Day 1:
We drove 11 hours with only a few stops in between. Arista did really well the entire time, but was ready to get out and stretch once we arrived. I spent half the time up front and half the time entertaining Arista. Sometimes all she needed was her leopard blanky and binky.
Arista loved Brian immediately. When no one else could get Arista to sleep he came to the rescue.
Day 2:
We woke up and went to the McDonald's playland, which was the coolest McDonald's we have seen! After a yummy lunch Erika and I went and saw the new Alice in Wonderland movie while Chris watched the kiddos. Ethan gave Arista her first tattoo on her foot, and she loved it!
That night we had an awesome Family Night about the Word of Wisdom, and the kids all danced for us. It was a hoot! We ended the night watching the movie 2012. It was such a fun day!
Day 3:
This was our favorite day! We woke up and headed straight for the Mall of America! We bought all day passes to the amusement park there. I went on a very rocky roller coaster and had to sit out for a while, but enjoyed watching everyone else go on rides.
We went to their indoor aquarium, and LOVED it. It was so cool to see all the sharks and fish. Arista thought it was very cool.
After a few hours of fun the Hogges left and Chris, Arista and I went to the American Girl store. We purchased Arista her first baby doll. We think they look pretty similar. We can't wait to go back when she is older and make another one. We then went to the Barbie store and found out that it was Barbie's Birthday! They had a beautiful $3 Barbie, so we got one for Megan and Arista. After shopping around for a few hours Brian and Ethan came back for more fun. We rode more rides and were exhausted from such a fun filled day. We ended the day watching the movie "Up in the Air". We cannot wait to go back to that Mall someday. It is a shoppers dream!
Day 4:
We slept in and then went ice skating. Erika is such an awesome Mom, and let her kids skip school to spend the day with us! The Hogge kids are such good little skaters, they made me look like a baby! I held onto the side for a while and then braved it up and held Chris' hand across the rink and back. Chris is a great skater!
After skating Erika, Megan and I went and got pedicures. It was so fun to see Megan get her little toes painted green with white "grass" as she called it.
Chris and the boys watched Arista while we were out. Ethan and Ashton loved feeding and holding Arista. They are such great helpers!
Later that night Megan and Arista played together in the tub. It was so cute! Arista just loves Megan.
Day 5:
We woke up and Megan laid next to Arista on the floor, and they watched cartoons together, it was so sweet.
We went back to the Mall of America to purchase a pair of Jessica Simpson shoes I loved. Sadly they were gone when we got there. Brian met us there and then we went back to the house and played games. That night we took Brian and Erika out to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. It was so yummy! Then Erika and I went to her friend's volleyball game. We ended the night eating Cheesecake and watching shows.
Day 6:
We woke up and packed, and then said goodbye to our dear friends. Megan and Owen wanted to hold Arista one more time before we left. We are sure going to miss them!
It took us quite a while to drive back home. Arista wanted nothing to do with the car, and we made frequent stops. We pulled into Lansing around midnight, and were so glad to get out of the car. The long drive was completely worth it. We had such a great week, and can't wait to see our friends again. We love you!
Our Spring Break week ended with Chris and I going out on a date Saturday night. Our friends Branden and Breezy were so nice to watch Arista for us, so we could have a much needed date night. We ate at Chili's, walked around the Meridian Mall, and then went and saw "Remember Me". It was so fun to be able to talk and relax with each other, while knowing Arista was being taken care of. Arista did great, and we are so grateful to our friends for taking such great care of her.
9 comments:
Looks like a fun week! There's nothing like having great friends.
We ABSOLUTELY ADORE you guys! Thank you SO, SO MUCH for driving out. I know how hard it can be to drive for hours and hours with babies, so THANK YOU!
Arista is incredible! She’s just a beautiful, beautiful baby - so good natured, and smiley! She’s a little doll and I can't wait to watch her get even more adorable over time! Remember, I have three boys I'm *trying* to raise properly. You have your pick, Princess! :)
We love you Chris & Rylie! You ARE family! Let's do it again soon! :)
I'm so glad you guys had such a fun week!! It looks like a blast! And the aquarium at Mall of America is awesome, I try to go every time I'm in MN (which is about once a year). Glad you're back even though you'll be taking off again in a couple of days!
I have got to see this mall you talked about! It sounds so stinkin cool! Thanks for lettin us babysit it was so much fun Arista is absolutely precious we had a blast.
How fun! Looks like you guys had a great trip!
Oh how fun! I'm so glad you guys enjoyed your spring break. It's good to see Erika in these pics. I miss her. Arista is SO cute in these pics. She's so smiley ;)
Oh my goodness what a fun time! I can't believe how big and how stinkin' beautiful Arista is! She just glows!
Of course you & Chris & Arista are always cute, but it was so nice to see pix of the Hogges. Their kids have grown amazingly. Glad you all had such a fun time.
What a fun trip! The Hogges are an awesome family and I miss them. It looks like Arista did an awesome job on this big trip, what a sweet baby!
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