After breakfast, the kids played some more with the train table. It still amazes me how long kids can play trains for!! I was really happy with how well all three kids got along and played so well together. Ripley has been really sweet to Andrew--she even said she loves him! Talk about melting my heart! Andrew has really enjoyed playing with both Ripley and Ender.
Jeff and Daddy went to the store to pick up some batteries for some of the trains and while they were out, picked up some sandwiches from Erbert & Gerbert's for us. Then, the kids went down for naps and quiet time while Daddy and I finished packing.
Afterwards, we put all our stuff in the car and headed to the Mall of America. They have this amusement park right smack dab in the middle of the mall called Nickelodeon Universe. When Andrew saw all the park, he was so excited. First, we rode Back to the Barnyard Hayride, which was Ripley's favorite ride. She was squealing with delight! James and I saw how fast the ride was going and were kind of concerned if Andrew would be okay riding it. He said he wanted to (I think he will ride anything with a track). When it was our turn to ride, Daddy took Andrew to the front seat. I wasn't sure if that was the most prudent decision, but if Andrew was okay with it, then far be it from me to dispute otherwise. I sat with Ripley and Jeff sat with Ender (Marta had to go pick up something really quickly at a store). And off we went! Andrew even held up his hands like for a roller coaster. It was so cute! I wish I could have taken a picture of it. It was hilarious seeing him with his arms up! But as the ride went, he ended up still holding them up, but just in front of his body versus above his head. Ripley and Ender did great on the ride (again, old pros).
Next, the kids chose to ride the carousel. All was well until a little while into the ride, it stopped. Initially, I thought the ride was over and was questioning about how short it seemed. But instead, the woman working the ride came over towards me and asked me not to take pictures while on the ride. I was embarrassed to say the least, but thought it strange since I haven't ever had problems taking pictures on a merry-go-round before. Oh well. Different places have their own rules. But to my defense, they did not post anything on the sign with all the rules at the entrance of the ride!!
The next ride the kids wanted to do was La Aventura de Azul--basically it's a train ride from Dora as the train is blue and named Azul. You know there was no way that Andrew was not going to let us skip that ride!! And even funner was that the kids wanted to all ride in the same car. So we all squeezed in and might I say, it was very cozy with two adults (the two mommies rode) and three kids. But it's definitely more run to all ride together so we didn't mind.
Next, the kids wanted to ride Swiper's Sweeper. Jeff was going to ride with Ripley and I was going to ride with Andrew. Ender was going to sit this one out. I wasn't sure how Andrew would fare on this ride because it was also fast and whipped the riders around. But Andrew too scared...or at least scared enough to ask to get off or cry. I tried to laugh and make it seem like it was lots of fun to help ease any fears he might have had as well. But I am not sure if it was even needed.
We had just enough points for one more ride. Jeff and Marta insisted that we take Andrew on one more. I wasn't sure if we had enough time and didn't want to make Ripley or Ender said, but they both insisted it was okay. They recommended Blue's Skidoo, which was a little airplane ride. Andrew liked it especially being able to push a button to make the airplane fly higher.
Then, it was time to grab some dinner. Jeff and Marta recommended Noodles & Company because it was good and fast (and kid friendly). We ordered Andrew mac and cheese, but he wanted to eat our Japanese pan noodles even though it was a little spicy. He devoured the noodles, broccoli, and carrots. I figure he must have really liked the sauce since he normally isn't a big fan of carrots. But if that means he is eating, I really don't care! ;)
We walked back to the parking garage and said our goodbyes to Marta and the kids. Ripley broke my heart a little. She said she didn't want to say goodbye to us because it would make her sad. Ripley is a little shy, but came around quicker than I had thought given the last two times I had seen her. And she had been amazing to Andrew and they played so well together. So, I was really touched by how much she seemed to like having us there. She also asked us to come back to Wisconsin (she even offered up us coming back for Halloween). She was a little happier when I said we would either see her in San Antonio or they could come visit us anytime in Houston.
Then, we headed to the airport and made it through to the gate with no problem. We grabbed some Burger King so Andrew could munch on the fries in case he got hungry. Andrew was very excited to be at the airport and on the airplane again. He did fantastic on the flight home. We read books and watched Max & Ruby. He didn't seem to be tiring at all so we didn't push him to go to sleep. When we arrived at the airport, we ended up taking a ride on the terminal train since we had promised him. It was a quick train ride from terminal B to C. Then, we caught the shuttle bus to the car and we were on our way. I had expected Andrew to fall asleep on the ride, but he proved me wrong again. But he wasn't in bed for ten minutes before falling asleep!
To the Baluseks, thank you for everything!! We had such an amazing time with you guys. It was wonderful catching up and hanging out like old times, but also making new memories with our children. Thanks so much for welcoming us into your home, your hospitality, and spending the time with us!! We love you guys and miss you already! Can't wait to see you again!
I am sharing some photo highlights of our last day from our wonderful trip with more pictures on shutterfly.
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