St. Louis

We took a quick weekend trip to St. Louis to check out our house one last time before the big move.  No one had a better time than Judebug!  He got to explore his new house, his new park, his new yard...and last, but certainly not least, his new Target.  Which, if you know anything about my family, you know was an important exploration.

We left Omaha after work on Friday at 5.  That meant we didn't get to St. Louis til 11:30.  But driving at night = sleeping baby, so hey, not a bad drive.  Plus, we listened to Bill O'Reilly's new book, Killing Lincoln.  Super good!  I love American history so it was interesting to hear all these facts about the Civil War, and Lincoln, that I had no idea about.

Anyway, we woke up the next morning and this happened.

 

I need to mention a few things about what's going on in these pics.  First, please take note of the 'music'.  Jude is obsessed.  Obsessed I tell you!  Grandma discovered this obsession and he simply demands that it be turned on at all times.  I mean all times. His face lights up when he sees the CD player.  Or when he hears you say that magic word:  music.  Absolutely presh.  So needless to say, we did not travel without it.

Secondly, before you assume our small child ventured to mardi gras this spring, I would like to explain the koozie around his neck.  Surprisingly, we did not travel with this.  Lucky for Jude, the previous owners left a whole drawer of koozies within reach of the wee one.  He discovered the stash last time.  Did I mention he was a great helper?  Anyway, he likes this one the best.  I can't say I blame him.  It is pretty awesome.  A beaded necklace?  What more could you want in a koozie?  Honestly guys, we woke up, turned on the music (per Jude's request), and not two seconds later the man was walking around the house sporting this look.  He remembered his stash, and his koozie of choice.  Smart boy!

Our day continued with a walk to the park, where we explored swings and slides.  I decided right then and there we would continue to explore those a lot more when we moved down here.

We also thoroughly explored the cabinets, because every new house needs a good cabinet exploration.

Pardon me for taking your picture.  You better get used to it, buster.

That's more like it.

 

And sometimes, after you've refused to take a nap the entire day, your exploring really weighs you down.  And you literally crash on the kitchen floor. 

We headed home around noon on Sunday.  Don't worry, we remembered our shades.

 

This smirk says it all.

But we can be serious in our shades, too.

Sorry, I just couldn't have enough sunglasses pics.

Oh you thought you were done?

He kept them on longer than I thought.  Which explains why I have so many pictures....I thought the moment would end sooner, so I kept snapping away.  But my boy knows what's up.

We made it home safely to the same messy house we left.  Funny how that happens.  We were thankful for a super fun weekend and can't wait to be back in our house.  It's already feeling like home!

PS.  Tomorrow is my last day of school.  Last day!  It's a weird feeling.  I'm happy because I won't have to leave my baby each day, or pack that dreaded bag, but I'm sad because gosh darn it, I'm really gonna miss those kids.  Life has a strange way of being bittersweet, doesn't it?  I'll be working until Friday in the library, though, packing up my stuff.  If I don't become a master packer by the end of this year, then I'm afraid I'll never be a master packer (then again, I'd be ok with that too).