Meet me in St. Louis!

So I have been MIA again because we have been on vacation! We went to St. Louis for 7 days! It was really a great time.  We did a ton, and survived our first real vacation with kids.

See below for all the events.  Be warned that I am still very confused on how to load these photos in the correct order. 

ENJOY!!

So we roughed it during the night so that we could take a long and leisurely vacation.  Clay talked us into staying in little KOA cabins.  No potty, no kitchens, just beds and air conditioning.  I was really preparing myself for really roughing it.  But really we had a great time and I would not have wanted it any other way.  Well...maybe softer beds.

Clay, Eden and I at Fantastic Caverns in Springfield, MO.  We had to have this photo taken because 10 years ago we visited here and had a much similar photo taken.

Inside the Cave.

Kaytie Jo squished in the back seat of the Subaru wagon.  We traded back and forth riding between the girls, but I will say that she spent quite a bit more time back there than I did.

Happy to be on VACATION!  This was the first day - if you saw him on day seven he really didn't look like this at all.

Clay and Payton under the Arch.

We could never get far enough away from the arch to get a whole shot.  Here Payton looks like a giant.

There were loft apartments EVERYWHERE in St. Louis!!!  We just had to stop and take some photos outside of one.

This is the Soulard Farmers market.  It is the the oldest Farmer's Market in the U.S..  It was pretty huge.  However, I was a little disappointed because the produce was nowhere near as yummy as it is here in Tulsa.  It was like what you find at the grocery store. :(

This is the City Museum - it was so incredible.  There is really no way in the world for me to describe this place other than amazing.  It is in an old warehouse and all the things in it are recycled and remade into climbing through, on and in obstacles.  Even their gift shop is recycled - it is a thrift store!!  It was a really awesome place and hours of entertainment.  One area that they have is an arts area.  We were in heaven...all recycled objects or donated art supplies and you could spend all the time and effort you wanted making collages, paintings, clay sculptures, magnets...

Inside the city museum in this area you climb through seven stories of roundabouts and then slide down a seven story slide.

Sumo Payton.

The art area - Eden did her first painting here and we thought we would never get her away.

The St. Louis Art Museum.  Very interesting...

Payton playing in the Pizza Parlor at the "Magic House".  It was a children's museum that had a ton of hands on stuff.  She got to work as a librarian, fish, grocery shop, play house, and experiment with several different mediums.

Grocery Shopping - at the Magic House

Eden at the Magic House Crawl through space.

We visited a sculpture park that we all rated as on of our most favorite places to visit. This sculpture was pretty huge.

Kaytie Jo art.

This was the "new" cathedral in St. Louis.  It is home to the world's largest mosaic collection.  The walls, ceilings, paintings are all covered with mosaic tiles.  It took them 70 years to complete it.  It was truly an amazing site to behold.  The photos do not do it justice.

My favorite piece in the St. Louis Art Museum.

A really great art project in the area of town called the "loop".  It is down close to the university so it was full of really cool stores and restaurants.  It was a shame that we found it on our last day.

Eden and Me walking through the trails at the sculpture park.

Payton in one of the sculptures.

Photographer Payton capturing Kaytie Jo's silliness - trying to hold up the sculpture.

On the way home we stopped in Springfield, MO at Lambert's -home of the throwed rolls!  It is an oldie but a goodie.  We have made this a stop for anytime we go through that part of the country.  At this restaurant they are continually coming out with hot homemade rolls and yell"HOT ROLLS".  If you look up at them you better be prepared for a roll being thrown your way.  They are terribly sinful but worth one meal once in a year or two.

So this picture reveals our sinful nature while on the road.  Yes, we had Starbuck's everyday.  I did decide I am officially done with coffee though and now a lover of tea - chi tea.  No Eden is not really drinking my tea, it is empty but she thought she might get some out of the deep bottom.

Oh - St. Louis was SO full of art.  This was a random piece of art we came upon while driving around one day.  It is an old church that is being used as art.  As far as we could tell is that all of these things hanging were lampshade and were to be lit up at night.  VERY COOL!!

One pooped kiddo - yes, she really is asleep.

Another really pooped little girl(s).  This was down on the "loop".

So we came home from our trip and stayed in our bed one night and then got up to go to Dallas the next day.  Kaytie Jo's sister was getting married and I agreed to do the wedding photos.  So this was my sweet Payton's photo of us after the wedding.

Me 

Eden LOVING all the food at Lambert's. She ate and ate and ate...

and ate and ate....