First, we listened to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory audio book on the way there. Jonah loves what he calls "Charlie Bucket". The man that played the original Willy Wonka read it, and his voices were phenomenal! Now we are geared up for a movie night in the near future!
Our first outing was to the St. Louis Zoo. This zoo is FREE! Since we have an annual pass to the Nashville Zoo, we were able to get Safari Passes at discount for petting sting rays, the children's zoo area, the carousel, and the train. I don't know what I was thinking . . . well, I can tell you what I was thinking. I was thinking a trip to the zoo would take 3 or 4 hours and then we would be on our way. Seven hours later . . . we had ridden the carousel three times, gone around the park on the train twice, and seen every animal in the zoo. The conductors let the boys say "All aboard!" into the mic at every station. It was at Benaiah's request that we rode a second time. They all loved being able to take a break from the 95 degree weather and still see the zoo. The hippo habitat was the best I have ever seen. Imagine being just a few inches from such a huge animal with nothing but glass in between. I think we could have watched them float for hours. We were also able to cool off in the penguin and puffin house. They keep it at 45 degrees - which felt great at first, but then the boys wanted to start cuddling. Another favorite was the ape house. Juliet yelled and screamed at each little jumping monkey she saw. The boys also got to pet sting rays (slimy) and goats (stinky) along with some other small animals. Favorites? Jonah loved the tiger, Huck liked the bears, Eli enjoyed watching the red panda, and Benaiah's favorite was "some hippos". Not all of them, mind you.Well, let me tell you - never stay at the zoo for seven hours with your car parked in St. Louis. As we were walking up to our van I noticed the plastic around the lock was cracked. I commented that someone tried to break into our van. Then, I pulled the already unlocked door right open. The theif had taken everything - including my purse and Danny's wallet. Thankfully, we had taken our military IDs and credit card. Otherwise, we really would have been up the creek. Eli donned his working man goggles in an effort to aid the search for the bad guys. Jonah was sure that every sketchy person we saw was the culprit. I was just thankful that we hadn't come up on the van while the robbery was in progress and that the most important "things" were with me enjoying the zoo!
On the way back to the hotel we had dinner at Pi Pizzeria. I don't enjoy pizza but this was AMAZING! Apparently the president ate dinner here and that is what put it on my radar. The crust is deep dish and made of corn meal and whole wheat flour. The cheese and ingredients go on next, and the freshest tasting sauce you have ever put in your mouth goes . . . on top! A wonderful way to unwind after a fun-filled adventure. 
The next day netted the dirtiest our family has ever been! We started out bright and early at Purina Farms. This gem was also free. The boys were surprised to view a dog show. The look on Benaiah's face was worth the whole trip. Each time a dog would finish he would lean over and whisper, "Here comes another one." The dogs would catch frisbees, do agility stunts, dive into the pool, and jump high into the air to do flips. After the show we were able to catch a (sweltering hot) wagon ride. The boys enjoyed the rope swings that allowed them to fall into the hay. Jonah and Huck were only ones brave enough to milk the cow. Eli is prejudice - he informed me he only milks brown cows. Benaiah had a ball petting a chicken, piglets, a rabbit, horses, goats, and a donkey. 
Danny was pretty peanut butter and jelly-ed out since we had been picnicking a lot. (What can I say? Going all day on what will last in a cooler at 95 degrees doesn't allow for much.) So, for lunch he took the boys to Steak and Shake. You would have thought we never feed them! Milkshakes!After they were all good and full we made our way to Grant's Farm. Anheuser-Busch bought the estate of the Civil War general and made a free park. Here is where you can visit THE clydesdales. Such big animals compared to my littles ones. After seeing the horses, everyone hops on a tram that makes a loop around the farm to a small zoo. More goat petting - really? It must be the cheapest animal to house because EVERYONE has goats. We also saw beautiful parrots (Eli's favorite), elephants, kangaroos, and camels! Our friendly camel rocked! The boys got to feed him and he would even "smile" for the camera. Oh, and more dirt was caked on to the boys on top of the dirt from earlier that morning :)
Now that we are were very sweaty and stinky, why not add a trip to the Gateway Arch? Who doesn't want to stuff all of us into an enclosed capsule and take a deep breath? We went to purchase tickets and found they were booked up for the next two hours. WE can find two hours worth of fun. While we waited we ate the picnic lunch I had packed as our dinner. Only problem was the thief had run off with our plastic utensils (Yes, and our extra diapers, bug spray, and sunscreen. What?!?!). I made five sandwiches using baby carrots as knives - and without contaminating everything with peanuts. Super mom . . . at least for that moment. We also had time to swing through the City Garden. I had planned to spend more time there seeing as they have fountains for the kids. However, a cast came on our trip so we passed by the water and enjoyed the sculptures.
The Arch trip was . . . trying. It was difficult to stand in line for that long with not much to do, but once we got up to the capsule the boys were squealing with excitement. We had to count down for blast off, of course! Unfortunately, my mommy-sense went haywire. All the people I love the dearest in a small ball going hundreds of feet in the air - and then it starts rocking like a ferris wheel. Eeek! The boys thought it funny that I was scared and held my hands while they laughed at me :P The view from the top of "God's pull up bar" (thank you, Jonah) was amazing! The boys enjoyed seeing the big city look so small and spotting all the boats and big trucks by the Mississippi!
Before making the return trip home, we adventured to the science center. This colossal, boy heaven is also free! I have to admit - I was also excited when the first exhibit we saw was a giant hamster wheel. Where can I get one of those???
This museum also housed exhibits on bones. So many hands on activities kept us busy!
There was a HUGE T-rex who had just taken care of a Triceratops. Benaiah was so concerned that the bloodied dinosaur was not getting up. He loves his animals! The boys could have spent hours digging for fossils, chipping and brushing away the rock.
I won't take the time to describe every exhibit (there were dozens) but here are a few pics that we took during the fun! Some of the highlights were an indoor tornado, experiencing an earthquake, making and racing sailboats, and trying out different sources of energy.
On the top floor there is an enclosed pedestrian walkway over the interstate. The holes in the floor make it possible to watch the cars zoom by. There were also speed detecting radars and binoculars the boys could use. The walkway was a hit with my crew!
One more picnic and we were headed home. Who knew we could pack so much fun into a short trip to St. Louis? Now, I need a nap!
