Fourth of July Family Fun

After we had been in St. Louis for a few weeks, we were definitely ready to see some familiar faces, so it was perfect timing when Grandma, Grandpa, and Great- Grandma Dot all came for a visit.

It was the week of the Fourth of July so there were lots of fun activities for us to enjoy.  We started off the week with a walk to the boys’ new elementary school to show everyone where the boys would be going in the fall and also to investigate the playground.  The walk ended up being a little long for everyone because we hadn’t yet learned the short cut through our neighbor’s yard that cuts about a half a mile off the trip, but we still had a good time exploring the new neighborhood.

A few days later it was actually the Fourth of July and we had seen signs for a neighborhood parade.  We decided to put on our Fourth of July best, decorate the kids’ bikes, and head on down.  It was a lot of fun.  There were a bunch of people congregating in the parking lot of the neighborhood pool.  There were countless kids’ bikes, scooters, wagons, etc. all decked out for the occasion.  Once everyone had arrived, the kids and any adults who wanted to all set out on the parade where we just walked a short ways down the street and back up the sidewalk around the neighborhood lake.  The boys’ favorite part was definitely the bubbles streaming from the lead vehicle in the parade.  The boys even got hats and popsicles at the end of a successful parade.  It was a great welcome to the neighborhood!

(Grandma and Grandpa pose with the boys during the parade.)

(a big parade)

(a patriotic Benjamin)

(a patriotic Evan)

(Our little family poses.)

We finished out the day with a trip to Bluebird Park which was just a few miles down the road where we could watch some evening fireworks.  They had an 80’s cover band blasting away while we waited for the sun to set.  While I wished they would turn down their music just a little bit at times (yes, I’m that grumpy old person.)  We all had a great time playing on the playground and sitting in the grass.  Once the fireworks started it turned out to be a great fireworks show.  We all definitely enjoyed watching all the lights, and Grandpa got to try his hand at firework photography!  

(The boys watch the band before the fireworks start.)

(a little cuddling)

(the band)

(the beautiful fireworks)

(Fireworks are loud!)

What’s more American than a baseball game on Fourth of July weekend?  We decided that Fourth of July was the perfect weekend to check out our first St. Louis Cardinals game.  While it would be a little warm, we tried our hardest to reserve seats in the shade so we could all be a little cooler.  Turns our our legs were in the sun for most of the game, but at least our top halves were nicely shaded.  Grandma had a great time teaching the boys how to keep score, and Evan’s own invented scoring method kept him busy for at least half of the game.  I was amazed that the game actually held their interest for basically the whole time with only a little Benny whining that he wanted to go home towards the end.  Fortunately, the Cardinals one, and we finished out the game with some Dippin’ Dots in fancy souvenir baseball caps.  

(the Cardinals field)

(a group shot before the game)

(Mom and I pose as we watch the Cardinals.)

(baseball boys)

(new Cardinal fans)

It is always so nice having family come to visit, and we were just at the point in our move that we really needed it.  We had a fabulous time checking out the local pizza and Italian places, touring Ian’s new workplace at Monsanto, shopping at one of the two outlet malls in Chesterfield, and even heading down for a drive through of Lone Elk Park.  There we did indeed see several elk who didn’t look that lonely, some raccoons, but no bison who were apparently hiding that day.  And what trip to St. Louis is complete without a chance to sample frozen custard.  We checked out Fritz’s and so far, their peanut butter sundae has been my favorite custard in town!  

(one of the Lone Elk in the park)

(Ok, so they weren't always lonely.)

(So far, in my opinion the best frozen custard in St. Louis.)

Looking forward to the next family visit!!

A True Birthday Celebration

After we were happily moved in to our new place with lots and lots of boxes to unload it was time to truly celebrate Evan’s birthday in style.  We had been rushing around so much that we never had a chance to give Evan his birthday day where he got to pick whatever he wanted to do.  So, the first weekend that we were in our new house we gave him that chance.

The day started off with a trip to Strange Donuts, a well-known donut place in town.  The boys went traditional and got their usual sprinkle and chocolate long john selections while Ian and I tried stranger selections.  Ian tried the peach sweet tea option while I sampled the St. Louis favorite gooey butter cake option.  While they were good, we still haven’t found a place that stacks up to Rise.  

(Our delicious donuts)

After our sweet breakfast Evan wanted to go to his favorite place it town, City Museum.  We had already checked it out when we visited the previous summer, and it was the perfect spot for our little ninja to celebrate.  This time we got full rooftop access so we had even more to explore.  While our birthday boy is still a little scared of heights and wouldn’t have anything to do with the rooftop ferris wheel, he had fun sliding down the huge rooftop slide, and as usual, we all loved climbing around all the tunnels and climbing around like monkeys.

(the boys taking a quick break from their monkeying)

(a view of the rooftop ferris wheel)

Once we had completely worn ourselves out and completely bruised our knees and elbows, it was time to get a little refreshment.  So, we headed down to the Delmar Loop, a well-known strip of restaurants and shops, and stopped at Fitz’s.  Fitz’s is a soda company that actually has a bottling machine in their restaurant.  That didn’t actually hold the boys’ interest for very long, but just watching the arcade games upstairs did the trick.  Their dad decided that they could get their ice cream floats before their dinner, although he regretted it when a pile of ice cream and soda as big as their face arrived in front of each of them.  (I had opted for the unlimited root beer refills instead.)  The boys might not have eaten much of their actual lunch, but they definitely enjoyed their ice cream, and that’s how birthdays should be!

(Evan and his completely-reasonable-sized ice cream float)

It was a great celebration for a fabulous seven year old.  He has truly grown into a wonderful little boy.  He has an amazing curiosity and passion for learning, especially for things that he is interested in.  He loves to read and can swallow up a book in one sitting pretty easily.  Evan loves to play Minecraft, build with his Legos, and create any art project or invention that he can imagine.  He takes a little while to open up with new people, but once he does, he is a fierce and loyal friend.  I know that my little deep thinker will do great things one day and I look forward to being along for the ride!  Happy  number 7, Evan!