Minnesota with Bates Family 2011

Reese was able to go on some of the rides so her parents and grandparents took turns going with her. Katie accompanied her on the Merry Go Round and I'm surprised that she didn't freak the heck out on there. Look at some of those giant, hideous animals! Things like that I guess I'll call it a bearwolf, are so frightening that I'm having nightmares just looking at it from afar. And how about that scary-ass bunny? No way I would go anywhere near it, let alone ride on it. Luckily Katie and Reese made the wise decision and chose a standard horse. Good selection.

The Nickelodeon Universe (formerly Camp Snoopy) in the Mall of America is pretty sweet. I'm not much for rides anymore seeing as how I can no longer fit on any of them, but back in my skinner days I rode the log ride here. And although there may be better and steeper log rides at Walt Disney World/Land and Six Flags parks this one is pretty amazing considering that it is inside a mall. Mike and Katie sure seemed to enjoy it because they didn't take into account that there were bigger log rides out there. Embrace what you have, not what you have not.

Most log rides are pretty similar. Travel through a chute of water with a couple of twists and turns and minor drops with one big payoff at the end. In fact I might even go so far as to say that they are all carbon copies of one another. But look! Look at how fun it is when they claim the big payday at the end! With their hands in the air, shouting in jubilation. I wish I knew what that feeling was like. But I never took the plunge, see. I was always content with kicking back and enjoying where I was at that given place in time.

Reese and Mason are super cute and I wish that I could hang out with them more often, that way they wouldn't be so weirded out by this large stranger. Ah who are we kidding? Even if I saw them every day they'd still think I'm crazy because in reality I am. At least then maybe they'd be used to it and we could play pretend and color in books and all sorts of goofy kid stuff. Seeing as how they live with their parents in Northern Minnesota it's not going to happen anytime soon but I'll keep dreaming. It never hurts to dream big.