A recap of the 4th - Bethy style

 St. Louis is worth the drive.
 My parents spent a very "on the road" Independence day weekend. They stopped by my Grandparents in Indianapolis on Friday, grabbed a few minutes with one of my Mom's best friends in Illinois on Saturday and spent all day with us in St. Louis on Sunday. Then they still had to drive all the way back to GA on Monday! They are amazing.

 But back to St. Louis. It was hot, and humid, and full of concrete like any big city, thus holding in the feel of the crowds. But the park around the Gateway Arch was beautiful, the old courthouse and museum where the Dred Scott case was held was unbelievable, and the City Museum was FREAKIN AWESOME!

A few pictures anyone?

 My beautiful crew in front of the Arch. I wish I had better pixels on here...

 Beauty and independence...

The Beast... and a definite Dependence! Can't live without them!

A beautiful lady in a beautiful entryway. 

 Zion was fascinated by the courtroom. He had never seen one before, old or new. 

My boys were giving me some of the fakest smiles EVER, so I told them to give me a real smile and act like they loved each other. This is what I got. Anyone else think it looks like they want to kill each other? (Or perhaps the photographer, or the tour guide/daddy who had dragged them all across St. Louis?)

They had a real smile when they posed with their Papaw though. 

On to the next stop!

 Climbing up

 Then back down again.

 Down an humongous slide,

And some striking artwork along the way. 

But where were we headed? 

 Why, here, of course. The airplane, in the sky... where it belongs. 

 Goal completed.

 Proof that I, too, was there. And climbing- not just taking pictures. 

Can you see those dark clouds starting to roll in? They waited until we were in the FARTHEST point up, then decided to send a roll of thunder, a huge gust of wind and terror into the heart of Canaan. The staff were already calling for everyone to come inside and use the other activities, (since metal and lightening are not a good mix!) and we were working our way down - but that gust of wind was insane. Zion was mostly oblivious, but Canaan, who is usually not afraid of heights, had a bit of a scare with that one!

 There were some fabulous activities inside too, including skateboard ramps, old computer parts made into robots and games, a giant "cave" leading to a 5 story slide, a miniature train ride, and...

really creative "snowflakes".

My boys cut out dolphins and frogs, which were wonderful... but I couldn't resist taking a picture of these display ones. So delicate! 

 We will have to take another trip to the City Museum in St Louis!

From there it was a night with Nani and Papaw, some time in the pool and a sad goodbye in the morning. 

Carnival rides, petting zoo and Car Show on Post and an amazing fireworks display to celebrate the fact that our flag still flies.

How did you spend your Independence Day weekend? 

Blessings,