st. louis!

Who says you can't be spontaneous when you have a baby?! Not the Fossiers! We just came back from a random weekend trip to St. Louis and had a blast touring a new city.  Brad had the whole weekend off (which is a rare thing in this house) so we decided to take advantage and make some memories together.  

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(Pier did most of the driving.)

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When we left Indy it was SNOWING (yeah, don't wanna talk about it) so I was happy to venture south-ish for a bit.  The city actually reminds me of the south, which is probably why I liked it so much. First things first...the arch!!! 

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It sure is difficult to get this baby to smile in a photo when other people are around!  He is so enamored with people watching that you must have is undivided attention if you want anything in return.  But I'm glad I caught this one (even though the arch is barely in it...I guess I got distracted by a cute baby or something).

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I have to brag on Pier for a second -- he did SO well! We didn't plan this trip at all, and for the most part, he rocked it.  Kids are far more resilient than we give them credit for.  Although, for some strange reason, he didn't nap on the (four hour) drive down....so he was a bitttt delirious.  He either loved everything or hated everything and ya didn't know which Pier was coming. It was hilarious to watch-- Brad and I couldn't stop laughing!

We ate at this great burger place a block from our hotel and it was YUM!  Don't worry, I still Whole 30'd during my vacation, but MAN I wanted one of those shakes so bad! Eating out wasn't as difficult as I anticipated, and I'll give y'all a little roundup of what I ate when traveling on my next whole 30 post.  I'm proud of myself though...I watched Brad savor a large chocolate espresso milkshake RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME and I didn't even bat an eye.  I just kept telling myself that lettuce tastes better than a milkshake...

He said it was the best milkshake he ever had though, so we may have to make another trip back to St. Louis in the post-whole 30 future.

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Our second day in St. Louis, we toured the Missouri Botanical Gardens. This was my favorite place we visited! The expansive grounds were breathtaking -- you could get lost for days in the different gardens and exhibits.  Unfortunately, our timing wasn't the greatest and we totally got rained on a few minutes after taking these photos.  Not just rained on but THUNDER STORM'D ON.  It was a sight running in a thunder storm with a baby and a mountain of stuff back to the car.  Let's just say I'm not the most graceful stroller runner.  Anyway, we have to go back because I need to spend all day among every type of flower you can imagine!

We also did all sorts of fun things -- a visit to St. Louis University, mass at the basilica, and a tram tour on the arch!  You get in these tiny carts that take you up to the center of the structure.  It was a windy day and we could feel the arch sway a bit when we were up there. Talk about a crazy feeling.  But Pier loved looking out the window overlooking downtown! 

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We had so much fun, St. Louis!  Already planning my next trip back...mainly because I really want a chocolate espresso milkshake.