The Great Cousin Adventure 2009!

Since we moved back to the midwest, I've had this idea that Emma and Sophie (my nieces) should come and visit us. They've become very close with Aidan and I thought it would be a great memory for them to share. By the end of last summer, I had become serious about whole idea. After great planning and conferring with their mom, Jamie, plans were finalized for March. Aidan was so excited that his Sophie would be coming to stay at his house. So, two weeks ago Wednesday, Aidan and I drove up to Grandma Shari's. Thursday, Jamie and my brother Brian brought the girls over. I think Brian was a little worried about his girls being away so long, especially Sophie, as she's the younger of the two. So, we reviewed the rules and emergency information, said our goodbyes and were off! Aidan had such a good time in the car with Sophie that even when she would try to rest or ignore him, he'd smack her with Tigger and call her name until he got her attention again. :) We arrived in Missouri in one piece.

Friday we decided to start big with a trip to the Arch. It was actually a lot easier to get to and park than I thought it would be. We haven't gone since we've moved here. The last time I went I was a little older than Emma. Emma really wanted to go to the top. So we got there early, waited 20 minutes in the line for tickets, and then looked at the exhibits and general store until it was our turn to ride up. To get to the top, you ride in a tram. It's a combination of a train, elevator and ferris wheel car. The tram car is round and small and there are eight all together like a train. It only takes a couple minutes to get to the top, all 630 feet. But, we made it! And the weather was nice enough that we could see pretty far. Emma took some great pictures of downtown. Aidan told me that it was like an airplane, which is a pretty fair comparison. It's a little cramped at the top and the windows are small. We enjoyed the view and then waited our turn to ride down. Of course, there was a problem with the tram on the south side so everyone had to ride down the one on the north side. Everything there involves a wait. Thank goodness Aidan liked his stick candy so much as it kept him happy the whole time. That night, after Julien got home from work, we all went to see Monsters v. Aliens in 3D. This was Aidan's first movie in the theater. We all got popcorn and slushies and got settled. The glasses for the movie were a little big on Aidan so he watched half the movie without them. I'm sure it was a little blurry but he didn't seem to mind. He sat really well and everyone enjoyed the movie.

Saturday the weather was cold and rainy. So we decided to hit the Magic House. Aidan showed his cousins around his favorite parts of the museum. They have a whole new section for older kids where you have to solve the mystery of who stole the painting. It's like a library or study and even has a hidden door in the bookcase. So Emma did that. Sophie and Aidan played in the Mini-town they have set up, complete with library, pizza place, house, grocery store, etc. That night we made pizzas and went out for ice cream at Oberweis. We sang happy birthday to Emma over her huge mint chip shake. We all went to bed fat and sassy. :)

Sunday the weather was still chilly and ruled out a trip to the zoo unfortunately. So we decided to go to the City Museum instead. This is one of Julien's fav places to go. This is the place with things to climb on and through, an art studio, circus shows, caves, aquarium, you name it. It's several floors and lots of things to do. Julien and Emma took off to climb through the tunnels, since she's old enough to enjoy all that. Aidan, Sophie and I went to see the world's biggest pencil, climb on the human skatepark, look at the fish, and go through the enchanted caves. By then, I needed Julien's help, as Aidan wanted to be carried, so we all met up again. (Aidan was way off schedule a lot of the time that weekend.) We grabbed lunch at their cafe. We went to the art studio to paint and the girls had their faces painted. We watched the circus tumbling and rope show. Very cool. We were there for over 3 hours. We grabbed some souveigners and went home. Everyone was tired to say the least!

Monday came and it was time to return to Iowa. Julien headed off for a trip to San Diego for work but, not before letting me know that Aidan had a fever. (See last post to read about that whole saga.) We gathered our stuff and took off for home. This car ride was a lot quieter than the one down. :) In the end, our trip was a lot of fun and a big success! Emma was a huge help with the younger kids! She made sure everyone stayed together, held hands, and listened. I couldn't have done it without her help. She's quite the kid. I was very proud of her. Maybe we can do it all again sometime.