Morning Birdsong: St. Louis Trip: The Zoo

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

St. Louis Trip: The Zoo

So last year my family (minus Jon and Robyn who had just had their youngest daughter Daphne arrive) came up to Minneapolis for a week together. This year it was down in St.Louis, MO at Aaron & Lindsey's. These posts will be slightly out of chronological order, but I wanted to show you the cast of characters! (I also wanted to say at the start that there are just a handful of photos from this trip because it was all kinds of crazy with this many kids with the oldest being Atticus - 6! -- and 8 moody, stretched adults having come from far away and staying all in one house!!!!! In some situations it could have been rollicking -- but with my family and our temperaments, it was a little stressful. Despite that, we are all grateful for one another and glad to be committed to seeing each other and having the cousins know each other. So this is what we do.) Here are all 9 cousins together with the outfits my mom made for them -- each one has their name on the back. To get the kids to the entrance of the zoo nearly killed the grown-ups. So be impressed that any of the kids are looking at the camera and that some even have smiles. Huzzah. (Pay no attention to the woman in the green t-shirt -- her daughter is unsure of many situations. This was one of them.) P.S. I like this picture because little Daphne (over on the right) who is a very serious girl is full-on smiling! Notice that Lilly in the Pigtails has the award for most cooperative child known to mankind -- Willing and ready for every photo (and pretty much every other situation thrown at her).

Dietrich, Thea Belle, Lilly, Atticus, Clark, Grant, Felicity, Lincoln, Daphne

Grant and Lincoln, the three-year-olds will have none of this turning around nonsense. Look at their expressions in this photo especially.

I didn't get very many photos of this zoo but it was an extremely beautiful place -- the landscaping was lush and creative, sculptures well-chosen and delightfully surprising in cases and the animals' spaces were nicely designed and maintained.