St. Louis

We had been planning on traveling and camping with some friends in Nauvoo over Memorial Day weekend, but that was right in the midst of Thunderstorm/Tornado time around these parts and so we looked at the forecast and decided camping was not for us.  Because I couldn't bring myself to use our free hotel stays (we had some from a credit card) in Nauvoo when we can easily day-trip there, we headed off to St. Louis for the weekend instead.  Our friends have promised to forgive us someday, although I am not sure they will ever trust us again.  Usually I am dependable, but apparently not after performance week, and not in the middle of a Thunderstorm.

Driving in the car:

While our kids were excited when we said we were driving to St. Louis, they were downright ecstatic when we mentioned we would be staying in a hotel... and for three nights!  Seriously, they actually cheered in the car.  They love hotels.  In fact, early on in our schooling Ellie once told Justin to get a job so she could stay in a hotel.  Needless to say, they were very happy to lounge in bed and watch..... Full House.

First stop: Food.  I love eating out.  What can I say... Libbi did have her part in raising me.  So, it is not an exaggeration to say that our trip was planned quite a bit around food.  This was at an Italian Place recommended in an article I read about St. Louis.  Pretty sure they don't usually have kids in there, let alone four. Luckily, Spencer was hungry enough he stopped yelling when the food came.

When I was taking Ellie's picture, Spencer screamed in anguish.  When I turned back to him, he did this:

First stop, Magic House:

Justin picked BBQ for his food choice, and we got a recommendation from our friend's the Ebberts.  Unfortunately we didn't take all their good advice, so we ended up standing in line for a bit.  At one point Grant had a top hat with Pappy's Restaurant stickers all over it pulled over his head while he wildly danced (that boy has got some moves). The owner took video and said he was going to put it on facebook, so if you ever see a viral video of a crazy boy dancing... that's our Grantster.

The Arch:

Ice cream.  I just love Grant's face here.  Who knows what made him mad, but he is quite the character right now.

Swimming in the pool.  Luckily, Spencer was a little frightened and I had to stay out with him.

Sunday we went to see the St. Louis Temple.

Watching TV in the morning.  They look grumpy here, which is funny.  Because this was one of their favorite activities.  Grant and Meg also fought over the Gideon Bible the entire time we were there.

The St. Louis Zoo.  When we finally left, we had barely made it into the car when there was a massive downpour.  Very lucky timing for us.  The kids loved telling me they knew exactly when we should leave.  They were tired and I wanted to see a few more things, but they were right.  It was time to go.