Last summer (2011) Jake and I got away at the end of the summer. Jake's family watched the girls and we went to a hotel in St. Louis to spend some time together for two days. It was pretty phenomenal. Turns out I love hanging out with "Vacation Jake" (If you have never met Vacation Jake you really should! "Everyday Jake" is also pretty great, but "Vacation Jake" is extra special). We were excited to do it again this year, and found a coupon for a hotel in St. Louis that we had really wanted to try. Then our conversation wandered over to how much we love hanging out with our kids.
As in we like spending time with our kids.
If you haven't met them they are funny, they are silly, they are no longer in diapers/pack-n-plays and bottles. Turns out we like our kids. We certainly never saw that coming! So I know... I know those who are older and wiser I am sure are thinking, 'you need to make time for just the two of you'. But right now with Charlotte moving to 1st grade (did you catch that? 1st grade!?!?!- not ok with that) and Claire who apparently is a little person now... we really both just wanted to hang out with our girls before school started. St. Louis is a fabulous city with lots of free stuff for kids, and having moved to Greenville we have not taken advantage of it. SO... we decided to take them with on: The Amundson Family Summer Shut-down of 2012. Yes, we gave it a name.
The Summer Shut-down started with an early lunch at the Old Spaghetti Factory with our super fabulous waitress Aunt Abby. She was fast, courteous and the girls loved seeing her.
We checked into the hotel, borrowed their bikes and headed over to the Zoo.
Started the day off with some make-overs (check out the serious!)
And then gawked at all the amazing animals. Claire was in a Baby Bjorn the last time she was at the zoo- so this was a whole new experience for her. This is her first Hippo sighting! Pretty much blew her mind.
So I realize I have a lot of pictures of the backs of my kids heads. I attempted to get inside the Tiger cage for a better shot, but then people started screaming, and well I just didn't want to deal with the drama.
We ended the day learning that it is chilly in the Antarctic. Come on! What happened to my Viking babies who could handle this stuff? Global warming this summer has made them weak.
The hotel (remember this was originally meant for just Jake and I) was not really for kids. However, we learned a valuable travel tip! Hotels meant for kids have pools that are jam PACKED with kids! Hotels meant for adults have fabulous pools that NO ONE goes swimming in! SCORE. Beautiful pool/fancy cabana all to ourselves.
As I sit here typing looking at pictures of my messy, boisterous children, it occurs to me that perhaps I may be wrong in my perception that adults don't want to swim in their fancy pools... they just maybe don't when kids are there. oops.
Day 2: The Science Center and Planetarium
So there is a good chance that I really like hanging out with my kids because I married a great dad. Jake is amazing- even when he puts them both crying in front of a sign and walks away so I can take their picture. For the record, they did stop crying and I got a really great picture of the two of them (without Jake), but this is still my favorite.
Guess I like the pictures with Jake in them.
teaching them...
showing them how to be brave...
(see the terrified little girl in the bottom left corner?)
helping them...
learning with them... I am well aware that I could not do this without him. Sometimes it is worth giving up a couples get away to remember that.
When we were Scienced out, we headed to our favorite stop overs.
A little ArtMart
A little I HEART MR. SUSHI (this is the face of joy)
And a little Gringo Jones (this is the face of exhausted, why are you still running me around and not taking me home?)
We ended the Summer Shut-down with a little Ted Drews and a lot of thankfulness that we brought our kids. Perhaps if we still like them next year we will do it again.
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