Mini Vacation and The Weekly Chase

What a weekend! We took a "mini vacation" over the weekend with my family and had a lot of fun. On Friday we met my mom in Rochester, MN where we ate at Noodle and Co. It was a first time eating there for all of us and it was really good! The boys loved the mac and cheese and said that we need to eat there again. After that we did a little (maybe more than a little if you ask all of the boys) shopping and had a treat at Cherry Berry (another first for my mom) before heading onto Minneapolis, MN to meet up with the rest of the family for the weekend.

We got checked into our hotel and met my brother and his family at Fuddruckers for dinner. This was another new experience for all of us but everyone loved it. After visiting for a bit we headed to the hotel so we could get some time in the pool before bed.

Saturday we were off to the Minnesota Zoo! This was the first visit to the zoo for both of the little ones and they were excited! The weather was perfect and we had a great time exploring the zoo!

Our family at the zoo!
Thank you to the kind stranger who took our picture!
He wanted to make sure to get all of the dolphins in:)

Grandma's first "trip" with the grand kids.

Here are some of our favorite pictures from the day at the zoo:

 

 

Highlights of the day:

 

The Butterfly Garden

The Dinosaur exhibit

The kids feeding the Giraffe

And....

 

Watching the baby Snow Monkeys

 

After the zoo we thought it was only fitting to finish the day off with dinner at the Rainforest Café in the Mall of America! We ended up separated due to the length of the wait to all sit together. Aidan wasn't sure about the "thunderstorms" or the décor of the Rainforest Café but everyone loved the food! Since we had done pretty good on the eating for the day we opted to share the "volcano" for dessert- you have to splurge once in a while right?

 

 

After dinner we had to find the important stores before leaving the Mall of America- Lego, Athleta, and Lululemon! The boys each got a new small Lego set and I walked away with lots on my wish list from my stores! After that we were all exhausted and were ready for bed!

 

Sunday we hit the pool one last time before we needed to check out. We had "brunch" at a nearby Denny's and then made quick stops at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods before going our separate ways and heading home. It was a great weekend and a nice "mini vacation" for our family!

 

Yesterday was a little crazy and then I had to work so I missed getting my Weekly Chase report done! Here I am today to let you know how last week's goals went and set some goals for this week! I may be a day late but- better late than never!

Here are last week's goals:
Run at least 3 times Done! 3.1 miles on Monday, 3.1 miles on Tuesday, and 4.36 miles on Thursday

Bike 3 times Almost! 8 miles on Monday and 5 miles on Wednesday

2 strength training sessions Done!

2 core workouts Done!

Try one new healthy recipe Yep! We tried a new baked chicken recipe and it was a hit with everyone! We took chicken breasts and dipped them in light ranch dressing and then rolled them in Panko, placed them in a baking dish and popped it into the oven. It was so easy and the boys all loved it! We also had sautéed zucchini and  had fresh strawberries with it. The boys wouldn't try the zucchini but I was happy with them trying the chicken and loving it. Maybe next time we will get them to try the zucchini! Progress:)

Do something active with my boys each day SUCCESS!!

3 blog posts (with one being an update on my ear/neck) Still only got in 2 posts but I did get in my update on my ear/neck!

Report back on The Weekly Chase on MONDAY!  Fail! I am reporting back but I am doing so a day late:(

 

Here are my goals for this week:

Run at least 3 times

Bike 3 times

3 strength training sessions

3 core workouts

Try one new healthy recipe

3 blog posts

Read with the boys for at least 15 minutes each day

Report back on The Weekly Chase on MONDAY!!

 

 

What did you do over the weekend?

 

What is your favorite animal to see at the zoo? Monkey and Giraffe for me

 

What are you goals for this week?