Lake Respite

After our time in St Louis this summer, we headed to the Lake of the Ozarks for a weekend stay at my aunt and uncle's condo. They were so generous to let us enjoy all their water toys and to share their beautiful space. Mark and Kathy brought their granddaughter Chloe out to the lake as well. Our three kids just adored Chloe. My relatives definitely spoiled us!

Aunt Kathy braided both mine and Adley's hair one day. Kathy's trick was to braid Adley's hair while she was eating breakfast!

Chloe was an expert at keeping Adley entertained and was so sweet with her! Adley loved having a playmate.

Chloe brought along a cake that she had made and decorated herself. It was just beautiful... and delicious!

All of the food that we had over weekend was tasty! Uncle Mark grilled some yummy food for us and also took us to a fun restaurant by the lake one afternoon. It was quite the popular place.

Spending time out on the water was one of our kids' main highlights of the entire vacation. We had gorgeous weather days during our stay. The kids all loved time at the condo pool, 

fishing with Daddy, Papa, and Uncle Mark,

and riding and relaxing in Uncle Mark's new boat.

Jaden said that his favorite water activity was going jet skiing. This was my favorite as well!

Cody, on the other hand, just couldn't get enough of the tubing. He and Chloe made great partners out on the water, as they both loved speed and riding through the wake. These two even showed us how they could floss on the water!

Adley even willingly got on the tube once with Daddy for a turn of her own. She wasn't the biggest fan though, so her round was a short one. We were proud of her for trying!

Tubing was definitely how we spent most of our time-- switching off with various duos.

What a fun, relaxing weekend! We are so thankful to my Uncle Mark and Aunt Kathy for their generosity and kindness! 

St Louis - Part II

St. Louis Zoo

On day 3 of our stay in St. Louis, I met a friend and her son for a zoo visit. It was a VERY large zoo, so we got tired well before we explored the whole place. What a treat that the zoo was free!

Ted Drewes

We were told by many that eating custard at this signature shop was a must. The large throng of people outside the shop confirmed its popularity. Thankfully, we got through the line quickly and enjoyed our tasty Ted Drewes. 

The Old Courthouse

The next day, we went to the heart of downtown and toured the Old Courthouse. Jaden and Cody each received a booklet that they could complete to earn a Jr. Ranger badge. 

 

We explored all parts of the courthouse in order to complete the booklet questions. The boys even had to learn the various components of a courtroom.

The hardest part was trying to find turtles in the courthouse architecture. We finally discovered them on the fences and gates outside!

After completing the required number of sections in their booklets, the boys turned the booklets in to the park ranger. They recited the Jr. Ranger pledge and earned their first ever badge!

The Gateway Arch

And of course, a visit to St. Louis just wouldn't be complete without a visit to the Arch.

Jaden and Cody watched the tourist video about how the Arch was made (I thought this was fascinating!) and completed some questions towards their Jr. Ranger badge here too. 

We spent a little bit of time in the visitor's center and then...

 ...rode up the elevator (mock ones seen below) to the top of the Arch.

Such amazing views from the top!

I had been to the top of the Arch as a young girl but had forgotten just how narrow the windows were!

The park ranger who gave Cody and Jaden their Jr. Ranger badges was the funniest man! He made the boys promise not to be "goofy spider monkeys" and had all kinds of other lines to make the boys smile. 

 

by the Mississippi River

 

Recognition Day at the Sem

On our final morning in St. Louis, we accompanied Jason to his closing chapel service at the seminary. The kids and I enjoyed seeing the beautiful campus where Jason has been doing his studies over the past 2 years.

At this chapel service, all of the SMP students in Jason's cohort were recognized because they have now finished enough coursework to be ordained as pastors. We enjoyed meeting the guys in Jason's cohort and were so proud to watch him be recognized for all of his hard work!

What a special day! How exciting to have another Pastor Schleicher in the family! It was a great culmination to our full week in St. Louis.