stan and dad have a night out

transportation museum

We went to the transportation museum today, and had a great time. We went into this red caboose, which led into a few other cabooses and a tanker car. I really do love old trains. The highlight for the boys may have been climbing on the pile of extra gravel in an out-of-the-way corner. Besides trains and cars, they had a little airplane and a tug boat, and probably other things we would have seen had we arrived earlier in the day and had more time. They also have a little train you can ride for a fee, but kids and a parent can ride free if they print out the train-themed coloring page from the web site, color it, and bring it in. I will take advantage of that next year.

happy 4th

We went to a Fourth of July parade in Webster Groves, one of the suburbs we are considering moving into next summer if we get a job here in St. Louis. It wasn't the most impressive parade ever, but we had a good time and the boys got a few pieces of candy. Later in the afternoon, after a very exciting (for Stan) trip to the McDonalds playplace, we went back to look at homes. As it turns out, historic downtown Webster Groves is the most perfect neighborhood in Missouri. The homes are beautiful and old and large without having that 'old money' feel. The yards are big and well-kept and everyone was out having barbecues or front-yard parties, sitting on porches, walking dogs, or having lemonade stands. The library and YMCA (not a scary one, either) are in walking distance. And did I mention that every home is beautiful? Now all we need is lots of money....

We took the boys to see some fireworks last night, so we didn't have to do it tonight. For some reason they do fireworks on the third, fourth, and fifth (at least- maybe more) here, and we were out late last night anyway so it worked out better that way.

Mary gets lots of love

a new(to us) corner of Forest Park

We are lucky to have such a great park across the street from our place! We have been here so may times and are still discovering fun new places.

No, they can't just leave her alone.

Mary sleeping peacefully

This is what happens if Mary is ever sleeping peacefully. Stanley's leg is blurry because he is leaping off some kind of furniture and landing inches from her face. If there is no furniture nearby, he takes a running start.

He just loves his little sister, that's all.

Science park

The St. Louis Science Center is pretty close to our apartment here. There is a playground outside that is usually overrun with field-tripping school kids, but if you go in the evening or first thing in the morning, it is a fun place for the boys to play. Stan has been obsessed with the science center ever since Scott took him to a planetarium show there, and he asks to go there nearly every day. We have made it to the park a few times, and inside the building once or twice.

Henry is turning the wheel on the gear thingy. We like how it's so big.














This is a house/maze kind of thing made of different colored transparent panels to demonstrate color mixing.

















The boys are about to pull the starter on the Gravity Race.














We have also made it out to the zoo once since Mary has been born. I had mary in the Moby Wrap and the boys in the double stroller and we made it aroud ok. It wasn't as bad as I feared it would be. I like the zoo because there are other people with two or three kids, so I feel like less of a spectacle than I do just going around our hip "walkable urban" (i.e. no kids) neighborhood.