Our first stop was The City Museum. This place was crazy! It's great for kids who love to climb. However, the heights made me dizzy, so I found some safe places close to the ground to watch. Josiah would not have done this even three months ago. At one point he did stop and cry because he was scared, but Micah came to the rescue by carrying him on his back.
Rachel climbing to new heights.
It was 96 degrees outside. The kids would have stayed out all afternoon if it had been cooler.
Josiah must have gone down this slide about 100 times. Eric had to lift him up, so he got a workout. This was inside the museum, where there was a train ride, more climbing, a shoestring factory...so much to see!
Overall, we found The City Museum to be a kids' dream but a parent's nightmare. There was so much to climb on, in, around, and through that the kids would disappear from our sight for several minutes at a time. Not a happy feeling in downtown St. Louis. However, if you're up to climbing in (or up!) after them, it's a great place to explore.
We spent the night at a motel that provided free supper and breakfast. Overall, it was a great experience. We took food for Josiah and still found a few things he could eat from the motel buffet, like baked potatoes and bananas. Next time, I need to remember to bring condiments and butter! A nearby Wal-Mart came in handy. We let the other two kids eat whatever they wanted, but Rachel ended up with joint pain. I think we know where some of her health issues came from and what has helped them clear up. We were concerned about the taco meat for Micah (MSG?), so gave him a baking soda capsule after supper. He seemed to do fine, although he did wake up with a headache in the night. He blamed it on fumes from the pool.
The St. Louis Arch...we've been by many times but never have stopped.
The kids with Nana and Papa.
I think this picture was Eric's splendid work.
The free museum was very interesting and a great way to pass the time until our ride to the top. There is a lot to see here about westward expansion, more than we even had time for. Rachel loved the covered wagon, as we just finished reading a book about a girl who traveled on the Oregon Trail. She told me, "Mom, I want a doll like that one." We found one in the museum store! My daughter never asks for dolls, so it was easy for me to buy it for her.
Getting ready to climb in our pod!
We made it! The kids were thrilled to be up so high. I was looking forward to planting my feet back on firm ground, but enjoyed seeing their reactions and looking out the tiny windows at the city. I have a sweet picture in my mind of my mom and Josiah peering out the window. Oh yeah, there is one on my camera, too, but that one doesn't do it justice.
I didn't plan well for how long we would be staying at the arch. Josiah was hungry before we were able to go to the top. Thankfully, there was an old-fashioned mercantile store inside, where we were able to find kettle corn and dried pears that read clean. They both worked out fine for him, with no reactions.
The arch was only 20 minutes from a Whole Foods, so we headed into St. Louis to find it. This was the first time we'd ever been, and our visit was very enjoyable! They had a deli where we easily found food acceptable for Josiah, and it was delicious. We found to our delight that every aisle was stocked with food he can eat, and the store brand was not badly priced. Hungry for variety, we loaded up on snacks and food items we can't find here: things like graham crackers, pretzels, cookies, soda, nuts, and even naturally flavored and colored gumdrops!
Finally, the real reason for our trip! It was so good to see Michelle and Jared to help them move, but the time with them was too short and put an ache in my heart to leave. It's so good to know they are just over 2 hours away now! We can't wait to go back soon.
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