the gateway city

On Thursday we went to St Louis. Patrick bought tickets to see the Cardinal's game and the boys were so excited. 

{They were excited, seriously. But they were sleepy too and it was a night game, so I'm thankful they napped in the car.}

{the Arch.}

We arrived a few hours before the game so we would have some time to explore downtown St Louis. The boys loved standing underneath this massive metal giant and being able to touch the steel with their hands.

Then we decided to go up into the Arch.  And the ride to the top is quite the experience. First there's lots of standing in lines and waiting, and then the teeny tiny elevator-ish pod that comfortably {or claustrophobically} raises you to the top. And since the Arch isn't just a straight structure, there is a lot of turning and jigging to get you there.

But once you are there it is worth it; oh, it is very worth every minute in line and suffocating second in the elevator pod.

{St Louis is a beautiful city. And this is an amazing way to view it.}

 For dinner we went to the stadium and ordered jumbo dogs and popcorn and giant sodas in souvenir cups donning the face and batting record of Albert Pujols.

The Cardinals played the Giants and after a 3-0 lead to start they ended up losing {pretty badly}. It was William's first major league game. He pretty much lost interest shortly before the game started. He was, however, impressed with walking around the stadium, watching the people behind us and ordering concessions.

{But this sweet boy; for him it was all magic.}

He was glued to every swing, pitch, run, catch, strike and out. I wish his favorite, number 5, had hit a home-run so he could have relished in the sound of the fireworks and the roar of the crowd. But it didn't stop him from cheering wildly every time he came up to bat anyway.

We spent the night with brother-in-law Greg and sister-in-law Cathy. The boys adore their older cousins. They played hide and seek in the morning together and some bball just before we left. Clayton defies his Vance genes breaking 6-feet and dunking the ball; he will be heading to Colorado this fall for his freshman year of college. He and Haydn were pretty much my boys' ages now when I first met them; they slept in racecar beds and bounced off their "uncle Pat". 

It goes by in a blink, baby, that's for sure. That's what makes these midweek getaways all the more worthwhile. Stockpiling experiences and adventures in our bank of memories is at the top of our agenda this summer.