Thursday, August 30, 2012

Our Minnesota Trip: {Part One}

This will only be a two part series so that I don't overwhelm with photos :)
Also, Jillian does indeed have a cold. More than anything, I want her to feel better. It is hard knowing that you can't do much aside from making your baby as comfortable as possible. I would hold her all day if it made her better! She does seem to have improved since yesterday which is a good sign!

Even though Phil stayed home for most of our trip, I don't really like to advertise we're going to be gone. It is safety issue with me. However, I was SO happy to go spend time with my folks for a week! I try to go as close to my mom's birthday as I can. This year, her birthday just so happened to be the week we closed on and moved into our house. Since I was a little busy, I had to wait to go.

Phil took Friday off and we drove to Kansas City to meet my folks. KC is about a 5-1/2 hour trip for us and a 7 hour trip for my parents. With family in town, it's an easy place to stop and spend the night. I have driven the entire trip alone, but I doubt Jillian will be ready for that anytime soon. Before we left, I wanted a quick picture with my girl :)
{It was game day in KC so we were showing our support for the Royals!}

We stayed with one of our family members. Phil's birthday gift from my folks were tickets to a Royals game, and this was the first one we could manage. We were going to go with my dad, but my uncle expressed interest in going. I decided to let the boys have a night out and stayed home with the girls. The Royals even won their game! {We have a family curse that they lose the few times we go to a game at Kauffman stadium. I mean, I can count on one hand the number of times they've won when I attended a home game.}

In order to save a little space in the car, (since babies require TONS of stuff), I took Jillian's inflatable ducky tub to use for her nightly baths. Our first night on the road was her first time to use it.
{She eventually warmed up to it. I think the quacking threw her off HAHA}

The next day, we said goodbye to Phil as he headed home and we went north. We got to my parents' house around dinner time on Saturday. Jillian and I did go to my mom's church in Wisconsin and I sang an impromptu solo during service on Sunday morning. We then spent the next 24 hours just relaxing and recovering from our car ride. 

Monday morning, we had a fun filled day planned! First, we got Jillian dressed and ready to go after her morning nap...
{Hanging out with the dog}

{Story time with Jemma}

Then we went to a place for lunch called Java Train Cafe!
{We were sitting outside, but were chased in by a bee who wouldn't take "no" for an answer! This is After we finished eating and Jillian needed a little amusement. She looks like such a big girl!}

Then we headed to the Como Park Zoo! It was a great place to go on such a nice day. The best part? This zoo is the perfect size for little kids! We got to see all of the animals inside. 
{This is as easy as it looks with an 8 month old}

 {Jillian and the Polar Bear paw mold}

{Attempting to point out the giraffe as Jillian makes faces in the wind. This is how most of the zoo went, but we still had fun ;)}

Due to a meeting he had, we had a girl dinner that turned into a vegetarian meal! We had a baked acorn squash, (thanks to the amazing Pioneer Woman!), salad, corn on the cob, and bread. Very yummy! Once dad got home, we did our own taste test of the Ben & Jerry's flavors inspired by Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert. Although both a good, (and somewhat similar), I preferred Jimmy's while my folks liked Colbert's. {Jillian did not have any, but we described the deliciousness to her.}

The next day, we had a relaxing morning at home. Jillian discovered the tall mirror at the house and was just having a blast!
{Look at that cute baby!}

We had a great lunch at a local bakery and walked around downtown. My dad came home a little early and we introduced Jillian to her kiddie pool!
 {Here we go! She wasn't too sure at first...}

{but after Jemma showed off some toys,}

 {she was a little more excited.}

 {Then she figured out you can splash just like in the bath tub!}

{Quite a successful first time in the pool :)}

After we got a dried off, my dad and I went on a daddy-daughter date! He is always so busy and I wanted to spend a little time with him. What can I say? I'm a daddy's girl through and through :) We saw The Dark Knight Rises, then had dinner at Chili's. I had a blast and I think he did too!

To be continued...

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