Water slides and theme parks

On our family vacation this summer, we (re)discovered a fun part of traveling...water slides and theme parks. We decided to camp in a tent for most of our trip, but for one night, we splurged and spent the night in a hotel. It was in Fargo, North Dakota and the big draw for this Ramada Inn was the 150 foot water slide. After a long day of driving, it was so much fun to swish around on a fast slide and swim in a big pool! It was Ellie's first time on a water slide and she had a great time!! We felt like we were living in luxury with plush beds and a fancy bathroom (compared to the middle-of-the-night trips to the bath house at the campground). So, we definitely enjoyed our night at the Ramada!

On our way through Minneapolis, we stopped at the Mall of America to see Dora the Explorer and all of her friends at Nickelodeon Universe. What a blast!! Michael and I were expecting all kiddie rides (which there were plenty of), but there were a couple of roller coasters and some fun parent-friendly rides too. I'm including some pictures from our afternoon at the Nickelodeon Universe. If you're ever near the Twin Cities with kids, I recommend it!