HAPPY 4th of JULY!

We had the best 4th of July we were able to go up to St. Louis to visit our friends Ben, Wendy, & Bradley Holt. It was a fun packed weekend. St. Louis is so much fun. The best part is that there is so much to do & most of it is free! So needless to say we had a blast. We got there Thursday night, we went out eat & went and played at this arcade that was really a lot of fun. Friday, was just an awesome day, it was perfect not to hot and not raining which is weird for it not to rain on the 4th. That morning we went to the zoo. Bradley (just turned 3) had so much fun showing us all the animals. We got to go on a train ride, they had a penguin exhibit which was so much fun but kind of stinky. It was such a pretty zoo, awesome lay out, nothing like the Little Rock zoo; our poor zoo needs some love. We stayed there till lunch then off to Red Robin we went. Oh! So yummy it was. Then we went to the mall for a few hours which was fun because I hardly ever go to the mall. Then we went home to give Bradley some down time before we went to the arch for fireworks! On our way down we got to see the effects from the flooding of the Mississippi. If you look really close at the picture you can see the top of the stop sign, and there is not a 12 foot 2 in clearance under that bridge anymore! It was very eye opening to see all the flooding. As we looked for a place to park ourselves for the night the boys found the perfect spot. It had an amazing view of the arch, was not crowded at all & Bradley could run around & play. Bradley had a blast with Uncle Otto out there. It was way fun to watch them play together. Bradley learned how to roll down the hill and Otto got to learn how to chase a 3 year old. We really had fun just talking & waiting for the fireworks. They were about 30 minutes late but let me tell you it was worth the wait! It was AWESOME! It was Bradley's first time to see fireworks he loved them, they were just a little too loud for him. We were glad we sat were we did if we actually got up by the arch, it would have been to loud for me! It was cool to hear the echos of the booms from the fireworks which were infront of us bounce off the buildings behind us. Wendy and I did learn alot from this experence -- 1. Its worth it parking like a mile away and walking. You actually get out faster than everyone else. 2. Don't think you can out smart the crowds and ride the metro that is what everyone thought. The line for the Metro was wraped around the block it was crazy! 3. Bugspray need I say more? 4. Next time pack a dinner or snacks that are not just for Bradley. 5. Flip Flops = Blisters (trust me on this one, big blisters)

On Saturday, we went to the Botanical Gardens. They are amazing! It was so pretty & again Bradley was so excited to show us all around. They had some really neat mosaic sculptures there, that were really fun to look at. Otto loved looking at all the gardens. He was looking at everything, trying to figure out what we have on the property here at home. Since that is what he does for work while he is still in school. From there we went to the Science Museum, it is for kids but Otto and Ben would beg to differ. Those two, proved that Boys never grow up! It was so fun to watch them try to figure everything out I think My favorite part is when they were building the arch. They had a blast! They were so proud of themselves when they were done. There were so many neat things there to look at, Dinosaurs, how a tornado is made. How technology has progressed over the years. All kinds of fun things. We had a blast in St. Louis and we love spending time with Ben and Wendy! We are so greatful for friends like them! We have our next trip to St. Louis already planned-- going to a Braves and Cardinals Game! I am so excited I can't wait!