my favorite natural toys and crafts store. We discovered the most awesome park system with trails and playgrounds and a gorgeous nature center which had amazing 3-D colorful murals of animals in their habitats - from forest to prairie to wetlands (photos cannot do it justice).


We went on nature walks where the aspens were raining their golden leaves onto our heads as the boys spun and danced. We saw many snakes. We have gone hiking and walking hundreds (if not more) times in Wisconsin and have only seen two snakes. In a (busy) nature park in Minneapolis, over only 20 minutes, we saw more snakes than the boys will ever hope to see again in their lifetimes. Excitement, let me tell ya. Ahem.


We wandered from local cafes to neighborhood parks and played and played.


Each hike we went on had more and more color - it was so beautiful.


I am happy to say we spent much of the weekend hanging out, walking in the vibrant leaves without shoes (well, but for the snake part!), getting dirty, taking walks through neighborhoods, and just enjoying autumn in full color. Part of that was because it is just too tough for one adult to take two small spunky kids to busy public places on a weekend - and part of that was realizing that we didn't have to *do* anything but explore and have fun and enjoy each other. And THAT made it a special trip to remember!

I'm going to post some more photos over at Flickr...what a fun weekend!