St Louis (twice in a week)

In April alone I made 2 trips to St. Louis! Actually it was within 1 week that I made the 300 mile trek to my "home" state. I was born in Missouri, and most of my family remains there so I still sorta consider it my "home" state. I first set out BY MYSELF with both girls. We were headed up primarily for a photo shoot with my cousin who was driving in from Chicago and wanted to take some pics of of the girls. We met up at the Botanic Gardens and got some good shots. Im still waiting to see the final product, and when I get a peak I will certainly share them with you.

In addition to the photo shoot we spent time with one of my good friends from college. We played soccer together and have kept in touch ever since. She has 3 little ones (5 year old girl, 3 year old boy, and 1 year old girl). Her baby is just 5 days younger than Ainslee. She offered us her house, and was even kind enough to give us 2 rooms! We had a BLAST! It was so awesome getting to hang out with her again and basically having a play date everyday. My girls slept so good while we were there simply because they got so worn out during the day everyday. We were able to work together to get things done. It was like double the hands for everything: chores, cooking, caring for the kiddos, it made the everyday grind so much easier all around. It was so fun, and we will definitely be doing that again.

I cant lie, I was really dreading the drive, I have made that drive about 150 times in my life, but I had never made it with 2 children by myself. i was worried about stopping, eating at a restaurant, them being entertained in the car, them sleeping in the car, and just about everything. But the trip when surprising well, we stopped once on the way up and once on the way back. We ate at Lambert's on the way up (im not sure why I picked there considering I could hardly eat anything on the menu (including their famous throwed rolls).

Here she is holding up 1 finger for her 1st time at Lambert's

I made another stupid decision on the way home stopping at Ruby Tuesday. Why in the world did I think stopping at a buffet was the best option when travelling alone with children? I had to tote BOTH of them with me each time we went up to the salad bar. It was crazy, but fun, and the girls did great with it all.

Here are 4 of the 5 kids that were in the house, I think Ainslee was down for a nap when we took this

My girls both love to swing

Suzannah is 5 days younger than Ainlsee, what a cutie

Ella and AW on TOP of the house. Ella is striking a pose, AW thinks he is the king of the mountain


Ainslee and Suzannah cruising the streets.
side note: this photo was taken about 4 seconds before Ainslee redecorated their car in throw up. Im not sure what happened but something obviously didnt agree with her, and she puked EVERYWHERE!

We were in St Louis from Monday to Friday, and Friday morning when we were packing up to head home I received the news that my uncle had passed away. I knew we needed to head home, and the funeral arrangements were yet to be determined due to his quick passing. So we drove home, narrowly missing the crazy storms that were heading our way (you know the ones that hit Nashville and other areas so hard that it was declared a national disaster area?). Then once funeral arrangements were made I decided to head back up to St Louis on Sunday afternoon. My mom, dad, 2 brothers, sister, and my myself loaded up in 2 cars after my little bro's baccalaureate and drove up there again. We stopped to eat, and at the hotel to change clothes before going to the wake. It was really weird to see so much of the family together again. It has been YEARS since we have had some much family in one place at one time. I remember Christmas' and weddings from the past where we would all be together, but this time it was different. We are all grown up now with children of our own. And it was strange seeing the faces of the people I havent seen in so long. The next day was a short service just for family at the funeral home, then the procession to the church for mass, then the procession to the grave site. I was amazed at how many people showed up, my uncle had touched a lot of peoples lives, some 700+ people showed up to the viewing. After the burial, we went to my cousins house for the reception, and then headed home. This trip, although it was shorter, was MUCH more difficult than the one with 2 kids by myself: physically, mentally, and emotionally. Lets just say i would rather drive across the country by myself with both kids before I take another trip with my immediate family again. (too much drama to even mention it all here)

During both St. Louis trips I was able to pay visits to my only living grandmother. She is 93 years old and still kicking. Man how I love and admire that lady! Here is a shot of all of us with her. (dont ask me what the heck is up with my hair)


While in St Louis i realized just how important it is to me to move closer to a city where things are close by, and a neighborhood where my children can build friendships. While staying at my friends house we were just a few minutes from everything. We were able to load the kids in the car go for an hour or so and be home in time for naps or lunch or whatever. Fun things were nearby and it wasnt like we had to plan to be away from the house for the entire day. And she lives in an awesome neighborhood. There are so many children for her kids to play with. For example when we were leaving there were 12 kids at her house, all from the cove she lives in. It was SO fun! And the moms were awesome. One night they all came over and we sat outside sipping wine, eating hummus, and talking about whatever. It was therapeutic and great and something I wish I had in my own life at home!


So Lindley if you are reading this THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. You opened your home and your heart to us and we are truely grateful. My girls love you and had a wonderful time. Please let me know when we can come back.