Flat Stanley's Visit!

We were SO excited when we got a message form our good friends, The Duckworths, that said we would be getting a visitor soon! Flat Stanley would be coming to St. Louis to hang out with Braxton Bowman and his sisters, McKenzie & Bailey!!!

Before I tell you about all the fun we had, here are some cool facts about St. Louis Missouri...

• Population 317,419

St. Louis is...

• ...where 7-Up was invented
• ...where the ice cream cone was first invented
• ...known for toasted ravioli, gooey butter cake, and provel cheese
• ...where The 1904 World's Fair was held
• ...the first American city to host the Olympics
• ...formerly known as the largest shoe-manufacturing center in the world
• ...popular for its St. Louis Zoo – one of the best in the country next to San Diego's zoo
• ...proud to house the Missouri Botanical Gardens – among the top three botanical gardens in the world
• ...where the very first kindergarten was founded in the U.S.
• ...where the first interstate highway was built
• ...home to Saint Louis University – the oldest university west of the Mississippi
• ...where the tallest monument in the U.S. (630 ft. tall) was built – known as The Gateway Arch
• ...the city that hosts the largest Mardis Gras celebration outside of New Orleans
• ...known to consume more BBQ sauce per capita than any other American city

• The city was founded by the French in Spanish territory in 1764. French fur traders Pierre Laclede and Auguste Chouteau founded St. Louis on high land just below the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers.

• Susan Blow started the first kindergarten in the United States in St. Louis in 1873. St. Louis was also the site of the first public grade school and the first public high school west of the Mississippi.

• St. Louis boasts more free major visitor attractions than anywhere in the U.S. outside of the nation’s capital. The Saint Louis Art Museum, Science Center, and Zoo, History Museum, Museum of Westward Expansion, Anheuser-Busch Brewery, Laumeier Sculpture Park, Citygarden and many other sites are open free of charge.

• St. Louis is spread along 19 miles of the Mississippi River shoreline just 12 miles south of the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers.

• St. Louis has the only museum in the world that’s gone completely to the dogs. The American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog is dedicated to fine art depicting canine companions throughout history.

Here is more information about our cool city! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Louis

Now on to the fun stuff!!!
Some of our favorite things to do in St. Louis are go the the zoo, play at the Science Center and Planetarium, visit the Gateway Arch, and watch Cardinals baseball games at Busch Stadium! While Stanley was here we went to the movies. Zootopia is HILARIOUS! Braxton is excited to see the Angry Birds movie and so is Stanley! We played at an amazing castle playground, we went to a huge Easter egg hunt. They even had bounce houses and a rock climbing wall! We decorated Easter eggs with our cousins, and we played at Chuck E Cheese! Thanks for letting Stanley come hang out with us Will!!!

The Science Center & Planetarium!

Busch Stadium!!!

The St Louis Zoo!





The Gateway Arch!

Turnpike Troubadours

Jake, A-Rich, Dan, and I had another fellas night out at the show.  We went and saw Turnpike Troubadours.  It was at one of my favorite venues in St. Louis called The Pageant.  They are kind of an obscure little band but they threw a fun show.  We know them best as St. Louis Cardinals - Matt Carpenter's walk up song.  When they did Carp's walk up song called "Long Hot Summer Days," the house almost came down.  They also did an awesome mashup of "Country Roads" by John Denver.  I can still hear A-Rich singing, "Country roads, take me home to the place I belong.  West Virginia, mountain momma, take me home, country roads."

Below is the YouTube link to "Long Hot Summer Days" - just imagine Matt Carpenter walking up to the plate for the St. Louis. Cardinals.

"Long Hot Summer Days" - Turnpike Troubadours

March Misc. & MY GIRL CARRIE!

Braxton loves scouts and learning new things, and hanging with his buddies. He got his Wolf!

St. Patrick’s Day Bailey had nothing green except for a sweet T her cousin Dylan left out our house – so she rocked it!

Sidewalk Chalk Fun!

Chris took this pic and it was too cool not to post…

Uhhhhhh Bailey, I think your Doc McStuffins costume is a bit too small now...

Guess who Amanda & I got to hang out with? OUR GIRL CARRIE! Well, by “hanging out with” I mean have a girl’s night out at her show and push our way almost to the front of the pit. The only thing between us and Carrie was some dumb chick and her sugar daddy there on a first date who DIDN’T KNOW ANY OF THE SONGS! CRIME AGAINST COUNTRY MUSIC! I am convinced Carrie Underwood is an alien, by the way. No human can sing that perfect for HOURS and not miss a single pitch! The show was absolutely amazing and so was the company and the killer pre-concert sushi dinner! Can’t wait to do it again! Love you little sis!!!