When Influenza B and the stomach flu consume your home in less than a week, getting out of the house once everything clears is a must. Luckily for us we had a weekend getaway at the Magic House planned with Grandma and Grandpa Schorr in St. Louis.
We stop in St. Louis every year on the way to Mayfield for Christmas but we’ve never stopped in for a weekend. There is so much to do for for families, a weekend is never enough time. We chose two of the top destinations – the St. Louis Zoo and the Magic House.
St. Louis Zoo
The zoo was even better than advertised. The layout and the free exhibits are great and we only made it through half. The girls were obsessed with the Hippo Landing and the Monsanto Insectarium. They loved watching the hippos glide by gracefully and getting grossed out by all the bugs. Bailey was really into the Butterfly section and had several papillon friends.
We could have easily spent an entire day there and we look forward to going back. But it was a long car ride and we had a couple of tired girls. We’re thankful for the fun (and funny) memories we came away with and the pictures we tried to take.
The cheetah stalking Sienna 
Making a Splash
If there is a body of water, not matter how big or small, our girls are going in. We made several splashes at the zoo and the first thing we did when we got to the hotel was throw on our suits and hit up the salt water pool.
It was on the chilly side so Sienna didn’t stay in long but it didn’t stop Dad and Bailey from trying to out-splash each other. If we’re judging by amount of water flung across the room, Dad would be the winner. Based on flair – we would have to give the trophy to Bailey.
Sienna and I stayed to watch the competition for awhile but then went back to warm up. Don’t worry, we had our own excitement. We learned Sienna could open a hotel door and run down the hallway towards the lobby naked before Mom could get the tub stopper in. (We made quite the first impression).
The Magic House
After an exciting night of jumping on the hotel beds and an entertaining dinner out, we tried to wrangle the girls to bed. It took awhile but when they finally crashed they were out and we were able to get a little sleep.
The next morning, we headed out to meet Grandma Schorr and Pop Pop Ray Ray at the Magic House. We were early (for the first time ever) so we stopped at the farmer’s market in Kirkwood and the girls loved meeting new puppies, sampling fresh produce and smelling every flower at the market. It was a perfect stop for us.
Then it was time to explore the Magic House. If you haven’t been and you have children, it is a must do. It as everything a child could want to do, explore or play with – and we had just as much fun as the kids. There was sand, magnets, climbing areas, art supplies, sand, sushi play restaurants, dirt and rocks, sand…did I mention sand?
There was so much to do and even though we were there for 5 hours, we could have stayed and played even longer. We got some fun pics but spent most of our time exploring and playing with the girls.
This face 
Parade leader 
A closer look 🙂
Both girls had so much fun, especially because Grandma Schorr and Pop Pop Ray Ray were there to play with us! We will definitely be back for more playtime the next time we are in the STL.
The Adventure Continues
We left the Magic House and went to downtown Kirkwood for a sweet treat and a little more play. Bailey got Cotton Candy the size of her while Sienna slept on my back, then woke up in time to play at a nearby park with some new friends. We finished up the adventure with some early birthday presents for both girls and some dinner.
It was so nice spending time as a family and getting to visit with Grandma Schorr and Pop Pop Ray Ray. The girls have been asking about the next visit since we piled in the car to come home.
Hopefully it won’t be too long between our next visit, but we can look back on a great weekend. We’re getting ready for both girls’ Birthdays, a dance competition and our big trip to Disney and the beach in the next few weeks. We’ll share more photos soon!
