We didn't know we were going until Wednesday. It all depended on the weather forecast & what might need to be done in the fields.
After church, we headed to St. Louis. Our first stop was the Magic House (tickets were 75% off since we arrived so late in the day). LM had not changed clothes after church, and as she climbed the curved wooden staircase, the light was just perfect. I asked her to turn around, and I captured a glorious shot. And my heart skipped a beat because add a decade or more, and it could easily have been her wedding portrait. <3
The children held races in the hotel pool while Jim picked up Domino's (yay for a free pizza in my app!) which we ate in our hotel room.
Monday morning, after 10 hours of sleep (!!!), we headed to Chick-fil-A for breakfast. (Reserving a hotel room on Priceline means we got the pool we wanted but not a hotel that includes breakfast.) And, while we were there, less than four days after retrieving our van from the body shop, a driver backed into our parked van. Ai-yai-yai! (Thankfully it was still drivable.)
On to the Science Center, where Jim & BK watched an IMAX, and LM & I went to a liquid nitrogen experiment. Fun!
Lunch at last year's favorite - Slim Chickens!
On to the Arch. BK & I rode to the top, while LM earned her Junior Ranger badge in the museum. Both children enjoyed the 10 minute VR film. And then we walked around outside the base of the Arch, doing cartwheels or taking pictures, as the case may be. :)
A lot of travel these days is expensive, so I'm trying to remember the small wins we had. Parking was only $2, due to a fluke.
Once again the children swam in the hotel pool while Jim picked up supper which we ate in our room. And then we all watched Charlotte's Web.
Tuesday morning (Wow! We packed a lot into Monday!) we decided not to return to CFA for breakfast, and tried out First Watch, which was new-to-us (& quickly became a fan favorite!).
At the National Museum of Transportation, LM completed two scavenger hunts! We squeezed in a quick lunch at McAllister's Deli before heading to the City Museum. BK took LM through the caves and outdoors to the suspended planes. Then they both enjoyed the skateless park.
From there we headed to a gym & aquatic center with slides, a whirlpool, and a lazy river, ending the evening with Subway at the gym.
Wednesday morning found us at a different location of First Watch (highly recommend!) before going to the Missouri Botanical Garden, where I was surprised to turn a corner and enter the 14-acre Japanese Garden, where the cherry blossoms were in bloom!! Eek!! The past few years I have tagged on a quick trip to The Japan House at the U of I, after one or the other of the kids' medical appointments and tried to enjoy the cherry blossoms. But they haven't been stellar. I would guess that the cherry blossoms were at their peak the day we visited! If you haven't lived in Japan, it's hard to understand how that feels.
We stopped at the nearby Tower Grove Park for the playground and some baseball, football, and basketball before heading home.
We packed a lot in to our 3-night trip! And had lots of opportunities for sanctification, too. ;)
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