Over the weekend we packed up for a quick trip to one of our favorite local(ish) destinations, St. Louis! When we planned this trip a few weeks ago we were hoping the weather would allow us to go to the zoo but, surprise surprise, it was rainy, cold, and just plain nasty. We decided to make the best of it and hopped in the car around 9:00 for the quick 2.5 hour drive!
This kid must have all the things. Rabbit (“Rah-rab”), a blanket (“blank”), a train (“Emily” though my #boymom knowledge tells me it’s actually Percy), a sleep sack, and let’s be honest – probably a snack hidden in there somewhere. He is his mother’s child.
Our first stop was to one of our favorite St. Louis restaurants, Joey B’s! We stumbled upon Joey B’s several years ago and still talk about it all the time. They have several locations around St. Louis so we stopped at the Hill location on our way to check in to the hotel.
Queso. Always. This is the Chupacabra dip and it was amazing.
Then it was time for the real reason we were there, Joey B’s deluxe pizza. All our favorite toppings with a liquid cheese base. I know it sounds weird but trust me, it works. Sooo yummy! Nathan and I talk about this pizza all the time.
After we checked in to our hotel we tried to settle Camden down for a nap. When it became obvious that was not going to happen we jumped back in the car and went over to the St. Louis Science Center. It’s definitely made for older kids (which we expected) but there was a lot our almost-two-year-old could enjoy. Plus, it’s free so it’s not like we were taking a risk of being let down.
Our dinosaur-loving boy had such a love/hate relationship with this massive T-Rex! He wanted to be near it and was SO excited to see it, but he kept his eye on him the whole time, ha.
See what I mean? The T-Rex was to his right.
I would say the biggest hits at the Science Center for our little one was the dino area (they had an area where the kids could dig for bones) and the Grow exhibit. Grow is all about our agricultural system so they had some small farm animals that he loved! Next time we will spring for tickets to the Discovery Room but we got there about two hours before close and had just enough time to explore all of the free areas.
After the Science Center we went over to the Galleria Mall. We wandered through the Disney Store where I desperately tried to get him to attach to SOMETHING but the boy gets his shopping tendencies from his father apparently. He would be excited about something for 30 seconds then hand it right back to me. Fine. We went in a few other stores before letting him run out some energy in the play area on the lowest level. It was kind of a madhouse (it was Saturday night after all) but he had a blast. We weren’t super hungry for dinner (such a bummer because Cheese Cake Factory was RIGHT THERE) so we opted for Panda Express from the food court.
No real nap meant this little booger fell asleep on the ride back to the hotel. I was so excited until I remembered that he still needed his diapers and PJs. Rookie mom move! You always take PJs with you if you are going to be out until bed time, friends. Always. He promptly woke up ready to PAR-TAY when I changed him and it was all downhill from there, really. You can read more about that saga over on this Instagram post if you are interested.
The next morning we got up and had breakfast at the hotel. Sunday’s plan was The Magic House but it doesn’t open until 11:00 so we had a little time to kill. Of course we decided to kill said time with a trip to Starbucks annnnnd…
Ikea! Due to his late night antics Camden actually fell asleep in the car on the way and my wonderful husband offered to stay with him in the car while I wondered the aisles. Alone. Pure bliss. I picked up a few things and will be sharing my haul over on Instagram Stories today so make sure to check it out if you are interested! So much goodness at Ikea.
This was our first trip to The Magic House and wow wow wow. It blew me away! Such an amazing children’s museum. We had no idea before we got there but they were hosting a traveling exhibit based on one of Cam’s favorite shows as of late, Dinosaur Train! It was packed even though we got there right when they opened but it was so worth it to see this little guy loving life.
Reading some books on the Dinosaur Train!
My boys in the Oval Office.
Nothing about this museum disappointed us. So much fun and we will be back ASAP when we can go a little earlier. Even with his car nap Camden was melting down with hunger and from being tired around 12:45 and I was proud of him for making it that long. He runs his schedule on a tight ship normally! Can not say enough good things or recommend The Magic House enough, though.
After a quick Qudoba lunch we got back in the car for an easy trip home. Baby and mama both got a nap while dad drove. Amen. By 4PM we were home getting ready for the week and…doing our dinosaur puzzle of course 
Weekends like this fill my heart! Watching your kid explore and use their imaginations, I’m really not sure there is anything better as a parent. We are coming up on a really busy season over the next few months so I’m glad we took the time to make this trip. Have you all been to St. Louis? What are your favorite things to do/eat?
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