So we arrived at our hotel and it was kind of overcast. The kids swam for awhile and then we headed into town to go shopping at the indoor mall for a while and to a downtown resturant, The Old Spaghetti Factory. It was a great place for kids, so I highly suggest it for anyone in the area. Mostly all pasta on the menu and a balloon man came by while you were eating. Yep, great bribery to eat your food better if you are promised a flower shaped balloon in return!
Saturday morning we were a little slow going. Needless to say after praying for a weekend of relaxation, I ended up getting a virus before we left (pretty sure passed on from Finn and his runny nose). Had the worse sore throat in my life and couldn't sleep much pass 3 am, but hey this was a vacation and I was going to make the best of it! So with all the gumption I could throw together we did the morning routine in the hotel, which all of you mothers know how that goes. Packing the bags for the day, getting the kids fed, dressed, telling your hubby to get ready and then having about 20 minutes to throw yourself together before your kids have a meltdown from waiting in the hotel room for too long after being promised an hour ago we were headed to the zoo :) And out the door we went...to St. Louis Zoo
The zoo was great. No complaints there. Could have had a little cooler day, but still was not as bad as previous years. Notice the kids looking so refreshed and eager to start the day...the end pictures they start looking very sleepy. Finn did great, took a nap and no fussing. Selah even made it this day without a nap the entire time. Way too much to look at.
We felt the love and enjoyed being together with our kids watching them get excited to see things around them. Makes you see things in a totally different light when you watch them through your child's eyes. Finn is still at the age that he doesn't completely interact with the animals, but Selah is quite aware of everything going on around her and what she wants to see and do....
which is why on Saturday we went on the Carousel 3-4 times, the train 3 times, the sea lion show, and any other "production" we could think of (more on that later). And that was fine with us. Selah and Finn both loved it and we were making memories!
Here is the train - I think if I was a grandpa the job as the conductor would be what I would choose. The just drive this train around the zoo all day, hollering "all aboard!" By the time we did it a few times, Selah and Finn both had "AAAAAALLLLLLL ABOARD!" down pat along with "Choo Choo!"
Luckily on the weekends they had the sea lion show because Selah just HAD to go. She sat there all intently watching what they were doing and clapping on cue when the sea lion did his trick. 
Yep, here is Finn. Jumping up and down as usual. Always on the go this boy is! But he did enjoy the show as well and did sit for a while to eat his goldfishes.
Then on to the carousel. Something Selah will be talking about for weeks. Mostly because for those of you from this area know that the mall in Bloomington used to have a carousel which she used to get to ride for being good while we shopped. Then they decided to take it down, which in my opinion was the worst marketing decision they could have made. Ever since Selah has been asking where the ponies have gone :) So, you can imagine her eyes lighting up when she saw they had a carousel.
She would carefully decide which animal she wanted to ride on each time. And then anxiously await it to start going up and down.
Although he looks like he is not enjoying it here, he really did. Just a little apprehensive at first.
Here is Selah's pony she wanted to ride with her handsome daddy of course.
The zoo had really great exhibits. They have a Penguin Walk where you can go inside and see more penguins in their "cool habitat". Great for when it is 90 degrees outside! Finn fell asleep while we were in there. Very cute these creatures are!
And they had a Children's Zoo where Selah got to have fun while Finn was sleeping.
Very hands on...
Then it was to the fountains to cool off for a while. Sorry for the blurry pic, I am telling you he is fast :)
Selah couldn't decide if she wanted to get wet or not.
Tadd also discovered a 3-D motion simulator of a rollercoaster in the zoo. He just HAD to ride on it. "I loved these as kids!" and so on. Now, as a mother of a child who is scared of monsters and every loud noise out there I was sure this was not going to go well from the start. Maybe my apprehension makes it worse, but either way, it was not going to be pretty. Tadd still protested that it would be fun and she would like it. So in we went. Finn and I to a stationary seat, which Tadd and Selah to the moving seats with the 3-D glasses. The moment she sat down I almost had to laugh because I guessed she would be screaming in a few seconds of the movie beginning. She really didn't do terribly, but yes she freaked out a couple times. Then at the end of the movie a giant ape jumps out in front of your face and she screamed. Followed by many tears. I know, bad daddy! Who would put their child through it. I am determined if she wakes up scared the next few nights, Tadd will be the one putting her back to bed. Jokes aside, she is fine. She asked to go back on the ride not more than 10 minutes later even while stating it scared her. Gotta love that kid!
That finished our Saturday at the zoo. We went back to the hotel, swam for awhile, and then ordered in pizza. Saturday night went like Friday night for me along with Selah waking up early with me so Sunday was a little rough. After a little thought I decided to go to prompt care to get some pain meds for the throat. Spray and drops weren't cutting it anymore. As much as Tadd wants to say I was a wimp, I was in pain people! And I think my pain tolerance is pretty high. When mama isn't happy, the whole family isn't happy. And remember this is supposed to be a relaxing and enjoyable trip :)
After the urgent care visit and a few drugs later we were good to go. We tried to go to Grant's Farm, but ended up changing our minds after we were told it was over an hour before we could even get in. Our plans instead?! Well, we drove towards the outlet mall and found a Red Robin on the way (one of Tadd and Selah's fav places to eat). We headed to the mall for the afternoon. It was a great day. Great shopping, both kids slept in the stroller - yep, you heard me right - both kids. By this time they were getting worn out I think! Then back to the hotel to swim.
I know, there are no pictures other than at the zoo, but between my throat pain and lack of sleep I was lucky to take any pictures. Bear with me on this next part, mostly it is for my scrapbook because it was quite memorable for me. Sunday night I was SO excited to go to sleep after being prescribed pain meds with the goods in it to help me sleep. So after swimming at 8 pm we decided we were all going to go to bed. Selah of course has other ideas. She isn't tired. "I can't sleep, mom!" "I can't close my eyes, I am not tired" (You all know the drill). So I decided to sleep in her bed with her to maybe rub her back and get her to sleep. Doesn't work. After 1 1/2 hrs. I decide to get the IPAD out and let her play around for awhile. Of course, Tadd is already fast asleep in the other bed (Yes, you all know how that goes, LOL!). Then after that we try laying down again. Most of you that know me know that I don't rock my kids to sleep, they don't sleep in our beds, we don't sleep in theirs. They are good sleepers and have always put themselves to sleep on their own. So, this night I can laugh about now. Because Selah kicks like crazy, was picking at me till she fell asleep. First she was doing my hair, then rubbing my arms, and then I lost track. I don't know what she was doing. At first I was really irritated because, hey! I wanted to sleep people! But after a while I realized that I just needed to enjoy the time God was giving me with my daughter. To snuggle and enjoy each other because these moments are not going to last forever. So instead, I prayed over her and tried to enjoy her prodding until she finally nodded off to sleep...very late after that!
Fade in...Monday morning. Like I said before, not many plans on this trip. Just to go with the flow. We decided that we would head back to the zoo because it was cheap, the kids loved it, and it was only two minutes from our hotel. On Saturday we had done lots of amusement things, so this time we decided to see more animals.
The had a great exhibit where you could pay to touch stingrays and sharks. Selah wasn't into it really, but if Finn had longer arms he would have been all over it! They were really slimey feeling.
Then we visited every animal that was there. And I forgot to take a picture, but Selah got to Build-A-Bear, or a giraffe I should say for her zoo gift. You get to pick out an outfit, shoes, fill out a birth certificate.... Selah's has a pink outfit, pink shoes, and she named her 'Giraffe'. Original I know.
It was a great family getaway in the end. Another summer has flown by. Soon we will be celebrating Selah's 3rd birthday. God continues to watch over us and bless us in ways we can't imagine! Hope you all are enjoying your littles and the end of this hot summer!
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