(This post is from my deleted blog, and it does not contain the pictures from the original post. I hope to add them at some point.)

Our trip to St. Louis was fun! This may only be interesting to us and grandparents, but I plan to share pictures and tidbits about our trip today and tomorrow. I hope you will bear with me.

The Arch

Of course, one of the highlights of St. Louis is the Gateway Arch. My kids, especially my best girl, were fascinated by it. Our hotel was across the street from the Arch, and my best girl went to the window each morning to say hello to it. Each evening, before bedtime, she said, "Good night Arch!"

After the five hour trip from our home in the Nashville, TN area to St. Louis, we headed to the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial on Tuesday afternoon to stretch our legs and visit the Arch and its Museum of Westward Expansion. My favorite boy and his Dad also took their gloves and played catch under the Arch. We enjoyed this park on several occasions throughout the week. I am including pictures from several of our visits.

Here are my three favorite people posing in front of the Arch.

Here is my favorite boy and a grizzly bear we found in the museum. There were other animals in the museum and also covered wagons, stagecoaches, tepees, etc.... Although my kids are a bit young to appreciate American history fully, they enjoyed seeing and talking about these things. We did not go to the top of the Arch. I am very claustrophobic, and I had been warned that the cars were very cramped. Perhaps we will attempt that on another visit!

The mighty and muddy Mississippi captured the kids' attention as well. There were quite a few barges and boats passing by as we stood on the bank. My best girl was ready to jump right in for a swim. She did not understand why we would not let her play in all that water.

This is the goose family we followed around in the park. They were so cute. They would allow us to get very close, and then the mother or the father, I'm not sure which, would call out and the family would waddle away from us.

The Zoo

On Wednesday, we went to the zoo. The St. Louis Zoo is the best zoo I have ever visited. We stayed four and a half hours and did not see everything. The kids enjoyed it so much. Both kids had a ball riding the zoo's train. My favorite boy enjoyed the playground at the Children's Zoo (a special area within the zoo). He also thought the tarantulas in the insectarium were great, and he loved the penguin habitat (brrrrrr.....).

My best girl enjoyed petting the animals in the Children's Zoo. They had guinea pigs, goats, and other animals. She also loved the butterfly house in the insectarium. The butterflies were everywhere. Every time a butterfly flew past her, she would jump and squeal with delight.

Other family favorites were the hippos, giraffes, chimps, and elephants. I was a little disappointed that the lion was on vacation, but my disappointment was minor compared to the fun of seeing all the other animals.

Well, that's Part One! I hope you will come back for Part Two. I will share about our trip to the Cardinals game, the City Museum, and the Magic House. Thanks for reading!

Labels: Family and Friends, Fun, My Best Girl, My Favorite Boy