In 2013 we took a little trip

 We got an early start on the morning of June 27 and made it to this rest stop in Missouri by 9:00am.  My heart was quite glad as I like to stick to my schedule.  :)  The kiddos had fun playing on the playground at the rest stop and looking at all the license plates on the wall.

 My type A personality is not liking the fact that my pictures are out of order and I don't know how to rearrange.  Let's move on.  The photo below is me smiling because we are on solid ground!  I do not like heights.  My palms are sweating just thinking about being up in the St. Louis Arch.

 Matt is not scared of being up high.  And let the kids look out of these tiny windows that slanted out!!  I felt sure their body weight on the window sill was gonna knock that thing over.

 Under the arch is a lovely museum.  We wish now we had sprung for the IMAX movie on Lewis and Clark, but oh well. 

 A great carving on the wall of the museum.  It showed all the monuments and how tall they were.

 Yowsers!

 Since I am not blogging from my notes, but only my memory...something really important in US history happened in this building.  I can't remember what...something like a freed slave sued his master.

 See that teeny-tiny smidge of a walkway.  We walked across it.

 A pretty fountain in the lobby of our hotel.  I highly recommend this hotel if you are ever staying in St. Louis!!  Drury Inn at the arch.  Fantastic!  And I am somewhat of a hotel snob, so says my husband.  Popcorn and cokes from 3-10 in the lobby.  Appetizers from 5-7.  Breakfast, like a big, delicious breakfast made by chefs not a warmed over pastry from 6:30-10.  All included in the price.  Will stay with them again!

 This photo is for Pops:  Katie with Sacagawea.

 Fitting a family of 5 in a hotel room can be challenging.  Jackson was really excited that they had a "perfect size for me" bed AKA a chair and ottoman.  He slept there all night.

 You see how these photos are out of order and I tried to move this one and it attached itself to the above photo.  Here are kiddos are the rest stop playground.

 

And here they are at the playground in somewhere, Missouri.  Yay for picnicking along the way.  Very fun!

 I like to find and eat at local restaurants while we are traveling.  1) we don't eat out much because of food allergies and 2) it's fun and a bit risky.  I like to live on the edge.  Here we are at Charlie Gitto's.  Supposedly this guy made up the fried ravioli!  So we had some for appetizers.  Along with some pretty pricey pizza.  (packed in J's dinner, don't you worry about him).  Don't believe we will return to this place.  A plus...it was close to arch and hotel.  A minus...I make a better homemade pizza.

 Door number 5 for the 5 McCooks held our pod to take us up to the top of the arch.

 The joyous faces and Katie with her "safety stick".  I was the only nervous one!  And I tried to hide it and be brave.  Matt said it was obvious to all that being up high is not my forte'.

 Becoming a Jr. Ranger at the Arch.

 Katie and Collin, with help from dad, found Jesse Chisholm's picture in the museum.  Their elementary school is named after him.

All in all a very fun day 1.