Day 1 -- Tim took a half day of work and we pulled Caleb out of school early. So we grabbed a quick lunch, finished loading up the car, and were off. We stopped just before Springfield to enjoy a picnic dinner at a rest stop. The grass was GREEN! I was pretty amazed since we left Wisconsin in a state of mud brown. We arrived at our destination around 7pm. The kids were excited to see Grandma and Papa as well as their Aunt Kelly and the animals.
Day 2 -- We surprised my mother-in-law, Michelle, by having an early birthday celebration since all of Tim's siblings were able to be there that weekend. There was a "Happy Something Day" cake, plans to have our family photo done the next day, and a trip to the St. Louis Zoo.
Day 3 -- The weather was a little overcast, but that's supposed to be perfect weather for taking photos so we all drove over to the park to do those. There was lots of laughter and Tim's siblings were being quite silly -- acting like the big kids that they are. The kids got to feed the ducks and swans. (See Nikolai Family Photos 2014) In the afternoon, since it was a little rainy out, we all watched "Frozen."
Day 4 -- It was a nice lazy day to just relax and not do much. The kids colored some Easter eggs and played with their Aunt Kelly a lot.
Day 5 -- Tim, the kids, and I went on an adventure to tour the Meramec Caverns in Missouri and also went hiking at Meramec State Park. There were lots of cool caves to explore!
Day 6 -- We visited the Cahokia Indian Mounds museum and climbed the many steps leading up to the top of their tallest mound. It was pretty windy up at the top. Later that night, Caleb finally pulled out his loose tooth that had been wiggly and dangly for months!
Day 8 -- We spent the morning at the indoor water park (didn't take a single photo since it was so humid in there and I didn't want to wreck our cameras). The kids actually went down one water slide a piece which was huge compared to last time we were there. They were more content just hanging out in the big pool and running around on the pirate ship. For the afternoon, we ventured out to the outdoor theme park where the go karts were up and running. So much fun!!! We also, took a ride on one of the Dells Ducks.
Day 9 -- We rode a few more rides in the indoor and outdoor theme park. Caleb tried out a gravity drop ride and we hit up the go karts again. Then it was time to head home so we could sleep in our own beds for the night.
