Last Saturday was our first official day of vacation but Declan had swimming lessons so we stuck around home for the most part and had a normal Saturday after swimming lessons in the morning.
On Sunday, we drove to St. James, MO and visited Maramec Spring Park. We've been getting into the outdoors a lot more due to the pandemic and Maramec Spring Park did not disappoint. We circled the spring and talked to the trout and learned more about the history of the area. The water was so clear and we got a lot of steps in circling the fishing holes. Afterwards we stopped for lunch at Public House Brewing and sat out in The Gardens enjoying a burger and a refreshing drink.
On Monday, we had 9 am reservations at the St. Louis Zoo. We got up early and picked up my mom and Michael and headed east. I personally hadn't been to the zoo in 20-25 years and was excited to take Declan to see the animals. We donned our masks and saw as many of the exhibits as we could given the current conditions. The best part of the day for Declan was getting to ride the train around the park a few times. He also got a chimpanzee stuffed animal named Eco that Nana bought for him at the gift shop and that's his new buddy when he stays at Nana and Papa's house.
On Tuesday, Dustin wanted to take care of some of the chores around home so we laid low most of the morning and played hockey in the basement and then helped D cut grass with the intention of going to Babler State Park in the afternoon but the weather had different plans for us as it stormed all afternoon as soon as Declan woke up from his nap. So instead, we went to GFS and picked up supplies for Ribfest weekend.
On Wednesday, we headed to Grafton to explore Pere Marquette State Park and pick fruit at Eckerts. We stopped at Eckerts first and picked peaches and blackberries out in the orchards. After picking our fruit, we took a drive through Pere Marquette and had a picnic lunch. Declan enjoyed picking the fruit straight from the trees and sampling his choice at Eckerts.
Wednesday evening my mom and step-dad offered to take Declan for the night so that Dustin and I could have a dinner date. It was the first time we've actually gone out to dinner just the two of us in a long time. We drove out to Wentzville and had dinner at Stone Summit Steak and Seafood. It's been a place we've wanted to try for some time and since they had an outdoor patio, it was a great choice for the night. Declan had so much fun spending the night at Nana and Papa's and didn't seem to care that we weren't there.
On Thursday, we picked up Declan and headed to the National Museum of Transportation. Declan has a new obsession with trains and tractors and we thought it would be fun for him to see some big equipment up close. He again loved riding the miniature train around the complex and even climbed up into an engine and pretended to drive the train. Another cute thing he picked up after riding the trains at both the Zoo and the NMOT is that he knows what a train conductor says when their ready to roll. You can ask him, "Declan, what does a train conductor say?" and he proudly belts out "All Aboard...ChooChoo." It's the best.
On Friday, we decided to stay home again as Dustin was preparing to head to Ribfest on Saturday morning and wanted to get his ribs on the smoker so that he was ready for the competition. It was a pretty quiet day at home and after Declan's afternoon nap, we let him play out in the "pool" in the backyard. Nana and Papa came over that evening and Declan helped make homemade pizza for dinner.
On Saturday, Dustin headed out super early for Chicago with my step-dad Michael. Declan and I thought it would be best to stay home this year and allow him to have fun here. We had swimming lessons to attend and this time Mommy got to go in the pool with Decky (Decky is the nickname Declan gave himself and it's the cutest.) My mom came with us and took pictures and cheered Declan on. He had an absolute blast swimming, splashing and jumping in.
After swimming, we came back home and my mom helped me meal prep for the week ahead. With going back to work, I needed to make sure we're prepared as much as possible for the week ahead. Then we headed back to my mom's to have dinner and see Boo the cat and "NoNo" (Noel the dog). Declan absolutely loves the pets and running around there (or sitting in their beds). We had dinner with my mom and then came home for bedtime.
Today has been another low-key day. Declan and I have been playing and "cooking" (playing with a saucepan and pretending) and waiting for Daddy and Papa to get back from Ribfest.
Overall we had a good week home and enjoyed some much needed downtime. Declan is eager to get back to school and see his friends this week but I'm sure glad we got to make some memories together over the past week. I know he won't remember much of it as he gets older but I realize that I definitely will remember this time with him and will treasure it forever.
