Family Vacation/Reunion

The rest of the story...  The next portion of our trip we combined into a vacation along with a family reunion on my husband's side the weekend following the race. We haven't taken a "real" vacation in quite awhile so this was a treat and we were all really excited! My in-laws were with us and we all camped outside of St. Louis. If you haven't been there, St. Louis is a wonderful place to take a family as there are so many things to do and many are free which is the way we planned our days. Many of the trips were also educational. The weather was wonderful, in the 80's each day and not too humid either. There was time to just relax at the campground as well as evenings visiting family.

We were so thankful to visit with my husband's Aunt Pat! The weekend we were racing she was in a terrible accident that when looking at the pictures and hearing the accounts should have claimed her life. She was driving behind a log truck that turned over, spilling logs which piled on top of her car, crushing the car. Miraculously God spared her life and while she sustained broken ribs and vertebra she is only in a temporary brace and is getting around great!

Our children enjoyed getting to know this side of the family and wished that we all lived closer. Enjoy some pictures of our trip. I added some to the slide show also as I couldn't choose.

Building an arch at the Science Center. It was harder than it looked and it definitely helps to have a tall person to hold both sides and another to put the final blocks on.

We had a picnic lunch at Turtle Park which is a small park with large statues of turtles. The kids loved climbing around on them!

This was in Meramec Caverns. I wasn't sure if I would enjoy it being that I am somewhat claustrophobic but there was plenty of space in these caves and it was really beautiful in some areas.

This was taken at Grant's Farm which we really enjoyed. The name is taken from Ulysses S. Grant who farmed a portion of that land and his first home is there. It is home to over 1000 animals and it so family-oriented. The Budweiser Clydesdale Stables are also located here and we enjoyed seeing those amazing horses.

Taken at the St. Louis Zoo. The zoo is always a fun place and free! Our favorite exhibit was the penguin house which was also a refreshing (or rather cold) place to be on a hot day.

The Children's Garden inside the Botanical Gardens. We all LOVED it here! It is based on Lewis and Clark and Tom Sawyer and there is too much there to describe. My husband especially enjoyed playing with the "locks system" moving boats from one side of the stream to the other by navigating the locks.

Our family reunion. My husband's aunt that I mentioned is center in the white shirt. We had a great time and the boys continue to ask when we will see them again.