Trip to the Zoo

Last weekend we decided to take our first trip as a family of four to Minneapolis. Surprisingly, we had no major meltdowns- the boys did a great job even through exhaustion.

When we got there on Friday evening we had a little bit of time before dinner so we decided to go to build-a-bear for the first time. Ethan picked out a puppy for himself and also one for Bennett. He named his "Fluffy" and Bennett's he named "Puppy"- very original!:) Ethan really enjoyed the entire experience and Bennett enjoyed chewing on the tag of his puppy.

I realized as I was going through my pictures tonight that we hardly took any pictures of Bennett. Probably because he spent the majority of his time in our arms or in the stroller, but I still feel bad! So, the pictures that you see of him are just put in to balance out all of the ones of Ethan...they aren't necessarily good!:)

Bennett enjoyed watching the fluff machine...

Our first opportunity to meet Fluffy (which, by the way, has not taken the place of Baby- as also seen in the picture)
After the workshop we went to Rainforest Cafe where Ethan wanted to LIVE for the next three days. He LOVED the monkeys, wasn't a big fan of the thunder and lightning (neither was Bennett) and adored the tree frog man. I find this very strange...Ethan is typically the more shy, timid, and sensitive one in the family yet, he adores large characters that often scare little children. Bennett screams bloody murder when he sees one, yet, he will free fall backwards in his crib without flinching.

Ethan loved Lego Land. We played there for almost an hour while Adam tried to stroll Bennett around on Saturday to get him to nap...which wasn't going to happen, by the way- you would think we would at least know THAT about Bennett by now!:)

On Saturday morning we headed to the aquarium that is inside the mall. I would have to say that this was our favorite part of the trip. In fact, we came back again later on in the day because we enjoyed it so much.

Ethan loved seeing everything so up close...I did too! I was in awe of the beautiful creatures that God has created for us to enjoy.

Looking so grown up...

The sharks and sting rays were our favorite. Bennett loved the aquarium too. He could see everything right from his stroller as the fish swam over and around him.

Ethan had a hard time taking his eyes off of the fish and coral long enough for us to take a picture.

Again, large scary looking scuba mannequin that Ethan loved...

On Saturday afternoon we went to Como Zoo in St. Paul. It was so much fun! The weather was gorgeous and we got to see so many animals up close. Ethan's favorites to watch were the monkeys, giraffes, and the lions.

On Sunday morning we went over to the mall to hang out for a little while before lunch and heading home. We decided to let Ethan try out some rides for the first time. He had a blast.

Bennett enjoyed his graham crackers and the sunshine!

So cute...

The carousel was his very first ride. Here I am trying to convince him that he was going to live through it.

I know that was a long post- thanks for bearing with me!