Meet Me in St. Louis

Having heard so many wonderful things to do with kids in St. Louis, we spent Labor Day weekend exploring the city!

First stop was the zoo.  Soon after we arrived, I parked Quinn near a fence so I could get all of our stuff situated.  I was busy fussing with her stroller when I heard a thud - this stealthy puma had jumped up on the concrete edge of her cage.  Apparently the surrounding flora and fauna were so convincing that I thought I was in the jungle and needed to protect my young, because my response was to jump like Michael Jordan and take a martial arts stance.  Way to remain cool, Joy.

Momma and baby Okapi.  The black "collar" around baby is mom's tongue giving her a bath.  I thought I was a clean freak, but she has me beat by a long shot.

"I like giraffes!"

Happy hippo indeed.

Next stop was Grant's Farm, an Anheuser-Busch property.  It has acres upon acres of land where a fine assortment of animals from around the globe roam free, and you get to take a tram through it to explore.  It was in the 90s all day, and I think Quinn was thankful for the fan I got for her stroller.

Goats eat anything, maybe even baby feet.  After the puma experience, Andy wasn't going to take a chance and parked her far from the fence while Whit and I went in to mingle with the farm animals.

The famed Budweiser Clydesdales.  Andy, Whit, and Carter had a moment of deep connection, as you can see.

For those of you with incredible eyesight, yes, that is a Cargill elevator across the river from the arch.  Hot stuff, Cargill.  Way to stamp your name on millions of tourist photos.

Our final stop was the Magic House Children's Museum.  AWESOME.  Probably the best we've been to.  Here our little dude found himself inside a giant bubble.

But the highlight was climbing the three-story beanstalk.  No giant at the top, thankfully.