Or "Sota" as Levi would say.
I'm going to preface this post by saying that I realize it should've been broken up into several posts...Between computer issues and going back to school, it's taken me a couple of weeks to finish this, so it's staying just the way it is! :)
A couple of weeks (or a month...) ago, we headed up north to visit the Twin Cities and to celebrate Mat's 30th birthday. We had a house on the St. Croix river to call home for the weekend, and it was amazing- beautiful, scenic views of the river, a deck with comfy seating, and even a kids room complete with a pack 'n play and toys! (This made packing a little bit easier).
The view from our deck.
I have to say that I was terrified of the flight and how we would manage our very active, very independent little guy. I researched, read blogs, and bought new toys and snacks that I thought would entertain him. The two things that made Levi the happiest on our trip up there: Mat's seat and his seatbelt. Mat made the mistake of getting up for a few minutes, and when he came back, Levi looked at him and said, "Webi's seat."
We stayed busy the entire time we were there! We made it back to the house each day for nap time (for Levi and some of the adults!), but we definitely pushed Levi to the limit every day. He did so great though! A few of the highlights of our trip:
- We spent some time hiking at Willow River state park (in Wisconsin). We took a 2 mile trail up to a beautiful waterfall. Levi made all the way (with a few rides from Uncle Clayton and Mat). He enjoyed making stops to dig for rocks or pick up sticks. We were all tired by the time we got back to the car!
One...two...threeeeeee!
- We took a boat ride down the Mississippi River. It was a laid-back evening, and we really enjoyed getting to see some of St. Paul.
- Levi tried his first salsa on the boat too! He kept reaching for it, and I tried to tell him he wouldn't like because it would be too hot. I was wrong! Grandad gave him a bite, and he loved it! He ended up eating
handfuls of it out of our bowl.
- Of course we made a trip to see the capitol building. It was under construction (and the state was closed!) so we couldn't go inside and see it, but we were there and got a picture!
- The next day we spent some time at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. The temperatures were not as cool as we'd hoped they would be, but it was nice to let Levi have a chance to run around and explore. There were some neat things to see and beautiful flowers. (It's amazing what some rain will do for your plants!)
- One of the main reasons Mat chose the Twin Cities was to visit Target Field, home of the Minnesota Twins! The weathermen were forecasting several storms the day of the game, so we were worried we wouldn't get to see the stadium! Luckily the storms went around us and ended up cooling things off considerably which made spending the afternoon outdoors much nicer!
Levi did ok...9 innings is a long time to ask a toddler to sit in a seat. Mat took him and walked him around for a little while which helped get some of Levi's wiggles out. Mat said as soon as they got down the stairs, Levi spotted a Mickey Mouse figure that apparently he needed. Mat told him that it was behind the glass, but Levi knew better than that! He looked at Mat and screamed, "Wallet! Money!" and tried reaching for Mat's back pocket. Levi ended up getting his Mickey, but almost as soon as we took him out of the box, Levi threw him on the ground and smashed him into a couple of pieces. Mickey is now mended and sitting high on a shelf in Levi's room. :)
Levi was exhausted when we left. He was almost asleep in my arms before we made it out of the park. I started singing "Jesus Loves Me" to him, but whenever I would stop, he would sit up, scream "JESUS" and then lay his head back down on my shoulder. It was a challenging afternoon, but I'm so glad we were able to go and make it through the entire game!
We took a couple of short road trips to Chippewa Falls and to Stillwater to do some sightseeing and also ate at some delicious restaurants! We went to the Mall of America on our way to the airport on Sunday. Levi rode his first carousel and loved it, but he was most fascinated watching the top of his horse trying to figure out how it worked. :)
Our trip home was a little bit easier for a few reasons- Uncle Clayton and Aunt Marilee sat in front of us and didn't complain when they suddenly had a toddler patting them on the head or kicking their seats. Levi was also exhausted and slept for the last hour or so of the flight.
We loved our trip to Minnesota, but we missed having the whole family there. We're looking forward to the next Kelso Family Vacation that we are all able to enjoy!
P.S.- Thanks Mar and Clayton for sharing your pictures with me!
