Mall of America and the Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men

 Our Thanksgivings have really evolved over the years and this yet again we thought we'd try something new. Logan and Krystal invited us to meet up at the Mall of America to do some holiday shopping. In the end they weren't able to make it, although we were able to connect with Hunter and Harley for a bit. You know what they say- the best laid plans of mice and men always go awry. 

We had fun despite the change of plans and it really was nice to try something new! As promised, the mall was pretty much deserted but all the Black Friday deals were already in place. It was ideal for Christmas shopping. Brigitta and Ireland were excited to see Liesel and Sydney's reaction to the sheer size of the place.

The first purchase was new shoes for Sydney because she wore the only pair she brought to the pool the night before and they had been thrown out. We briefly considered just letting her walk around in socks. We were staying at the Radisson which is actually connected to the Mall of America and it is an indoor mall after all! However, a mall of that size requires a lot of walking and we quickly realized it wasn't feasible. To be fair, the shoes she left at the pool were pretty worn and she was due for a new pair. A kids shoe store wasn't far from the entrance and lots of them were on sale!

The MnM store was right by the theme park in the middle of the mall. We never did any rides, focusing instead on the shopping, but there were some fun photos ops. 

Gita was annoyed we didn't buy any MnM's.

It was good to hug Hunter and Harley. We've all be in the trenches lately and there's something about actually pressing hearts together rather than sending a text. 

Pretty lights and cute (new) shoes!

While we never actually ate at Bubba Gump's. we took advantage of the Forrest Gump photo op!

We tried a few different places to eat but Sugar Factory was definitely a hit. We skipped the regular food and went straight for the famous shakes. This is the Cookie Monster which had cookies and cream ice cream blended with vanilla sauce, whipped cream, a blue glazed donut, chocolate chip cookie, a blue frosted cupcake served in a chocolate covered mug with chocolate chip pieces. Usually the girls fight over food but this was plenty to satiate all four of them!

Again, many photo ops in that cute place!

Liesel and Ireland had wrapped up their shopping and it just so happens Mall of America has a theater in it. They hadn't yet seen Wicked so they pealed off to take in a show while I finished up with the little girls. 

Mall of America is closed on Thanksgiving and that's when we headed home. Before leaving, Gita wanted photos at some cute spots. 

This cool chair is in the lobby next to a roaring fire which was lovely because it was really cold!

My favorite memory was actually on the drive home. We'd pulled over to gas up and a family had just met up in the parking lot. There were hugs all around and I said, "I'll give you $1 if you can get one of those people to hug you." Liesel challenged me right away, "I think that's worth more like $15- no, $20!" At this point I really wanted to see someone try so I agreed to the $20. Ireland was next to me in the front and she slowly opened her door. 

"No, nononononono, NOOOOO!" Liesel furiously whispered as Ireland slid out of the car. She even grabbed the hood of her hoodie in a futile attempt to keep her from approaching the strangers. Undeterred, Ireland got out and walked towards the family. She approached a girl about her age, said something and the girl gave her a big hug. 

Back in the car, we all cheered and laughed. Ireland came back to the car and in complete amazement I said, "What did you say to her?"

"I just said I saw them all hugging and needed a hug. So she gave me a hug!" 

I was so insanely proud of Ireland for her courage, creativity and gentleness. I do these little $1 challenges to get the girls to step outside of their comfort zone and Ireland absolutely nailed it!