We bought a RZR!

Mom, Dad, Andy, and Jenni - have themselves RZR's to tool around in the mountains.  Stef and Micah like ATV's.  We wanted to join their RZR/ATV Gang so we jumped in the RZR pool.  I would say besides buying a house this has been one of the most painful purchases in the finance department but one of the best purchases in the family fun department.  We've only had it a few short months and the family memories are piling up.  I know there will be a ton of RZR ride blogs in the future.  I love calling my RZR an Are-Zee-Are because it upsets everyone.  We really need to name her.  Special Thanks to Shelly for letting me buy a RZR.  Extra Special Thanks to Andy for making the dream become a reality.  He is the brains behind making the RZR fleet run.  He has all the 'Know How' and the hookups.  We're in love.  The RZR story is best told in pictures.

Dad and Andy's 2 seater version of the RZR.

After painstaking research and debate....This was the one...

Stock RZR 1000 XP4

Big Bubba trailer to haul the Are-Zee-Are.

Now she has a roof, half windshield, rear bench seat (for all 5 of us), and street legal kit.

She is one dirty, radical finch as the kids say...

Yeah - you noticed...Real men with no shame pull their RZR with their paid for van...Eat it!

Family RZR selfie with our bad@$$ face shields.

I'm always grins behind the wheel of my RZR.

Thumbs up - the kids love the rear bench seat.

Beautiful Fall view up Green Canyon...Pretty much our backyard...

Green Canyon Cave

Riding to Randolph to eat some delicious Gators.

View of Bear Lake on our way to Randolph.

Willard Peak Sunset

Panoramic View of Willard Peak

Old Ephraim's Grave

Old Ephraim Selfie

That night Andy talked me into a 'night ride' to the top of Logan Peak...Terrible Idea...We were soaked and I do mean SOAKED!

McKenzie and Rich run a 5K

McKenzie participated in an after-school program called, "Girls on the Run."  It was a fun opportunity to be with other girls and drive home values that are important to our family.  It culminated in a 5K race in downtown St. Louis.  It was the first ever organized race for either of us.  It was NOT pretty but we finished.  I was one proud Daddy-Oh!  We even got a t-shirt and a medal out of the gig.  Here are a few pics of us finishing the race.

WE DID IT!

Philadelphia Phillies vs. St. Louis Cardinals

My absolute favorite part about living in St. Louis is going to Cardinals baseball games.  I had that Thursday off because I was working Saturday.  There is nothing better than "day" baseball!  The whole family got to go.  We sat in the first couple rows in right field.  The Cards won 4-0 on a Brandon Moss bomb that went right over our heads.  We always like bringing home a winner!

View from the Right Field seats

Hello Cardinal Family Selfie!

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!!!