All good things must come to an end, isn’t that how the saying goes? We packed a ton of fun-ness into a few short days and made a ton of fantastic memories. One final one was a visit to the Cathedral Basilica, complete with a tour given by our friend. We had been in the Cathedral before, but this time we had a chance to take in the beauty and detail of this amazing church.
We had mass as a family in a very special chapel this morning, with our friend presiding. The boys read the readings and assisted as servers. As a mom, it was an awesome experience to watch. And I hope they realize just how special it was for them to be part of it.
After mass, we ate breakfast and went to what I can only describe as one of the craziest places I have ever been – the City Museum. We had been told wearing pants was smarter than wearing shorts and that you could spend an entire day at the place. Both statements are true. We spent all afternoon there (again closing the place down) and still didn’t see it all. The photos we took don’t do the place justice, but they do give you an idea as to how unreal it is.
After one final side, we headed to the house of our friend’s friends, on The Hill. There was a bike race going on and they were hosting a pig roast. They kindly invited us to join them. Afterward, we went out for frown custard at Ted Drewes. Yummy stuff! (The boys played “Statue of Liberty” with the dry ice that was keeping the custard cold.)
We had an opportunity to ride a few elevators, (or as #4 calls them,”elegators”) during our trip to STL. 🙂 Fast ones, slow ones, business ones and one in a house!
On our way back to the Sisters’ residence, we stopped at a grocery store for breakfast groceries. I said we were shopping at a local store and supporting “the little guy” instead of the big box store. #4 chimed in saying “support the little girl!”
Today, after a hardy breakfast of yogurt, eggs, sausage and bacon, we embarked on a trip to Six Flags.
Before we left, we made sure to get a group photo (smiling faces and silly faces, of course!)
We all had a great time, but Shecklet #2 probably had the best. He is a roller coaster maniac after experiencing his first rides earlier in the summer at Valleyfair. He and our friend rode all the coasters they could in the time we were there and even got drenched midway through the day. We closed the place down – riding rides until they no longer took passengers! Three of the four Shecklets fell asleep in the car on our way back to the convent 💤💤💤
We hit Missouri on Friday afternoon and about an hour from our destination, I took the wheel. Apparently I take driving very seriously. (And Jake documented how empty the roads were AFTER we had passed a crash on the interstate.😜)
We finally reunited with our dear friend about 5:30 in the afternoon. We stayed in the visitor’s apartment at Mount Grace Convent. It was so kind of the sisters to allow us to stay!
After getting situated, we went out to dinner at Kemoll’s and had the most amazing view of the Arch from the 40th floor.
We had breakfast at the hotel before heading to the Iowa Children’s Museum. The kids had a blast with airplanes, creative play, and engineering. Great suggestion from my friend Steph!
Today we left for a long weekend family vacation – something we have not done in a long time (with just our immediate family.) A friend of ours (Shecklet #3’s godfather) lives in St. Louis and we haven’t seen him in 4 1/2 years. The timing finally worked for us to make a trip down to see him. We decided to make a stop in Iowa City overnight so the kids could swim and visit the children’s museum tomorrow. We’re all looking forward to getting out of town and having some fun!
This kid is home with conjunctivitis, but that isn’t stopping him from letting his creative juices flow. He designed a drum set this afternoon.
We met Aunt Kari at an indoor jump and play place. Shecklet #3 isn’t in the photo because she was off making new friends 🙂
Shecklet #1 and Shecklet #2 started a new school year today. Fourth grade and second grade. I can hardly believe it! Part 2 of back to school starts on Thursday. #4 asked to have her picture taken with her oldest brother. (#3 is MIA because she was still sleeping.)
