How come I'm not in that picture?

Dan and I went on a date last night (I know, shocking, right??!?!?) and went to the movies.  (It was to celebrate our anniversary - 9 years!)  We took these photos for the girls because they really enjoyed the Trolls movie and are now enjoying the Trolls movie soundtrack.  We thought they'd get a kick out of them.

They actually weren't super impressed.  They were more so distracted because they wanted it to be their faces in the cutouts.  This is why we don't go on more dates.  We don't actually 'count' :)

The Dells

For MEA weekend, we took the girls to the Wisconsin Dells.  It's kind of like I imagined it would be - like Las Vegas only with candy and fun being the draw rather than gambling and shows.  The impulsivity of their target crowd is probably about the same - one from lack of development and the other from development gone wrong.

To be fair, the Dells off-season is much more palatable than I can imagine it would be at the height of summer.  Outdoor attractions, which garishly line the main strip, are closed down and appear only a ghostly shadow of their formidable selves.  Outside, there is no water splashing from great heights, lights spiraling and flashing, or overwhelming sounds of familial merriment.  And, I have to be fair, it IS a kid's paradise.

We loved our rental - the girls were most excited about the natural log bunk beds.

 

There were two, so each girl could have her own.

 

Settling in after a long drive.

 

The pretty lake view from the balconies.

 

Breakfast on the balcony.

 

 

 

Fun in the pool.

 

Horseback riding adventure!

 

 

   

 

These are the things we enjoyed and didn't photo document:  a full, fun day at the Kalahari water park - an ENORMOUS water park with so many different pools, slides, water rides, lazy rivers... it was amazing, and there were activities suitable for all ages.

We also visited Mr. Pancake, and waiting a ridiculous amount of time (in the off season!) for some nondescript pancakes.  (We pretended they were good, so the kids wouldn't feel crushed by the waste of perfectly good daylight hours.) And we met friends from here for dinner - they were up North too!  Their son is a year older than Piper and their daughter is a year older than Teagan.  We went to a restaurant that served your food on little trains that come around the tracks next to your table.  That was also a little anticlimactic, but the time with friends was fun, and the night was beautiful.

That's about it... we definitely crammed as much into our MEA weekend as possible. And we can cross the Dells off our list - we've been there!  Another Minnesota milestone for me :)