Happy Birthday, Henry Shaw!

Bet you didn't know Henry Shaw's birthday was last Wednesday, did you?  Who is Henry Shaw?  Read all about him here.  He founded the Missouri Botanical Gardens and every year they celebrate his birthday with free admission and family activities.  We ventured out Wednesday afternoon on what was a very nice summer day.  We ended up spending a lot of our time (about 45 minutes) standing in line for balloon animals.  Not my preference, but it was what the girls wanted to do.  And who am I to discourage patience?  Of course, within five minutes of receiving her balloon flower, Merrill managed to drop hers in the grass and pop it.  There were some tears.  Fortunately, there was a very generous young girl (10 or so) who offered Merrill hers.  Merrill was happy to accept.  It was a gesture that really touched me.  After getting their balloons we headed to the children's garden to play.  It was a great afternoon and I'm happy that I did not shy away from the challenge of taking all three kids out to a public spot by myself!

Henry Shaw, a girlfriend, a botanist friend and a cousin

 riding a bike on stilts -- that can't be easy!

 waiting so patiently for their balloons

 just one of the beautiful sights to be found in the gardens

 happy kids

time to play