the girls and i met Nana Dianne up in Mpls. on Thursday afternoon for a fun girls weekend!!! it was so nice to get away and have tons of fun!!!

after we arrived and got checked into our hotel, we had lunch and then took off for the Mall of America!!!

Avery (says she) had never been on an escalator before, so she was so pumped when she saw one! She had to go right on up with Nana Dianne and check it out!


she was so proud of herself, and she now thinks that escalators are soooo much fun!


after that, we went to the Underwater Adventures. the price was outrageous, but we had a great time!

look at how close we were to sharks!


and this is a belly of a sting-ray....one of the coolest things ever.... who knew they had 2 faces? :)


the girls were cautious at first, but came around. i guess it's a little scary for creatures to be swimming around on both sides and above you! :)


Liv loved the sea-horses....


"look....a dah!" (look, right there!)


there was an aquarium there that was made to look like the aquarium from the dentist's office in Finding Nemo....very cool, and we got to see the "real" characters from the movie!


they market it soooo good....a gift store right at the end, where you can't leave unless you go right through it!!! Livie did end up getting a Nemo....just not this huge one she wanted!


there was a fun play area towards the end, and that seemed to be the girls' favorite part...




my little treasures... (ha ha ha....cheezy....ha ha ha)






Next up.....the American Girl store!!!! the MAIN reason we came to the Mall of America!



Avery just couldn't believe her eyes. There were dolls everywhere, accessories, clothing...you name it, it was there..... "it was more than I imagined", was her comment after seeing it!


a little girls' paradise!!! here she is posing with Kirsten dolls!


Liv had fun too. She got a star sticker from a worker and decided to stick it on her head and do a little modeling.....


Livie played a bit in the Bitty Baby/Twins nursery at the store. I was tempted to get her a doll as well, but then realize that $55 for a baby doll is a tad ridiculous....especially for a 2 1/2 year old.


outside of the American Girl Store, was Lenny from the Wonder Pets!!!!! Avery went right on up to him, but Liv was a bit more hesitant....


after big sister showed her it was okay, Liv decided to go a bit closer....


and decided to pose for a photo!


we decided to go back to the Underwater Aquarium again, just to get our moneys worth....we kind of sped through it this time.....


Liv loved the escalator moving things that you stood on.....


she just decided to sit down and let it take her for a ride!!! silly girl!


after we were done at the mall, we packed up and headed back to the hotel for some swimming! If you follow me on twitter you'll see that I shared the news that Avery decided, on her own, to learn how to put her face in the water. It started slowly with just her mouth, and then she worked her way up to her nose. Slowly she ended up, before the weekend was over, going the WHOLE WAY under the water for a total of 8 seconds....we are soooo proud!

stay tuned for more photos.....i thought maybe 25 photos was enough for one post.... :)