Water water everywhere!

As I was flipping through the photos from the past few days, I realized we've got a definite theme going on. It's hot here! Everything indoors is hopelessly crowded, and non-water locations are just unbearable. So, we hit three water points in as many days!

First, we ran out to Wapelhorst Park in St. Charles county to check out the water-action there. This was a great place and the kids are dying to get back! It's a series of three pools, some tube-run waterslides and a sky-scraper-type slide. Of course, the kids are all too small for the slides, but the pools are great. They're all zero-depth entry, although one actually turns into a nice pool for swimming. One is a toddler-only pool with its own slides, and the other is two feet deep all the way across. Basically they could go anywhere, and did! Love the goggles. :-)

Audrey spent some time in her own little paradise - goldfish grahms in one hand, baby doll tucked securely in under the towel next to her, and binkie held securely between her chin and her collarbone. Comfy cozy.

Our next water stop was in the splash pad at the zoo in the children's garden. I'd never been through this part of the zoo and was pleasantly surprised. We loved the play area and the slide - it ran through the river otter habitat in a clear plastic tube so the kids could see the animals from inside the slide. Very clever, I thought. But of course the highlight was again, the water. incidentally, we've decided our favorite time of day to visit the zoo is the evening. The shade is lovely, the animals are out, and it's not nearly so crowded as it can be before noon. Even the king of "I hate humidity" commented it was a nice evening, so I'd consider it a rousing success. :-)

Finally, yesterday the kids and I packed a picnic lunch and spent the afternoon at Tower Grove Park. I'd heard the splash pad and wading pool here was really fun, but I had no idea they even had a lifeguard on duty! I love the building behind - it's so colorful and oddly oriental, it felt strangely exotic. Of course, Saint Louis is full of those paradoxes. The pool was kind of fun. Starting in the foreground is a small splash pool, just ankle-deep all the way through. The kids kept telling me how warm it is, and I was happy for the smell of chlorination in the air. Next you see the fountain patio, and behind that is the wading pool, about two feet deep all the way across. The pools are flanked by playgrounds on both sides, there's a lot of shade, and it was a great way to spend the afternoon. A few moms I talked to there commented they come every week, and I can see why!

Oh, and a little shout for our new stroller. Yes, we bought another one. However, with Izzie's arthritis flaring we've discovered the need for another seat, especially with our trip to Chicago coming up next week, so we picked up this Joovy on craigslist the other day. The funny thing is, as you can see here, neither girl wants to sit forward facing in the normal seat, so I end up pushing them both sitting on the bench backward. Oh, the fun-ness that is sisters! However, upon our return to Saint Louis we will have two double-type strollers, so if you're in the market let me know. After our Chicago trip I'll be certain of which we'll sell, but sell one we must. I should have just gotten the twin umbrella stroller, but who knew?

Izzie's still limping quite a bit. I wondered if another parent at the splash pad would ask what I'd done to my child as she was obviously in pain. Another shot of MTX last night, so here's hoping it's a little better this week.