It's Playtime with the Kids!

Glad you stopped by Thinking Out Loud Thursday where I talk about something on my mind and invite you to link up and do the same.  Today I'm reflecting on recent weekend guests!

Our summer has been a bit topsy-turvy this year, but one thing I knew I didn't want to let slip was a visit from our niece and nephews.  When we host these little ones, three are seven and one is four, we try to pack as much fun into our time as we can.  Here's how their visit came together ~

As soon as work was finished on Thursday, I drove to pick up the kiddos.  It was a toss-up on who was more excited, me or the kids!  

On the way back to our house, we talked about what our plans were for the next few days.  Everyone had their ideas of what they hoped we would do.  A goal to visit at least five different playgrounds was set.

Friday morning we were up bright and early.  After a breakfast of Dunkin Doughnuts, we were off to our first playground!  Truth be told, we got such an early start that our first destination wasn't open yet so I filled in the time with a stop at a playground.  Moody Park in Fairview Heights has a fantastic play area and the kids loved it!

Our next stop was Sky Zone.  The kids had been there during a previous visit and it was high on their list to return.  They ran around jumping on the trampolines, going down the slides, and trying all the other obstacles provided.  

When their two-hour ticket was up, we headed home for lunch and on to the water park.  Slight problem - when we arrived at the water park, it had already reached its capacity for the day so we couldn't get in.  My son, Ian, to the rescue!  He let us come over to their house and swim in their pool.  Honestly, I think that was a lot more fun for the kids and definitely a lot less stressful for me!

On our way home from the pool, we stopped at the splash pad (which we counted as another playground) to run through a little more water before heading home.  We were all exhausted and were in bed by 8:00 pm.  Saturday was going to be another big day and we didn't want to be tired!

Saturday morning we took the kids on a train trip!  In St. Louis, you can get on the Amtrak downtown and ride it to its first stop heading west in Kirkwood.  The trip is about 30 minutes and the perfect distance for little ones.  Eric dropped us off at the downtown station and drove the 14 miles to Kirkwood to pick us up.  Three of the four kids wanted to go, so one rode with Eric and met us at our destination.  It was the first "train trip" for them and it was a hit!

After we departed the train, everyone was hungry for breakfast.  Pancakes from Denny's fueled us and we were ready for our next stop - The Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House!  The Butterfly House is located in Faust Park.  There was a really cool playground next to the Butterfly House so we paused to play and took our playground count to three.

Inside the Butterfly House, the kids got to pet beetles and release a newly born butterfly.  Over 1,000 butterflies are floating around!

Also located in Faust Park is the historic St. Louis Carousel, built in 1921.  You can choose between the 60 horses, 4 deer, and 2 sleighs to ride on.   The kids loved it!

Our next stop was the Missouri Botanical Gardens.  I remembered that there was a pretty awesome playground inside the Gardens and this would bring our playground count to four!  Currently, the Missouri Botanical Gardens is hosting a Chihuly exhibit so selfishly I wanted to see some of the glass.  It was a win for everyone!

After the Botanical Gardens, we headed home to take a little rest.  We turned on a movie and two of the four kids fell asleep pretty quick.  One or two adults might have closed their eyes also!  When rest time was over, it was on to our next adventure - Chucky Cheese!

None of the kids had ever been to Chucky Cheese before and we might have created a monster here.  They LOVED it!  They will probably be wanting to go there every time they visit now.  We purchased an unlimited hour-long play card and the kids went wild, playing the games as fast as they could.  We paused our play after about a half hour to get something to drink and a snack, then they were right back at it.

We topped off the night by stopping at another local playground.  If you're counting, that made five and we reached our goal! It had been a full day and everyone was more than ready for baths and bed when we got home.  That is, they were ready after we topped off the day with some ice cream!

Sunday came way too fast.  The parents were coming over to take the kids back home, but before they arrived we went to another playground and revisited the splash pad.  Another thing we did every day the kids were here was go through the car wash.  We have a membership and definitely got our money's worth this week!  The kids thought it was hilarious how the suds changed colors and the smell came through the vents.  

Ian and Kayla graciously invited everyone over on Sunday for one last swim before the kids went home.  They were not even out of the driveway before we were missing their contagious laughter and their crazy energy.  

Now it's your turn.  What are you thinking out loud about today?  Link up and share!

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