Live, Laugh, Love: Minnesota Trip

We recently took a trip back to Minnesota. Marc is from Minnesota and all his family lives there. This trip was a big deal for us because it was the first time we have been back since I was pregnant with Abby. She had never met Marc's brother, Tony, and his family. He has three kids, so we were excited for her to meet her cousins. She also got to meet her great grandma Bryand for the first time.

Abby had her very first airplane ride on the way there. She had a great time at the airport while we were waiting for our flight. We took lots of escalator and elevator rides. She did so great on the plane. I brought a big "bag of tricks" to entertain her and I didn't even need 90% of it. She just colored for most of the flight. She never once tried to get out of her seat (other than to sit on my lap to see out the window). The flight went GREAT and then she got to meet Uncle Tony and her cousin Tony Jr. when they picked us up from the airport. She was a little confused by the fact that there were two Tonys. I tried to explain that one was Uncle Tony and the other was just Tony. For the rest of the trip she called cousin Tony "Justony". It was cute.

Here are some pics from the airport and airplane....

After arriving, we headed Marc's Mom and Dad's house, where we would be staying. Marc grew up in that house and Abby slept in his room while we were there. We then headed out to eat and Abby got to meet Aunt Heidi (Tony's wife) and her other cousins, Taylor and Cory. After eating we went to a great little park where Cory had football practice. Abby was soooooo excited to be able to play outside at a park again. She played for a long time with Grandma and Taylor. I soooo enjoyed all the nice green grass and trees! I just LOVE all the grass and big trees in Minnesota.

I won't bore you with the details of everyday we were there, but we did do some fun things, so I will share those with you. There is an awesome park and zoo in Minnesota that is FREE! It was fun because Abby is finally at the age where she is starting to enjoy looking at the animals more.

Here are some pics from Como Zoo....

Auntie Heidi bought Abby and Taylor new shirts while we were there. Such cute matching cousins! Thanks Heidi!
Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Tony, Cory, Abby and Taylor

We took a day to rest the next day and then headed to Valley Fair, a great amusement park in Minnesota. We had tons of fun and there was so much stuff for Abby to do, which was a nice bonus because I really wasn't sure what to expect. Once she went on her first kiddie ride, she didn't want to stop. I think she went on more rides than anyone else. The Minnesota State Fair was going on while we were there, so Valley Fair was not very busy. It was great because we didn't have to wait in very many lines. A BIG thanks to Grandma who took Abby on rides so that Marc and I could enjoy some big people rides!

This was one of Abby's favorite ridesThis was her other favorite!Looking at the hot air balloon ride we were about to go on
Here we go! Abby not looking too sure about what is about to happen!Grandma, Me, and Abby (who was not a fan at all)

Here's one of "Justony", Grandpa, and Marc...

The rest of the days we pretty much spent just hanging out with family. We enjoyed a great day at Marc's Grandma's house. It was very cool for Abby to meet her Great Grandma. We got to enjoy some her her fabulous cooking. I had the best Mexican feast ever! Homemade tortillas are the best.

Here is a picture of 4 generations of Bryands.

We enjoyed 8 days in Minnesota. The first few days were great because the weather was so nice. Then it got hot and humid. I was hoping we could escape the heat the whole time we were there, but it didn't quite work out that way. We still enjoyed a lot of time outside though, which was so nice. I know I already said it, but I seriously love all the grass and big green trees. If it weren't for the winters, Minnesota would be perfect! Can you tell I have lived in the desert all my life and am tired of it?
Abby did pretty well on our trip. She was very 2 and clingy while we were there, making some days hard, but I suppose it could have been much worse. She didn't have a nap for 5 days in a row, which certainly didn't help anything. I guess I was just hoping for a little more of a break with so much family around willing to help. Abby just had different ideas. She wanted all mommy all the time. She has been going through a separation anxiety phase all over again. I know, I know...I will look back someday fondly on the days when she wanted to hang out with me.

Enjoying the weather and grass in the back yard