Welcome to Thinking Out Loud Thursday where I share something I'm thinking about and invite you to link up and do the same. Today I'm thinking about our recent visitors!
We closed out July by sharing it with our 5-year-old niece and nephew. It was so much fun having them stay at our house for a few days! We filled every minute with fun activities from the moment we picked them up Tuesday night until they returned home on Sunday.
We kicked off the first day of their visit with rainbow waffles for breakfast. I really started something with the colored waffles. The rest of the week the kids wanted to order their favorite color waffles! Aunt Penny was happy to oblige.
Wednesday Eric headed off to work as me and the kids ventured to Grant's Farm. This is a St. Louis favorite location. Admission is free after you pay $15 for parking. We did purchase a Fun Pass for each kiddo which included a snow cone, 2 bottles or grain cups to feed the animals, and a carousel ride. We rode the tram through the fields of animals, watched an animal show, and (for an additional charge) rode a camel!
In the evening, we cheered on the USA in the Olympics. Rooting for your favorite country is made even better with some red, white, and blue-filled Oreos, ice cream, and popsicles!
Speaking of ice cream, the kiddos turned into chefs when I pulled out the ice cream maker. One batch of my favorite ice cream recipe lasted us all week. Our Cuisinart ice cream maker is definitely one of our favorite appliances!
Thursday was the day we had planned on visiting the St. Louis Zoo. Eric was off work and he was excited to spend the day with the kids. The weather forecast was predicting temps near 100, but we decided we would go and stay as long as we were having fun. We made it almost all day! The kids were troopers.
If you visit St. Louis, make sure you put the Zoo on your list of sights to see. Admission is free and it's a great place to meander around and see your favorite animals. For a small fee, you can also take a spin around the entire zoo on the train, pet and feed stingrays, see a seal lion show and take a walk through dinosaurs!
One of my favorites at the zoo is the sea lion exhibit. You can walk through a glass tunnel and watch them swim all around you. I think this ended up being one of the kids' favorites too!
Our subdivision has two ponds full of fish. The kids loved watching the fish bubble to the top to gobble up the fish food they were throwing their way.
Friday we headed over to our son's house for some fun in his pool. They swam like two little fish!
My sister-in-law sent the coolest life jackets with the kids. I hadn't seen these before and they worked so well!
In between all the activities, we would take a break and do a craft project. We painted and colored and worked with clay. The kids had a pile of art to take home with them by the end of the week.
It was rainy on Saturday so we headed for the theater to see Jungle Cruise. Guys - it's good! It's always a bonus when a kids' movie is actually one I like too.
There's a park close to our house, so if the kids acted like they had any energy left at the end of the day we visited the playground.
Sunday I delivered the kids back home. Their mom and dad were so happy to see them! Sunday night Eric and I were both a little depressed to be sitting in our very quiet house watching television. Having the kids here was a highlight of the summer and we're already making plans to have them back!
Now it's your turn - what are you thinking out loud about today? Link up and share
Penny, judging by the pictures, you had loads of fun and I am sure your niece and nephew will treasure the memories you made together forever!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a great time was had by all.
ReplyDeleteSuch sweet niece and nephew! You made wonderful memories for them
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