Our STL Weekend!

While Lincoln went on a trip, the kids and I spent the weekend in STL with a dear friend who I don't get to see nearly often enough!  

After we dropped Daddy off at the airport we met Jen at Cracker Barrel for breakfast.  Then we all (Hunter, Graysen, Gavin, Jen, and I) loaded up in my car and headed for the zoo!  Graysen's first trip!!!  It was a beautiful day, cloudy, but warm.  It was a Friday during the school year, so there was hardly anyone there!  I've honestly never been to the zoo on a more perfect day!  

We left the zoo about 2:00 and were all starving.  Where better to eat lunch with a group of kids?  Chuck E. Cheese of course!  After Chuck E. Cheese we headed back to her house and spent the evening making lasagna, admiring our children playing together, playing the Wii and Chris' guitar!  

After a (short) night's sleep we got up and headed to the Festival of Nations in Tower Grove Park.  Jen left Gavin at home, but the four of us still had a great time together!  We ate some Ethiopian food, looked at handmade goods from around the world, watched some wonderful dancing, listened to a puppet show, and let the kids run around the park!  (more on this outing on my adoption blog)

We headed home after the festival.  We were all exhausted and I knew the kids needed a good night's sleep.  We went out to Mom and Charlie's for dinner with the fam.  Hunter decided to stay the night with Mom and Charlie.  That left Graysen and I at home by ourselves for the night.  I've NEVER spent the night with her alone!  (Not even in the hospital!)

Sunday morning we got up early and headed back to the zoo with my sister!  It was a bit more crowded on Sunday, so we had to park pretty far away in Forest Park.  It was an interesting hike through the woods to the zoo!  We were only able to spend about 2 hours at the zoo, but it was very fun!  
Off to the airport we headed to pick Daddy back up!  After 4 circles around the East Terminal, I finally found the parking garage...that's how many years it had been since I'd been there!  The kids had never been inside the airport, so inside we trecked to wait for Lincoln.  

The kids sure were happy to have him home!  

They both crashed on the way home...what a fun weekend it had been!

I so enjoyed our weekend away from home.  It had been awhile since I had taken both kids to do something in STL, and it worked wonderfully!  I think Gray is finally at an age where we can start exploring again!  It was awesome to spend some time with Jen again.  It had been 6 months since she was at our home, and I didn't realize how much I missed her until I was with her again.  We are so very similar in our parenting that it was very comfortable the entire weekend!  

I'm looking forward to our next weekend away!