city living . . . on steriods

As you know, we have been trying to pack in as much city life as we can. For one, it helps take my mind off everything that's going on, and two, it's super fun! Now, where did we leave off . . .

Ah, yes.

Wednesday:
Was my 33rd birthday and Carl's 35th birthday. Since we had already celebrated the night before and Carl had to work late, we didn't get a chance to do anything together on our real birthdays, which was totally fine,  especially under our circumstances. However, that didn't stop my mom and I from having a good day!

We started off the day with . . . what else? Boutique shopping!! We headed over to a baby boutique called "Pacifier", which I have wanted to go to since I was pregnant with Ella! It was a super cute little store filled with everything a mother would want.

I really should have bought these books...they look like they are loaded with good information :)

I even found a one-of-a-kind mobile for the baby's room! I had been looking for one like it for the last few months on etsy, so I was super pumped to find one. We also happened to stumble across a yarn store.  Now I know what your thinking . . . a yarn store? That's sounds boring . . . but, not in downtown Minneapolis :)

At 2:00, I had a baby appointment. They did another Biophysical Profile on the baby, and I was excited to find out that he scored 10 out of 10 points again! Yay baby!

Then it was off to "Cupcake" for a late lunch and . . . my birthday cupcake. This bakery was featured on the Food Network's "Cupcake Wars" . . .  and won.  Needless to say, the cupcakes were DELISH.

That night we wanted to take in a movie, and decided on "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" as our flick of choice.

Thursday:
We started off the day with a little light laundry (okay, my mom did most of it), and then headed out for a little more shopping and then out to lunch.  We had spotted a great shopping area called 50th and France that I didn't even know existed! Then mom took off for home - :( - and then my family came back - :)

We decided to hit up the Walker Art Center for a little while, since it was "free Thursday night".

It was an experience. To be honest, the art was a little on the "abstract" side for us "small town Adolphsons". After taking in some exhibits, we went out to see the Sculpture Garden.

Friday:
Carl had to work in the morning, so we girls had a quiet morning.  After lunch we went to the Edina Aquatic Center and had a TON of fun at the pool! (Yes, I managed to S-Q-U-E-E-Z-E myself into a maternity swim suit.  It wasn't pretty, but it sure felt good to slip into that cool water on that HOT day). The pool featured a zero-depth kiddie pool and play area, huge water slides, a big pirate ship that had a big zip line that went from the ship down to the pool, driving boards, and a massive swimming area. After the pool we made our way over to a local Subway to enjoy an easy dinner.

Saturday:
On Saturday morning we had a quick breakfast at the apartment before heading over to St. Paul to visit the Children's Museum. We were really excited because our friends the Johnston's were able to join us! :) We had no idea how much this museum had to offer! We were there from 10:30am to 3:00pm with a little lunch break about 1/2 way through.  The kids had a blast and were busy the whole time!

Jocie's sculpture

they even had a "paint your own face" booth

After our very busy day, we headed back to the apartment for dinner and a little women's gymnastics on the telly.

Sunday:
We started our day off with going to Mass at the Basilica.  This is yet another gorgeous church in the Twin Cities.  I didn't bring my camera this time, but trust me, it was just as beautiful as the St. Paul Cathedral. Then we headed back to the apartment for lunch and a little bit of a rest time.

In the afternoon, we checked out the cutest little bookstore over by Lake Harriet called Wild Rumpus.  It was chalk full of new books, vintage books, cozy little reading nooks, and even little pets that were just roaming around the store.  It was a pretty cool little place.

That night, my friends Nicole and Beth drove down to take me out to eat at the downtown restaurant, Hell's Kitchen. We had all heard a lot of good things about it, and none of us had ever eaten there. It was a fun little place with interesting decor and yummy food. Best of all, it was just fun to sit and visit, so thanks ladies for making the trip!

Monday:
I had to pack up the kids this morning to head back to Big Lake for the day.  They are mainly going back so they can pack up for there trip up north.  Since I will be soon transferring from the apartment to the hospital, Carl and I thought it would be fun for them to head north so they could spend some time in Argyle with Carl's parents and also spend a night with my mom at Maple Lake. Even though they have only been gone for a few hours, I am looking forward to having them back with me tonight before their big trip tomorrow.  I have never been away from my kids for 6 days before, so I am already dreading it. So I will try not to dwell on it and just have a good night with them tonight and try to remember that it will be fun for them! . . . just not so fun for me :(

The time has really flown by so far! I can only hope that it continues to do so!