Springfield with Michelle

My sister Michelle got invited to attend a work conference in Springfield September 8th-10th so, OF COURSE, she accepted because that's only a little over an hour away from my house!  We were thrilled!  Ava and I drove out and stayed with her in her swanky Hilton hotel room and got to see some of the sights of Springfield and have fun while she wasn't working.

 Ava really loved playing in the nightstand in the hotel room (until she got stuck, that is)

 Ava and her Auntie

 No trip to Springfield would be complete without a visit to the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum. It's so awesome!  Here we are with the Lincoln family.  

 We tried twice to take a tour of Lincoln's home, but the first time they were closing for the night and the second time their first available tour was too late, so we only got to see the outside of the house.  

 This is my favorite statue of Lincoln.  

 Just hangin' out with Abe . . . 

Thanks for such a fun weekend Sis!  It was such a treat to have her come and visit, and she didn't even have to pay for it!  Here's to hoping she has a lot more conferences in Illinois (not likely)!

A Visit from the Gardner Family

After we got back from St. Louis Saturday night, the Gardner family came to visit from Columbus.  It was so great to spend a couple of days with such great friends.

 Ava had a blast with Carolyn-Kate.  

 Can you tell this girl loves her swing?

 Best Friends!

 Katie gave Ava this darling ballerina swimsuit so, of course we had to show it off!

 One of my most favorite things in this whole wide world is homemade waffles with whipped cream and berries.  Really, is there anything better in life?  I think not!  So, we whipped up a fun breakfast and enjoyed every morsel!

Thanks for coming our way Garndners!  Let's do it again soon!

A Non-Temple Trip to St. Louis

On Saturday, Sept. 3rd we headed down to St. Louis with our friends, the Stones.  We wanted to spend a day there seeing some of the sights that we never get to see because we usually just go there to go to the temple.  So, naturally we went to the famous Budweiser sights that St. Louis has to offer!  We first went to Grants Farm and then to the Budweiser Factory.  Grants Farm is home to the famous Budweiser Clydesdales and it is also like a mini zoo with lots of animals to see.  It was quite impressive, and the best part, it is free!

 Drew and a Clydesdale

 Dan and Scarlett

 Our little family

 We went to an animal show while we were there that was actually quite entertaining.  This owl was perched right in front of us.

 Bald Eagle

We got to feed these little miniature goats some milk (thanks for sharing Stones!) It was quite the experience! I learned that if you crouch down on their level, they will attack!  The following video is proof!

Becca stepped in at the end and saved my shirt from being devoured by a goat.  That's when I decided that standing up was a much better way to approach this!

After Grants Farm we had a picnic at our cars and then headed over to the Budweiser Factory.  We don't have any pictures of the rest of our day because our camera battery died so you'll just have to use your imagination.  We took a tour of the factory and learned how beer was made (which is actually kind of interesting) and then enjoyed some free soda and pretzels while everyone else enjoyed some free beer.  We then went to dinner at an amazing Italian restaurant that Dan found for us called Anthonio's and then got some awesome ice cream at a the famous Ted Drews.  If any of you are thinking of going to St. Louis, I highly recommend eating at either of these two places.  As Drew would say, "Scrumshulescent!"