As mentioned in the previous post, we started off our Midwest trip in Illinois and then drove to St. Louis on July 4th. The Johnsons followed behind a couple hours later and we were very lucky to have a house all of our own to use! My sister's in-laws were in Florida all week and live 3 minutes from the Claytons, so we got to use their home. We got settled in and headed down the road to the Heritage & Freedom Fest. We rode rides, ate food, and drank beer until it was time for the fireworks.
Nice photography, Mom! Annie and I with our lifelong friend, Laura, visiting from CA.
The next day we headed downtown to go up in the Arch. The kids did great waiting in lines and it was a fun adventure.
That night the Claytons hosted a big gathering so we could see extended families and friends. I didn't get any photos, but it was so nice to see everyone.
On Wednesday, we all went to Grant's Farm. The temperature had finally broken and it was a pleasant cool day. We didn't mind a couple brief showers passing through.
That evening, we headed to Busch Stadium to cheer on the Cardinals (oh wait, except for those pesky Pirates fans we brought with us...)
The Johnsons headed back the next day and we stayed another night at my parents house. My Dad made his classic pork steaks for our special guest, Larry, and we made homemade ice cream on the deck.
The we headed out for the drive home. En route, we decided to stop in Pittsburgh instead of Cleveland. It made for a tad more driving but it was worth it for more family time.
It was such an amazing trip to have both sides of our family together. Amazing memories for us all, we miss them so much!!
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