St Louis

So we did end up taking a small little vacation this summer.  Woody called it "part of my birthday present", which really means, "I was to see a Cardinals game. I'll buy you a beer!"

My parents went with us, added bonus.  We opted to go to the Gateway Arch for this trip's adventure. We had to pick one since we only stayed one night.  There is a museum under the arch.  This really brings out my history buff.  I want to read all of the little plaques and get lost in what it was like during the early 1800s in this country. Then I want to plan a 3 week vacation for my family that follows the Lewis and Clark expedition. Too much? 

Last year the kids were in their double stroller in front of this longhorn.  They are so big. We didn't even think about bringing a stroller this year.  Well, we did think about it but decided they could walk or we would carry them.  Ask me about this after the Cardinal game.

Jude was truly scared of this buffalo and only stood there because I was with him.  Scary buffalo.  Seriously cool museum. I bet the kids in the St Louis area get so tired of visiting this place every year for history... because I know that's where I'd be taking my classes every year!

The pictures uploaded all out of order, but this is the view from the top of the arch. Pretty cool.We typically stay at the hotel on the left. But NOOO this time I waiting too long to book and we ended up far away, like 10 blocks.  Ask me about it after the Cardinal game.

The kids' favorite thing to see was the helicopter that was giving tours from the bank of the Mississippi River. It was pretty cool, you could see his shadow so well from up there.

He loved looking at all the shadows.

See how the kids are laying on the arch? That is mind boggling.  Laying down ON the arch. It was a tight space. And looking through those windows was a little bit scary since you could look STRAIGHT down to the ground. Hi butt. Thanks for making it a little bit more muscular, Shaun T.

Self portrait.

Waiting in line to go back down the elevator. The people that work the elevators told us walking up it would take 2 hours.  Didn't the contestants on Biggest Loser do that once?  I did my workout today, but thanks.

Wow. That milk really did my body good.  Just kidding, I was on the step above mom.  She is actually a skoch taller than me.  Yes, skoch is a work, like smidgen. 

 In the elevator itself.  They have a replica at the ticket counter, just in case you might be feeling a little iffy.  All six of us fit pretty well in it. The kids weren't worried, but were very intrigued with how it rotated while moving.  I'm so proud of those two for being so adventurous.

And then the Cardinal game. Woody got to watch the Cardinal game.  I got to be on kid duty.  Note to self, next year, the girls can stay at the hotel and swim while the guys go to the game.  Even if you get cheap tickets, you still won't be watching the game.

Before the game we ate at Joe Buck's. I recommend it.  Great food and really fast so you can get to the game on time. Sorry for the lack of pictures, we ate outside and had a marvelous time.

I did get to sit with this cutie.  And Jude is three, so we didn't have to buy him a ticket, but he did have to sit on my lap. Hot and sweaty bored toddlers. At least there was cotton candy.

After the game, and 10pm, we started back to our hotel. Did I mention it was ten blocks? Because of the throngs of people (25,000ish), we decided to carry the kids on our shoulders.  I call Jude!!! Because he weighs 3 pounds less than Riley.  Ten blocks.  Thank you Shaun T.

And to pack in all we can, we went to Grant's Farm before heading out of town. You can get ride the tram through the park.  Buffalo.  The real kind. Not the scary stuffed kind you mom makes you stand in front of.  Actually, just stay away from this one.

And long horns.  Also the real, stinky kind.

The kids' highlight was riding a camel!  I had my fears that Riley would chicken out, causing Jude to chicken out.  But they were all about riding on this camel around a circle path.

And it rained on this day, making the weather a nice 68 degrees rather than 100.  I'll take it. It's days like today that I love my hair a little more. It just curls up even more than usual.

She was quite sad it was over.  But I hear there is an elephant...

Meet Bud, he has his own 20 minute show at Grant's farm.  He was quite the performer.  I've never seen elephants do tricks, but this one did. The kids love him.  Jude no longer lets us call him "Buddy" because he says he isn't an elephant.  

Wiped out on the way home.  So much fun packed into a 30 hour period will do that to a girl.

Spelunking!

What a fun summer!  Who knew there was so much to do in our little state?  Part of our summer break was going to Mountain View to visit the family and check out the caves in Blanchard Springs.

We wanted to get our money's worth, so we took the intermediate tour. Ninety minutes in a cave with seven hundred and something stairs, luckily for us, most of those stairs were on our way down. The kids LOVED the cave, especially the few bats we saw.

On my little view finder, these pictures look great, but they are actually kind of blurry.  Boo.

That blue area is where some of the first explorers entered that particular "room" we were in.  Tiny dark spaces.  The more we walked through, the more I realized how crazy (like certifiable) these thrill seekers were. As we entered a room, most of the lights were off, then the tour guides would turn on a few more lights to highlight a certain feature, then turn them back off as we left the rooms.  DARK.  So dark. Maybe I'm a ninny, but spelunking as an explorer would not be my idea of entertainment. Light the area, make sure I am sure-footed, and we are good. 

Side story- before kids we went camping with the Smiths and went on a hike that had a cave. We crawled on our hands and knees, or slithered like snakes since the spot was really too small to be fully on hands and knees but more on toes and hands, dragging your body across the cold, wet rocks. "Breathe. Just breathe. A few more feet. Just breathe." Whew, almost had a panic attack in there, and I am NOT claustrophobic. All this to get to the only "room" in there.  It did have a water fall in it and was super cool, but you won't catch me doing that again.

But I digress.  I once was almost a super hero... then I became a mom.  So I guess now I really am one, at least these cuties think that I can do four things at once while cooking dinner and reading a book.  :)

This is Jude's happy face.  He liked being carried through the cave.  The walkways were a bit slippery, and those little legs just don't move fast enough.  And since he isn't into cuddling very much anymore, I gladly took this opportunity to sneak in some cuddle time.

How beautiful is this? The bottom left is water.  Clear, quiet, cool water.  Caves are typically around 58  degrees, which was a very welcome break from the upper 90s in July.  Cool, quiet, dark.  Jude fell asleep halfway through the tour.  Real cuddle time, even better.  I will not complain about how my back is feeling. I'm carrying a 33 pound sweet little boy who is loving on me. And most of these stairs are still downhill. 

I also learned during this visit that my father-in-law worked on the lighting in these caves when they were making them a commercial attraction 40 years ago.  How neat is that? 

Another cool room, called the Christmas tree room because most of the stalagmites looked like Christmas trees.  The lit path in the back was another explorer path.  Those men (and women too) were crazy. Just next to that path was a huge drop off, and their flashlights weren't the bright ones we have today!

I forgot what this was called.  Oh, the amphitheater. There were bleachers for us to sit down on. Even though I am NOT complaining about my back, I LOVE these bleachers. We sit down.  We close our eyes.  The guides turn out the lights.  We open our eyes.  NO DIFFERENCE. Shut up. Those explorers had serious issues. But I will sit here and contemplate this for as long as you want me to.  No, my back is fine. The guides also showed us the difference in our flashlights and the ones the explorers used. Cray. (Mom, that is slang for "crazy".)

Riley insisted she wasn't scared and she didn't peep.  But Woody later told me that she was squeezing the life out of his hand. Sweet soul. She walked most of the trip, I was so proud of those legs that seem to be too long for a 4 1/2 year old.

Oh, you want us to get up now?  How many stairs do we walk up now? Oh, let a guide know if you get dizzy or out of breath? Sure. This little boy only weighs 65 pounds now. My back is fine. And there is a pregnant lady on this tour?  She's only carrying a few extra pounds, not a 3 year old who weighs 93 pounds.  But my back is good.

Made it.  Seventy-something stairs straight up with this sweetie.  Thank you Shaun T from Insanity and Focus T25, I could not have done this without you. You can't see it, but I had drool down to my elbow.  I don't care if my back is hurting, this is the life.

Such a fun fun time for our family.

Dinner at the Ozark Folk Center.  Another cool little treasure this state holds.

What do you do in the south before dinner, rock with your Pepaw of course.

We are looking forward to our next trip back to Mountain View.  Family, fun, ice cream, and caves.

Haircuts

Check out those manes!

Because I am tired of fighting tangles out of Riley's hair, and I am a little impulsive, the kids got a hair cut...by me. Now, just to justify my decision, let me tell you I used to cut my hair in college. And I don't think it ever looked awful. Don't tell me if it did. (sorry for the bright face in this picture. Pesky flash.)

So in an attempt to keep my family from looking shaggy, AND saving us money, I just cut both kids hair myself.  They were both game.

Jude's before. He was way more excited than I thought he would be.  He wanted to look like his Daddy.

Not the best "after" picture for him, but it kind of gives you an idea.

We are all mostly tangle-free and happy happy happy.

Happy Independence Day!

To celebrate our independence from Great Britain, we do all things American.  Swim in an artificial pond, eat food that tastes good, practice dental hygiene, and enjoy cold, refreshing beverages... all to be followed by shooting off strategically packed gun powder to ignite in beautiful displays of light.

All of this celebration takes about a week.  :) At the beginning of the week, Jude wouldn't even get fully submerged in the pool... even after swim lessons!  This made me wonder if I had just wasted that money.  But by the end of the week, he was very content to swim by himself, but with his life jacket on. This was an improvement since at the beginning of the summer, he would only be in the water if he was suctioned onto me like leach.  I mean, full death grip around my neck. Fun had by all.

Riley, on the other hand, discovered her inner fish.  During the two weeks of swim lessons, she was the one that was most resistant.  She really struggled getting past putting her whole face in the water.  But look at her now!  The strokes aren't graceful, but she is getting it done. She is very proud of herself, as she should be.  Hopefully Jude will join her enthusiasm before long.

On Friday night, mom and dad took the kids to eat catfish and babysat while we got to go out with Alex and Calah.  There were lots of pictures taken, most incriminating.  I won't post those.  This seems to be the only one that was appropriate.  Not that we were crazy.  But kinda.  We haven't been out with Alex and Calah in a long time. The weather was PERFECT for outdoor dancing, and how could we refuse that?

Since I'm usually the one with the camera, Woody captured this cute moment.

And Jude can't be left out.

July 4th.  Swimming. Shrimp boil. Fire on the end of sticks for your preschoolers.

Parents of the year.  Those sparklers need to have longer handles for little people.  Remarkably, neither child felt those sparks on their skin.  After sunset, Alex set off the fireworks he brought.  The kids loved it.  Makes me think we should take them to a real fireworks display next year.  The big finale fell over and fireworks shot all over the pool deck. Luckily, none of us were hit.  Talk about getting your heart rate up!!

Dinosaurs and Science

Part of our "Staycation" this year led us to the Mid-American Museum of Science, a great place to kids to get their hands on everything.  It was a blast for all four of us.  I'm pretty certain that this museum was build in the mid-70s and hasn't been updated since.  The soft earth tones on all surfaces just screamed "I Love the 70s and I'm not giving them up!" Oh, and I remember those colors when I visited this place as a child. 

Riley and Jude emerging from the "Earthworm hole" where they climbed through a tunnel conveying what an earthworm would encounter in it's dig.

I can't even remember what they were looking at here, but how cute is this? We also learned on this trip that the camera on my phone is terrible and only takes pictures in sunlight with subjects that don't move.  And since these two weren't still during our entire visit, this led to blurry pics.  Boo.

If I could hang three old fridge doors with that many magnets, these three would be busy for hours at a time.  I only got them away from it by bribing them with the gift shop.

The bottle rocket display was maybe their favorite.  Hold the empty water bottle at the end and listen to the pressure build.  Then when you release the bottle, it shoots up it's course. Can we have a minute for all of that curly hair?  Both get major haircuts halfway through the summer.

Watching the balls suspended in mid air.

Shadows.

More shadows.

Tyrannosaurus Rex!!! The special exhibit this summer was dinosaurs. The kids are very into dinosaurs right now and I thought they would love it.  Turns out, those big mechanized models are far scarier than we thought they would be.  Even Woody was frightened.

The only way I got these two even close was by holding Jude and blocking Riley from the sheer terror of those recorded roars.  Our scared faces. Once the kids got into the area and saw the baby dinos, they were pretty excited and into it.

This thing was not nearly as exciting as I remember it being. But all in all, so much fun for all of us. The kids were ready to go back the next day.  They might have to wait until next summer.