Getaway

We just returned from a fantastic getaway to the Gateway city. We knew we needed a little vaca away from life and I was certain I needed to go somewhere where I could run my toes through the sand... until I remembered that I had four children ages five and under. I quickly reassessed and came up with the idea of visiting St. Louis.

It was a perfect drive, only four hours, and very easy on the budget:) We had a fabulous time and it was nice to get away from everything (cooking, laundry, cleaning, you get the idea) and just have some good old family time. Here are some shots of the sites that we saw while there.

Dinner at Ragazzi's

She wore an itsy bitsy teeny weeny red polka-dot bikini...

Caroline's first swim.

The water was a little cold but she did pretty well.

This was really one of the favorites for the kids. The pool was on the rooftop of our hotel and they just thought that this was amazing! We swam every single day there, in fact while we were out sight seeing they kept asking when they could go back to swim.

Isabella took this pic of us at Grant's Farm. I remember coming here as a child myself and it was a true favorite. Many things make this a great place to visit while in St. Louis. Free admission (only have to pay for parking), great animal shows, yummy snowcones, beautiful Clydesdale horses, carousel rides, lots of history, and two free cups of Anheuser Busch beer for mom and dad while you visit the farm. I must admit I did feel weird about this last one because it was a Wednesday afternoon and I was walking around with a beer in my hand. I almost felt like I was breaking the law or something. What was amazing to me was the number of moms there with their kids doing the same thing... I was really concerned and told Kyle that I hoped that they were visiting on vacation as well and not just there for their weekly visit. That would almost be like serving beer at the Deanna Rose Farm...kind of!

This pic is one of my favorites because each night these three insisted on sleeping together. We had plenty of room for everyone to have their own space but this is how they were each night cuddled up in their bed. I wish I would have taken a morning shot because they were all twisted together and on top of one another. I love this and love that they had this bonding time.

We also made it to the Magic House. This is a gigantic "hands-on" Children's Museum that is amazing. We were there for four hours and really could have spent more time. Everything in this place is easy access for kids and so well thought out. It was so fun to see their eyes light up as we entered each room. It was a true adventure for each of them and allowed them to just be kids (Kyle and I too!).

Dr. Zimmerman

Check out the hair...

We also toured the Arch and the Old Cathedral while in town. All in all it was a great trip. Maybe next year I will get to squish my toes in the hot sand.

We are home now and very glad to be back. The washing machine has been fired up ever since our return and we are getting back to normal life. I am so thankful that I got this time with my babies, they just grow up too fast!