Minneapolis

I had the wonderful opportunity to fly out last Saturday to see my Younger sister, her new baby, Dominic, and my mother who flew in to help her. I was so thankful for how the trip worked out, how God provided for us, and the timing was perfect. I always hate leaving Richard and it is a lot of work to travel with my 2 boys by myself, but it was all totally worth it! 

Grammie and her newest Grandson

We had a direct flight to MN and I was so thankful for that. The boys did relatively ok but didn't sleep at all. Carson had to go to the bathroom once, but the nice stewardess was helpful and held Landon for me. (boy did not realize how tiny those bathroom are until you try to take a toddler in there with you!). 

Grammie with her 2nd youngest Grandson

Sweet, sweet Dominic!

So while we were there, we had a great time galavanting all around. We went out to eat to my  mom's favorite Olive Garden and a cool French Bakery place. We had Caribou coffee often and really Lived IT UP! :) My sister lives 2 miles from the mall of America and an IKEA. So you guessed it, we spent a lot of time there. :) I could not get over how HUGE the MofA is!!!!  So HUMUNGOUS! We could've walked around there forever it felt like. There was so much to see and do for the boys. it was a lot of fun.

 They had a whole lego place that they boys loved right beside the amusement park. Carson kept going back and forth from playing with legos to looking at the "trains" (rollercoasters) that kept zooming by us.

 

Landon loved all the baby things to cra

Carson's "nap" time :)

The boys got very little sleep the whole trip. And we all know how that aids to toddlerhood "tantrums". But we survived. I was so happy when they fell asleep in the stroller so we could shop longer. Basically the only naps they got was in the car rides or the stroller, so we made sure to take our time walking around IKEA to ensure a good long nap. :)

They flights back weren't as smooth as on the way there. The boys were very tired and mommy was tired. I could go on about how figitey a 1 year old is on your lap and how hard airports are when they are crowded and only snack foods all day for the boys, but when I step back and think about it, overall it went as good as can be expected. I had nice men sitting next to me each plane ride, and the last one (which the boys did the worst on) he was the nicest and most helpful. Carson obeyed through security, and on and off the planes which is when I really needed him to stay with me and pay attention. (since at those times he was not strapped into stroller). And even the delays that seemed annoying, turned out better in the long run. So overall a good trip.

But needless to say I was a tired momma falling into Richard's arms at the airport. I literally brought one sleeping baby inside the house and went straight to bed, while Richard brought the rest of the stuff in. Thank goodness for men. :)
It was wonderful to see my sister and see the new baby, and see her in her new role as a mother. She will be the best mother for Dominic and I'm so happy for her to experience the joys and intense love and emotion of motherhood.

Now tomorrow is my big 10 K race! I was not able to train the last 2 weeks as much as I would've liked. :( Up until last week, i was training well and felt good about the race, but since then it's been up and down. I did run 2 times while in MN for about 4 and half miles at a good pace. So let's hope that keeps me going during the race. I will admit I'm a little burnt out from running and look forward to the break when this race is done. I have high goals set for the race, and I'm nervous about meeting them. But in the end, it's all about enjoyment, so I need to try to keep my focus on enjoying it. Don't worry - I'll be sure to let you all know how it goes. :)
Meanwhile - gotta get the boys taken care of and our lives back in order from the trip. boys need some serious restful activities. (who am I kidding, momma needs that more :) )