Spring Break, Part II

The next part of our spring break was spent in the Twin Cities.  Mike still had hotel points from back in his travel days, so we used some of them to stay at a hotel in St. Paul on Friday and Saturday night.  We left Daphne behind – our neighbor took care of her – packed up the car and made our way to the hotel.  The kids loved the atrium in the lobby.  It was filled with trees, plants, a pond and ducks.  Sophia sneaked up on one and was able to pet its feathery head.   The kids checked out the pool and were happy to see that there was also a hot tub.  Our room was spacious and had a fridge, microwave and separate sleeping and living areas.  We had dinner at the hotel restaurant and swam afterwards.

Saturday was spent at the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory.  We looked at the plants and flowers at the conservatory first.  I wasn’t sure if the kids would like it, but they enjoyed it as much as Mike and I did.  I don’t know the names of half the flowers I photographed, so I will post these without descriptions.

On to the zoo…

Unique and beautiful plants, cool animals and souvenirs from the gift shop.  What could be better?  To be continued…

MCP Project 52 {Week 16}

Week 16 Theme ~ Furry Friends
 
I missed weeks 14 and 15 of Project 52 (my weekly photography project), but I did get last week’s photo.  Since we only have one furry pet in the family, Daphne was the subject of my photo.  When Sophia saw that I was taking photos of Daphne, she wanted to join in the fun.
 
Daphne And Sophia

 

In honor of the royal wedding, the next theme is “Princess for a Day”.  I’m pretty sure the only volunteer I’ll have for that one will be Sophia.  I have a feeling Daphne may be an unwilling participant too.  Stay tuned…

Creativity

I brought home a few promotional items from work this week.  A sales person was pitching their services to my boss and left behind items with their company logo.  I was given a choice between a can cozy, a small utility light and some stress-relieving yellow squishy guys.  I won the jackpot and ended up with the light and both of the squishy guys.  The kids always love that kind of stuff, for a little while anyway.  It’s like bringing home McDonald’s toys – it entertains them for a about five minutes, then ends up in a bin along with the ones from the previous visit to the place famous for its Big Macs.  This time Sebastian was out-of-town on his Wolf Ridge trip, so Sophia ended up with all the loot.  Plus she had a bonus – a big box from Kohl’s had arrived during the day.  Every kid loves big boxes.  The last one that we had was turned into a car with paper wheels and headlights, bumpers and a steering wheel.  Sophia thought the squishy guys and the light were pretty cool.  However, an hour later when she saw the box in the living room, she said, “Why didn’t you tell me we had a box?”.  I guess she was excited about all of the endless possibilities that lie ahead.  I was busy in the kitchen while she was busy in the living room with scissors, glue and coloring crayons.  She did poke her head in the kitchen for a moment to scope out some “building materials” from the recycle bin.  When she was all done she had created a soccer arena complete with two yellow squishy guy soccer players, a soccer ball made from paper, two goal posts and for when it gets dark out – the arena was equipped with an overhead light.  Check it out…

Sullivan Soccer Arena

 

Let The Game Begin

 

Bring It On Yellow Squishy Guy

 

Arena Lighting

 

Turning On The Light

 

Very impressive given the materials she had to work with.  It’s nice to see that kids can still be creative.