On our last evening in St. Louis, we made a quick trip to Forest Park. (This was after Grant's Farm & The Magic House, so it is amazing that we got any good pictures at all...we were all very tired!) Mostly, I wanted to take some pictures, but it is also a special place for us because we walked around there on our first trip to St. Louis when Mackenzie was just 18 mo.'s old. I will never forget that we lost one of her favorite blankies there, and I was so sad about it. We walked around the large pond with fountains and Brian and Mackenzie had several "races." I am always a little sad when the last day of vacation comes. I love getting back home too, but I just love spending time away with my family, and there's something sad about knowing it is coming to an end and we will never be back in this moment again. Maybe that's why I felt compelled to take so many pictures! If anyone was watching our "portrait session," I'm sure they got a good laugh at me setting the timer on my camera, balancing it on the stroller, and running to get in the picture with one of the girls on my lap! We had to do it several times, but now that I am looking at the pictures, I'm so glad we did! This was a great week for us, before the craziness of summer begins. I love my family so much. Thank you, Lord for blessing us with this time together!
Where did the last 4 1/2 years go?!
The girls adore their daddy & had so much fun playing with him on this trip!
Of course, Mackenzie would pose! Madison is posing in her own way too!
Brian says, "Smile real big!" and this is what Mackenzie did. I said,"Well, not quite that big...just smile normal." Well, I guess that upset her because look at the next picture...
...then she didn't really want to smile at all. I felt bad! Oh, and of course, now Madison would be smiling!
There are all kinds of neat bridges & paths to walk around at Forest Park. The girls were wondering where the playground was though!
They look like they're sharing secrets!
I'm sure she was trying to talk her daddy into something right here! Look at that face!
Pretty curls, just like her big sister.
Could she be any cuter?!
Daddy & Madison Photo Shoot: (We couldn't get her to smile like this, so....)
He put her up on his shoulders & she loved it! He even got lots of kisses! These are some of my favorite pictures ever!
And last, but not least...Mackenzie took these pictures of Brian & me. She's pretty good! Definitely a future photographer, I'd say! It's hard to believe that we have been together for 15 years, and married for almost 10. I am so thankful that God gave me such a wonderful husband to spend my life with. I am blessed!
After the park, we went to Olive Garden for dinner & then to Wal-Mart to buy a few things. Mackenzie picked out some cupcakes for dessert, and this is what the girls looked like after eating them! Madison really enjoyed hers! We spent the rest of the evening in our Hotel room, relaxing and packing up to go home. Our trip was fun from beginning to end!
Where did the last 4 1/2 years go?!
Of course, Mackenzie would pose! Madison is posing in her own way too!
...then she didn't really want to smile at all. I felt bad! Oh, and of course, now Madison would be smiling!
There are all kinds of neat bridges & paths to walk around at Forest Park. The girls were wondering where the playground was though!
After the park, we went to Olive Garden for dinner & then to Wal-Mart to buy a few things. Mackenzie picked out some cupcakes for dessert, and this is what the girls looked like after eating them! Madison really enjoyed hers! We spent the rest of the evening in our Hotel room, relaxing and packing up to go home. Our trip was fun from beginning to end!
I was SO excited about going back to The Magic House Children's Museum in St. Louis! (I guess the kids were too!) We had so much fun there when Mackenzie was just a baby. We waited until the last day of our vacation to go because they had a new Alice in Wonderland exhibit that was opening that day. We had a great time, but I think we tried to pack too much into one day by going to Grant's Farm that morning and then The Magic House in the afternoon. The girls were very good, but you could tell they were tired. Their favorite part was probably the pizza parlor. I really think they would have played in there for 2 hours if we let them! They also loved the baby nursery area where they could pretend to be doctors and nurses. It was so sweet...Madison was very into it! The babies were almost as big as she is though. They also had a great time at the Grocery Store, and the water room was a favorite as well. Miraculously, they made it out of there without getting their clothes wet. I love The Magic House because there are so many fun, hands-on things for the kids to do that are very educational. We were only there for a couple of hours, but we could have spent 2 days there, just letting the girls play. Madison found a slide that she loved & wanted to do it over and over and over. I loved the sign that says, "An average 4 year old asks 437 questions a day!" I definitely believe it! At the end of our time there, we went out to the Sandcastle Beach, where the girls got to dig for shells & play in the sand. Needless to say, they loved it! I kind of wish we would have gone to The Magic House during the first part of our week, when we weren't so tired and getting geared up to go back home, but it was still a lot of fun. I am sure it won't be the last time we spend a day there. I already can't wait to go back to St. Louis!
See what I mean?! They were big babies!
Madison gathered up every rubber ducky she could find! I love the way she wrinkles up that little nose when she smiles.
The Alice in Wonderland exhibit was fun for the girls, but not quite as exciting as we had hoped. They did like going "down" the rabbit hole.
Mackenzie with the Queen of Hearts. 
No wonder we have started playing the Quiet Game to get a few seconds of silence!
Madison would have played with this dollhouse all day long!
Mackenzie went right to this little shaped peg game...when we visited The Magic House before, she loved it then too.
The Mouse House!
Mackenzie is a lot bigger than she was the last time she played on this slide!
Fun at the Supermarket!
I took this sign in the Library just in case G-Ma needed some information on what a Librarian should be doing. Ha! Librarian's don't get credit for half of what they really do!
Maybe Mackenzie will follow in G-Ma's footsteps and become a Librarian one of these days.
