All Good Things Must Come to An End

Much too soon, our visit with Ahenobarbus' family came to an end. We had a TON of fun! Beyond the things already posted, we also fit in a family game night; some yard-saleing; two trips to Spanky's (if you don't know what Spanky's is - you'll just have to visit to try it, if you do, you're already jealous);

a stop in Wentzville (just for Kate);

some pictures with Grandma;

a Card's game (Becca was there too!);

a visit to the Arch;

(at the top)

(the view from the top)

cuddle time with Uncle Josh (Audi was pretty sick their last day here);

and a family nap.

While we really missed Ahenobarbus' brother and older sister and their families (we expect you all to visit VERY soon), we had a great trip and made some wonderful memories.

Love you all!

World Bird Sanctuary

Another required stop for visitors is the World Bird Sanctuary, where Ahenobarbus volunteers. We chose a hot day to go, but had a lot of fun!

We found a "cute little tree frog" to pet and make friends with.

Ahenobarbus showed us his bird skills when he helped to train this barn owl (notice the yarn tether).

Then he introduced everyone to Twig (an Eastern Screech Owl), (He is one of my favorite birds at the sanctuary, he's just really cute!)

and Millennium, a peregrin falcon.

Then everyone else got to show off their recycling skills, as we all helped Lenore collect aluminum cans.

Beemer doing her part.

Mom - love that face!

Josh

Becca

Kate - another fabulous face.

Missouri Botanical Gardens

One of my favorite discoveries of this last year (thanks Ashley and Mindy) is the Missouri Botanical Gardens. I LOVE to go and wander around. There are even some gardens that I can stand in and close my eyes and it feels (just a little bit) like I am back in the mountains!

So, now every visitor that comes has to visit the gardens with us! We took Ahenobarbus' family there on a beautiful Saturday morning we (by "we" I mean his sister, Kate) took tons of fabulous pictures. I picked a few of my favorites to share. If you want to see more, you'll just have to visit! I know one of two of you who will feel the draw to St. Louis increase as you see these and you should know that you and your cameras are welcome ANY time!

(Ok, so I took this last one, but the rest were all Kate. Isn't she fabulous?)

Road Trip!

While Ahenobarbus' family was here, we took a road trip. Our first stop was in Hannibal, MO - the home of Mark Twain. We spent the morning touring his boyhood home and museum, had lunch in the park and then explored the cave named after him. (It's also the cave he used for inspiration for his books!)

That night we drove to Keokuk, IA and spent the evening swimming in the hotel pool - this is undoubtedly Beemer's favorite part of the trip. She REALLY wants to stay in another hotel so she can swim some more!

The next day we spent the day visiting Nauvoo and Carthage, IL. We had beautiful weather - no rain and not to hot. I think we almost got to see and do everything we wanted to. We were all exhausted by the time we got home that night, but it was a fabulous, if all too short, road trip. (For more information on Nauvoo and Carthage, please click here.

Macawlie

The highlight of the zoo for Beemer was our visit to the Build-A-Bear shop. She got to pick out her own animal (she picked a Macaw, who would have guessed?) and watch it stuffed. When it came time to put the heart in, she asked Grandma to kiss it first. It was so sweet! Then she picked out clothes and glass slippers and named her - Macawlie. She also helped Audi pick out a cute Bunny, which Ahenobarbus named Rudolph.

The most memorable part of this story, though, came at the end of the week. When we took everyone back to the airport, Beemer had a hard time. She cried all the way home, repeating "Grandma" over and over. It was heart-wrenching. But as soon as we got home, she stopped crying, went to her bedroom to get Macawlie from her bed, hugged her tight and said, "When I hug Macawlie and close my eyes tight, its like Grandma is here with me, because she kissed the heart inside of her." It was so tender and sweet!

Playtime with the Stingrays

The first week of June, Ahenobarbus' family came to visit (yes, I know how behind I am). We had a FABULOUS time and made tons of fun memories. We also have tons of pictures to post (I'm still sorting them, deciding what to post).

We started the visit with a trip to the St. Louis Zoo. This is a MUST for any and all visitors. We have a great zoo and its FREE!! The new attraction at the zoo is the Stingray exhibit. We all got to pet stingrays and Beemer even got to feed them! She LOVED it!