Family "vacation:" The Where

One day David said, "Where do you want to go on vacation?"  I'm sure I sighed and said, "Ugh, I don't care."  Because as a stay at home mom to three small children, vacation means doing pretty much the exact same thing, just without much of the things that make it easier.  Nevermind all the things that do go have to be organized, packed, laundered, etc.  I know, I know - spoiled sport. 

Anyway, we talked about sun and sand - Seth is 5 and has been to Florida three times.  But then it occurred to us that we are outnumbered, and in a few years that won't be a big deal, but this year - that was huge!  Max isn't walking yet so would need to be carried at a beach.  Luke is WILD and would need to be watched every second.  And Seth is not very adventurous - probably he would've kept a safe distance (read 'back at the hotel if we would let him') from the water but then that's a problem when Max and Luke want to be in the water.  I could go on, but I'm sure you are all either asleep or get the picture.

So, we decided to go for the family oriented outing.  Dave asked some co-workers for recommendations and we settled on St. Louis.  We were told (and then investigated) that they have a huge zoo, a nice children's museum, and Grant's Farm (allegedly the seventh best family attraction in the country).

Next, the issue was where to stay.  Max likes his sleep - like 13 or so hours a night.  To put all of us in a one room hotel would be torture - imagine trying to contain Seth and Luke for 13 solid hours so Max could sleep all that time. So, we checked some vacation rental sites and Dave found a house we could rent for the week.  However, words like "cozy" and "rustic" sent me to the computer as well!  I found "luxury condo" and was sold - a beautiful pool and modern looking accomodations.  Dave contacted the owner, signed the contract, and asked how she would prefer payment.  She contacted us about 36 hours later.  To tell us she rented the condo to someone else.  Ugh.  Back to square one.  There were no other condos available, so we ended up finding a hotel/suite with an outdoor pool.  I convinced myself it was a dump so that anything better would be exciting.

And, off we went....