Chris likes to joke that my mom & I have to go to Minneapolis shopping every time it blizzards. While it is true that once we rented a 4-wheel drive vehicle to make the trek safer during a storm, that is an exception and not the rule.
Friday we headed to Minneapolis for the weekend to celebrate my mom's birthday and just get-way from it all. We checked the roads in IA and they were ok, so we headed up despite the recent snow storm. It didn't help that Gap Outlet sent my mom an AWESOME coupon the day before, so we were pretty dead-set on going. It took us 7.5 hours to get to our hotel. The radio said it was the worst roads in Minnesota in 25 years. I-35 southbound was closed, but northbound was open so slow & steady, we made it. Thank goodness for the DVD player in Chris' vehicle & my epic snack packing, Zach even enjoyed the ride.
Once we got there, everything was great. The boys had a blast swimming at the pool. We shopped at IKEA, the Mall of America, Macy's, and Duluth Trading Co.
Zach has a very special stuffed dog from our last trip to IKEA named Spot. I have no idea why he latched on to this particular dog, but it goes almost everywhere Zach goes. The funny thing is it was $4.99 and nothing special, but to Zach he is a great friend. We went to IKEA on a mission to find Spot a brother. We ended up with a dog named Fuzzy & a moose appropriately named Moose. Zach was in heaven and it make the whole debacle getting there worth it!
Chris & I have started a new Thursday tradition. Since we VERY rarely go on dates, we now try to have a lunch-date every Thursday at Jethro's in Johnston. The boneless wings are half-price and you get enough for 2 lunches with each meal. It is quite the steal. This particular Thursday Pioneer decided to close at 1pm and Zach's school was cancelled due to the weather so our lunch date was off. Once I picked Zach up, we decided to go to Jethro's in Ankeny for our own date! Their mac 'n cheese is now Zach's #2 favorite of all time (forever behind Noodle Zoo's). Due to the storm, we were just about the only people in there. It was a great adventure and made Daddy a little jealous to be stuck at work wing-less.
Kids say the darndest things...
I had Monday off for President's Day so before dropping Zach off at preschool, we had a special lunch at McDonald's. Half-way through our meal, Zach had to go to the bathroom. I took him into the woman's bathroom and went into the stall with him. He still needs help snapping his jeans. There were a handful of other women in the bathroom at the time. Mid-stream, Zach says in his proudest loud voice, "Wow, my balls sure look good today!" I immediately heard snickers outside of our stall. I wanted to die of embarrassment. Needless to say, we had a long discussion about appropriate conversations later. Got to love that boy of mine!
Friday night we had the Huntrods over to our house for prime rib to celebrate my mom's 60th birthday. I was too busy "hostess-ing" to remember to take any pictures, but we got out our wedding china (for the first time ever!) and had a really nice Valentine's/birthday meal. We celebrated one more time Sunday night at Fong's pizza. The crab rangoon pizza is amazing! Since it was a celebration, we had to get the birthday girl (holding up a 6 for 60) a kamikaze shot, complete with helmet. Happy birthday Mom! We love you!
Happy Valentine's Day from my little heart breaker! Cupid brought him a "wrestle man" and straw glasses to help celebrate...what a weird combination!
Saturday was Zach's last Little Dunkers basketball game. He had a great time and learned a lot about basketball! Go Pacers!
Zach has gotten really into NFL football and the playoffs, so it only made sense to celebrate his birthday with a Super Bowl party! We had a great time with the Huntrod(s) family watching the game, the commercials, and our little man dance to the half-time performance. You know it was a good party when the guest of honor had to be carried home asleep. Thank you to everyone who helped celebrate Zach turning 5. We love you all!
February 1st was Baconfest at the fairgrounds. We had a great time and ate a TON of bacon & bacon-related food. Chris even got his picture with Hacksaw Jim Duggan!
