Splash pad!

This Sunday, it was hot and muggy. Like over 90 degrees, with the kind of midwestern humidity where you just know that there's going to be gigantic thunderstorms later in the day (there were), and you can't wait for it to start raining because then it won't be so crazy humid outside. The girls and I thought, what's more fun on a hot and humid day than playing in the water? So off we went to the Minnesota Zoo, to check out their splash pad, which just opened for the summer.

When we got there, the fountains weren't on yet. So we went to the little playground nearby, called "Woodland Adventures."

Ella was a spider...

 And Maisie was a turtle.

We did that for a while, and had a little snack. And then it was time to play at the splash pad! The girls changed into their swimsuits, and were off. The next hour and a half was spent like this:

The girls loved it, and I did too. I ran into a friend whose kids were also splashing in the water, so we got to chat while the kids played. And both girls were tuckered out from 90 minutes of solid running!

This is definitely getting added to our list of fun things to do on a crazy hot day. We'll be back!

Hammock time

Poor Ella was sick yesterday - very low-energy, and running a little fever. Normally the girls have swim lessons on Tuesday, but there was no way she was up for it (plus we didn't want to get anyone else sick!). So Aaron took Maisie to swimming, and Ellie and I hung around at home. It was really nice out, so we sat and swung in the hammock, and took some pictures of ourselves with my phone.

Silly Ellie:

 Sick, sad, and snuggly E:

 This next one has us doing what Ella calls "monster teeth"... you jut out your lower jaw, show your bottom teeth, and go RRRRR!!!!!! like a monster.

 Monster teeth for me, pouty face for her!

A happier looking Ella... I really like this last picture.

Mother's Day

I had a WONDERFUL mother's day! It was an absolutely beautiful day - sunny and not too hot. I wanted to get outside, so in the morning we went to beautiful Minnehaha Falls. Here's the view from the top of the falls:

And here's the falls from the bottom!

We spent about an hour and a half "hiking" (walking, really; it was easy going!) around the falls. It was so beautiful and so fun. The girls spent a lot of time looking for interesting rocks... Ella managed to fill her pockets!

Part of the trail goes through a really swampy area that has a raised metal walkway through it.

It was cooler and pretty, but the ground was so wet and boggy. It was nice now, in May, but I bet it'll be mosquito central before too long. I'm glad we got in there before that happens!

On the way back, we stopped to splash around in the water for a little while and look for more interesting rocks.

Just about the ONLY thing I didn't like on our hike was the "army worms" (a.k.a. tent caterpillars) that were EVERYWHERE. GROSS! I remember these things from when I was little - we used to have to wrap the trunk of our apple tree in tin foil so that the army worms didn't totally decimate it.

The girls of course were just in love with them and kept going "Look! Caterpillar! Awww.... cute! Look, here's another!" I was like, yeah, there is no shortage of these things, you guys. Ella had a stick that she kept waving around, calling it her "caterpillar finder." The idea of dowsing for caterpillars made me laugh.

Anyway! After our hike it was time for lunch! We went to one of my absolute favorite restaurants, conveniently located at the top of the Falls: Sea Salt!

If you haven't been - it's delicious. I had a crab cake basket - the best crab cake in Minneapolis. Aaron had a grilled catfish po' boy, and the girls had fish baskets. SO YUM.

While we waited for our food, we checked out the rock samples we collected. Here are Maisie's finds:

And here's Ella's. Turns out she had a pocket full of little limestone pebbles. Not the most interesting geology, but she was happy with them!

After lunch, and naps, we'd planned on going to the rescheduled May Day parade & celebration at Powderhorn Park. But the girls were experiencing some tummy issues, so we decided to stick closer to home in case of urgent bathroom needs. They played outside while I did some yard work I'd been wanting to get done for a while.

It was wonderful, and exactly how I wanted to spend my Mother's Day!

I mustache you a question...

Who could this be? She's in disguise thanks to Grandma Jo...

Morning cuteness

Good morning!