Room with a View

We wrapped up our U.S. travels this spring with stops in two of my favorite cities. I think you'll recognize where we were just by taking in the view from our hotel room at each place.

Our wake-up call (read: two kids jumping on the beds) came way too early in the morning in St. Louis. But I can certainly forgive them for wanting to feast their eyes on this one-of-a-kind landmark. And now I can check "seeing the Gateway Arch at sunrise" off my bucket list.

The kids couldn't contain their excitement over this view in Chicago, either. In fact, when dad let them get up on the ledge, there was lots of screaming and yelling (sorry neighbors). Big Arrow kept debating which apartment building he wanted to live in, while Little Arrow could have watched the cars and buses drive by down below for hours.

What's the best hotel room view you've ever had? These were certainly two of our favorites.

(Want to recreate them? We stayed at the Crown Plaza in downtown St. Louis and the Embassy Suites Downtown Lakefront in Chicago.)

Note: We move to England on Tuesday (hip, hip, hooray!), so if the blog falls silent for a bit, please know we're just getting settled and will be back soon. You can always keep up with us on Facebook and Twitter.

This post is a part of Photo Friday at Delicious Baby.

Ha Ha Tonka State Park: Tips for Visiting

I've been so caught up in planning and executing our move to England that I've really neglected blogging about our great trip to Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri back in March. But since I'm now relegated to hotel living for a week, and no more cleaning/purging/organizing tasks to face (until we arrive, of course), it's time to dig into that trip.

The far and away best adventure we had while there was exploring the castle ruins at Ha Ha Tonka State Park in Camdenton.

A castle in the middle of Missouri? I was as surprised as you. Apparently at the turn of the century, a prominent Kansas City businessman, inspired by the grand castles he saw in Europe, found a gorgeous piece of land high on a bluff and built this enormous palace. Unfortunately, between the Great Depression and a fire that ripped through, the castle fell into ruins. But fortunately for the rest of us, the land is now a state park and the castle ruins are open for exploration.

The Arrows and their Cousin Arrows wanted to share a few tips if you're planning a visit:

1) You can bring a stroller. There are about a dozen or so parking spots within a few hundred yards of the castle, with a paved path up to the castle property itself. So if you've got a little one, feel free to bring the stroller. (If you park further away and take the hiking trail to the castle, I do not believe that was paved and you would want to use a carrier.) As it were, we left our stroller in the car and Little Arrow happily hitched a ride on his uncle's shoulders.

2) Don't forget to enjoy the views. The man who built this castle probably had no way of knowing that in the years ahead, Lake of the Ozarks would be built, and his dream home would have an amazing view of it.

3) Let your kids explore on their own. We spent the week with 4 kids under 5. I savor those moments when the kids can just roam and do their own thing, creating their own fun. This was the perfect spot for that.

The portion of the castle that is inaccessible, the interior, is completely gated off. So you don't have to worry about the smallest of wanderers getting someplace they don't belong. Much to his dismay, of course.

4) Make time to hike. It began to storm when we finished exploring the castle, so we had to leave the park. But my sister's family returned later in the week and loved the hiking trails at this park. Plus, the park is free. So return as many times as you'd like to see it all.

5) Bring your camera. This is true of any big attraction, of course, but there are particularly beautiful spots at Ha Ha Tonka to take family pictures that you'll always treasure.

I know the Arrows will probably get a chance to visit dozens and dozens of castles in the three years ahead as Europe becomes our playground. And maybe they'll get a bit jaded and bored by the whole thing. But I'll always remember their sheer delight in getting to run amuck through these ruins, ducking around crumbling towers, peeking through window frames, and squealing with joy along with their cousins.

This post is a part of Travel Tips Tuesday at Suitcases and Sippy Cups and Walking on Travels.

Navigating Stamford via Church Steeples

My husband is off in England this week, hopefully finding us a place to live. We depart 3 weeks from today for our 3-year adventure in Stamford, so time is of the essence.

I'm learning that one of the questions you are frequently asked when embarking on an international move is, "What are you most nervous about?" I'm sure if there were a language barrier, that would be tops. But since there is not, my biggest concern is learning my way around. Getting out and about is essential to my happiness, so I know it's a fear I'll tackle early on.

In addition to that whole "drive on the other side of the road" issue you find in England, I happen to have a terrible sense of direction. I sometimes still have to ask my husband how to get from point A to point B in the town where we grew up. I'm that bad. So learning my way around a place that was built upon the curvy, narrow, original Roman roads will undoubtedly confused me for quite some time.

When I had to the chance to wander around the town back in Januay, I quickly realized that if I could just memorize the 3 big church steeples in town, I might be able to better navigate. So that'll be project number one. And there are worse things to have to stare at and admire than these beauties:

It'll be a tough job, but somebody's got to do it.

This post is a part of Photo Friday at Delicious Baby.

Family Vacation in Mississippi Gulf Coast

This post was sponsored by Mississippi Gulf Coast. All opinions shared are my own.

Since having kids, we've headed to Florida at some point each winter (except this year). It's my yearly pilgrimmage to the sun, something you're deprived of for months on end in the Midwest. I also vacationed there for many spring breaks throughout middle and high school.

I tend to be a sight-seer type while on vacation. I like to visit new spots, explore a variety of attractions, hit up a museum or two, etc. But I also know when to slow down and take a breather and just relax on vacation, and some time on the beach is definitely my preferred format of R & R.

Ben's Cookies in London, a Sweet Reminder of Home

I truly enjoyed and appreciated the six days I spent in England in January with my husband, sans kids. But it was the longest I'd ever been away from them, and toward the end of the trip, just the mention of them brought tears to my eyes.

I think beyond just the amount of time apart, this had more to do with the fact that we spent the entire week in England working on plans to uproot their lives. I kept looking around our soon-to-be-home, wondering if they'd like that playground or behave in this restaurant. Would they make friends easily? Adjust to the change in dialect? Be excited about the schools we were touring?  Feel comfortable in this particular house?

So while you might ordinarily spend a trip away from your kids focused on relaxation, we spent our week obsessing about them and their well being.

On our last evening, we had a chance to pause from all the practical matters of executing an international move with young kids, and instead got to stroll London at night.

Happy 4th Birthday, Big Arrow!

I really can't believe I'm writing Big Arrow's 4th birthday post. This birthday is hitting me harder than most. Perhaps its because he'll start school full-time this fall, and no longer be by my side all day. Or because we're about to rock his world by moving to England. But 4 just seems so grown up, so far removed from the baby and toddler years. Sigh.

Maybe it's not the best of days to be writing about my love for him. Afterall, here are just a few reasons he threw epic tantrums this week:

• His pizza was too soft.
• His slinky was not making the right swishing sound.
• He wanted to draw all the characters from a tv show on a piece of paper and they wouldn't fit.
• I gave his brother the grape vitamin instead of a red one.
• I stopped him from slamming his finger in the car door. "BUT. I. WANTED. TO. HURT. MY. FINGER!!!" he screamed for all the neighborhood to hear.

Double sigh.

But aside from these moments of high stress and frustration, these past four years really have been delightful. He's taught me so much about appreciating small moments, simple memories, and taking time to laugh.

Children's Garden at Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis

One of the greatest challenges of traveling with a child Little Arrow's age (16 months) is that they have a never-ending need to move. Even more so when a toddler is cursed with blessed by a rambunctious personality like he has.

During our 8-hour drive to Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri last week, I knew I needed to plan the a good break point for him to really get his fill of exploration on his own two feet (and out of his car seat). Fortunately, recommendations for the Children's Garden at the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis popped up from two of my go-to family travel blogs, The Mother of All Trips and Visit Flyover Country.

My husband was convinced I merely wanted to visit one more botanical garden in my quest to see them all. Always a naysayer, that guy!

Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to explore much of the gardens outside of the children's area. But I can still attest that this is an ideal outing with two little ones. We parked the stroller at the entrance to the children's garden (which is completely gated off from the rest of the park), and let the boys loose for several hours.

The Children's Garden is a pretty amazing play area, coming from a mom who knows her way around a playground or two.

I loved how this tree house was tucked away for kids to climb up to.