One of the Christmas gifts from my parents this past year was a weekend of babysitting so Eric and I could have a little getaway. We haven't had a weekend alone together since before the twins were born. When we started talking about it, we looked into Minneapolis as an option. We found the weekend for Twinsfest, a gathering at the Metrodome with Hall of Famers and current Twins players - the perfect thing for an autograph collector like Eric! However, if Eric was going to be at Twinsfest all day, I couldn't see myself walking around the Mall of America all day by myself. Thus, Eric and I talked about it and decided to bring Alainna with us. Between the Nickelodeon Universe amusement park in the Mall as well as the American Girl store, I was sure Alainna and I would have a great time together.
Well, what an amazing weekend!
Friday night: After the drive from Sioux City, we checked into our motel, then headed over to the Mall. After Alainna calmed down from her initial excitement at seeing all the Nickelodeon rides, we made our way to the American Girl store where she picked out her "big American Girl" doll, Felicity. After we picked out a few accessories for Felicity, we stopped for a quick (and quite greasy, yet delicious) dinner at Johnny Rockets. Mmmmm...cheeseburgers, cheese fries, and milkshakes. Hey, it was a vacation, right?
Saturday: Eric dropped us off at the Mall around 9:30 in the morning - and that's when Alainna started making her way through the amusement park. Alainna couldn't quite understand why we had to wait in line to go on the rides! She was so impatient and just wanted to run right up and jump on the next ride. While on the WonderPets Flyboat ride, she yelled out to me, "can I go on it again?" I cut her off at three times in a row on the flyboat.
While heading across the park to another ride, we couldn't believe what we saw - Dora the Explorer! Or, as Alainna told her brothers, "the real Dora!" Alainna waited in line (thankfully, there were only a few children in front of her, or I think she would have really lost it!) for her turn to meet Dora. She first gave Dora a big hug, and told her she watches her on TV. Then, Dora turned so Alainna could meet Map and Backpack - oh, my goodness! Then, true to form, I requested a picture with the two. Before we left, Alainna told Dora hello from her brothers William and Jack. We had to call Daddy right away to tell him about our brush with a celebrity!
Throughout the day, Alainna kept asking to go on the "log ride" with me. I made sure she understood there was a large drop at the end of the ride and she might be scared. "No, Mom, I won't be scared." After making sure she was tall enough to go on the ride, I bought my ticket and joined her in line. A girl behind us in line informed us that the rider in the front of the log would get wet. Alainna quickly volunteered to sit in the front of our log. She didn't exhibit any fear: until we started the ascent to the final drop.
"Hold onto my shoulders, Mommy!" She was scared. I really don't remember if she screamed because I was screaming.
But by the time our log splashed at the end of the ride, she was laughing. And so was I.
I was so surprised that my 4-year-old couldn't wait to go on the log ride again with her Daddy when he joined us later in the day.
I have a feeling as she gets older, and taller, Alainna will be the first in line for the crazy, twisting roller coasters Eric and I have enjoyed over the years.
As time allows, I will post the story of our very special lunch at the American Girl store on Saturday.
Posts
