St. Louis 2015

Last year opened our eyes to the marvels of St. Louis! The City Museum is such a stand out, we look forward to taking Brock there until he goes off to college (or starts his own business, or cures cancer or pilots to Jupiter or grows the first test-tube unicorn... ) Waking up to this view was such a treat.

So we were looking at this view and I was like, hmmmm, where is the Arch, I thought we might be able to see it from our room... let's go pull the shades on the other wall...

Holy Moly!!!!  Wow!!

The famous Eads bridge that opened up the midwest!

After a morning snack of Pharoh's Donuts (donuts are Brock's favorite, and this ratty hole of a shop in down town St. Louis is nothing to take a picture of, but man their products are tasty) we are off to the famed City Museum!

Brock waits outhetside for us to get tickets. Don't worry, we chained him up.

A bus on the edge of oblivion! Brock's first choice of exploration.  

 
Aware of Brock's regular antics, we figured we would be on the bus for a while. Luckily the City Museum sells beer at 9 am.

Brock opens the door that leads to certain doom below.

Well hello there!  Where did you come from?

Brock made it 1/4 of the way, but chickened out and the whole train of people had to reverse back to the station.

up up up!

down down down!

This room is filled with various stake boarding ramps and might have been Brock's favorite. We spent a long time running and sliding up and down.

Ramps in action!

wheeeeee!!!

Not only can you play ON the ramps, but there is a whole other world UNDER them.

Brock taking a serious number 2.

They also had a leg-shrinking machine. 

There was a toddler area that we spent significant time in last year, before Brock could walk (OMG, I can't believe that was just a year ago!), here is the re-visited small-ball nest. To be noted, all this amazing stuff around and Brock first went to an area that just had a collection of several toy trucks to play with. 

After lunch and a nap, we came back! A perfect solution for crowd management and since the place was open to midnight there was no rush!

This time Brock got into some the climbing by himself.

Now it was time for the big ball pit! He had a blast here, as I watched perilously from the entry way, jolting at every bigger kid that ignored the 6and-under sign and lept into the mass. When we left I think it was because my nerves where shot.

Noting exhibit A. above gives a snapshot of the profound lurkings within this veritable petri dish. Starting to give Chucky Cheese the benefit of the doubt when they officially shunned such fun.

and now we go to the forest!

and enter...

the caves!! Oh how we love the City Museum. There is so much to do there, we look forward to growing with the museum as Brock grows.

Next morning we are off to the Arch! 

  

 

As Brock notes, "we went underground up to the Arch"... something like that. He was very stuck on this idea that we went down before we could go up.

Whoa!!  All the kids together in one shot! Nope, I notice Jackson is MIA... oh well,it was a really good try, 7 out of 8 ain't bad.

Brock loved going up in the little "train". He was very social with our compartment compatriots and was quick to repeatedly point out the speaker and the air vent.

We made it up! What a view! Of carpet!

"waaaaay down there!" - one of Brock's favorite slogans became the soundtrack up in the Arch.

The Arch is much smaller up close... it's only like 33.25 inches as Brock exemplifies here.

Brock made it his job to push the suitcase. I wish our video would have turned out, as it was quite a feat. Perhaps we'll scrap our dreams of his Unicorn-paleontology career and swap it for bellboy. 

After checking out of the hotel, we make our way to the awesome St. Louis zoo.

Can you find the hippo?

Now can you find the sweaty blond trying to take a picture of a hippo?

WhoooooTT!! All of us together for one final photo in front of some sort of yak! Thank you Narwanis, Hoangs and Focklers for another super fun weekend for all ages. Let's have a huzzah for the gateway to the west!!