St. Louis, part 1

Our family vacation was really fun this year. There was so much to do, I didn't even get to do everything I wanted. The house was beautiful and the winding two lane tree-lined roads were beautiful as well. The view from the deck would be great in the fall with all the fall colors. The first thing we had to do was grocery shop for the week. Then we just kicked back as the family trickled in.

Monday we decided to go to the zoo. We wanted to have good weather for that, so we went early. It was very hot that day and found out later, it would have been better to do it later in the week when it was cooler. But, we packed a lunch, ate it in the park across from the zoo. I borrowed an infant/toddler stroller which was SO great to have. The zoo was so big and the weather was so hot, we didn't even get to see it all. The kids had a lot of fun.

The kids started off liking each other

After the zoo, we dropped off those who were going to rest before dinner and some of us went out flying with my cousin. It was pretty cool. I didn't go up with Becca because she wanted to go with her cousin Cade but my brother said they had fun. We learned the Missouri river isn't far from the Mississippi River...anyone know that? After flying, we went to dinner with my cousin's family. They were very busy that week with their 25th wedding anniversary, one son's graduation that weekend, and planning another son's wedding for later in the summer. We appreciate them taking their time to spend a little time with us.

Tuesday was Six Flags. The weather was a little better, still a little hot however. We rode the ferris wheel first, then spent some time riding all the kiddie rides. All 3 older cousins had fun riding together. We then went on some bigger rides. Cade and Becca were tall enough to ride with the adults and they actually enjoyed the roller coasters and water rides. There were a few they actually wanted to ride on again. After a few hours, we went to the parking lot to eat. We were there maybe 20 minutes when a huge storm hit. Blowing rain and hail! So we closed up the kids in the back of the SUV and we sat in the front and had a picnic. My sister took her daughter home to rest and we went back after the rain stopped.

Becca playing a game and winning a pink beaver

Other than a little whiny here and there, the kids got along. They definitely got on each others nerves after being together all day. Cade and Becca are similar in personality and only 3 months apart in age, so there was a lot of jockeying for poisition. At the end of the day, we had to separate them or at least tell them there was no talking in the car on the way home.