Hochstrasser Family Reunion part 1

In June we loaded up the minivan and headed east. Twenty hours of driving later,( plus a few following detour signs to get over the flooding Missouri river...) we made it to St. Louis for a Hochstrasser family Reunion! Every day was filled to over following with activities and outings. We fit as much into our 5 days there as we possibly could.

Even with our busy schedule the ladies got out for a good G.N.O (Girls's Night Out) which was actually a surprise baby shower for Christina! Where else better to celebrate than The Cheese Cake Factory?!?

All of Ryan's siblings and their families along with his Mom and Dad were able to come. To make things even more official, Ryan designed a t-shirt for the reunion. Don't we look good matching?

We visited the "City Museum", a crazy, huge building filled with play ground / sculpture installations for old and young to climb in and on. Among all the chaos was a 10 story slide... and that seemed mild compared to the the jungle gym of contraptions outside the building that reached up to the roof!

How could I visit St. Louis without seeing where Ryan's brother Jason works? April, Mikaela and I got a private tour of the operating room after hours. We had a lot of fun... and hope Jason still has a job!

At the science museum the boys enjoyed learning all about everything from dinosaurs to space ships!

Looking out over the freeway through the sky-way tunnel was a highlight for sure!


I loved the Botanical gardens! We all had on our matching shirts, but somehow I still got separated from the group. In the mean time I took pictures of the flowers and enjoyed the quiet.

Eventually we all met up again!