Sandlot & Secretariat

I started the summer with a post from Memorial Day so I guess I will end the summer with a post from our family vacation.

This year our family vacation was inspired by our 2 favorite movies: The Sandlot and Secretariat.  My kids have watched both movies over and over and over again.  Their favorite line from The Sandlot, "YOU PLAY BALL LIKE A GIRL."  It is so funny when they watch Secretariat, they yell and cheer for him in every race and they can repeat several line from that movie as well.  Since they are so into horses and base ball what better place to go than Louisville, Kentucky; home of the Kentucky Derby and Louisville Slugger bat factory.  Hope you enjoy the photos.

We stopped in St. Louis to visit a cousin and see a few sites.
Here I am with Anna & Garrett near the Gateway Arch.
Sam was the photographer.

Not the best picture of my kids, but made me giggle.


Anna & Sam looking out of the windows at the top of the Arch.


Gateway Arch

Family photo at the Arch


We spent part of a day at City Museum.  My kids thought they were going to die when we told them we were going to City Museum.  Much to their surprise, City Museum was a really cool place for kids to play and have a grand time.





Garrett in skateless park


Sam in skateless park


This 10 story building was full of slides, ladders and tunnels for kids to climb in and around.  It was all made out of recycled and found items.  Amazing!!!!  I quit following them when I thought I was going to get stuck in a hole I was crawling through.


Joey with our kids plus one extra.  That sweet little girl is Leah and she belongs to Joey's cousin, Jody and husband Tim.  They live in Columbia, Illinois, just outside St. Louis.

We spent part of a day touring horse farms around Lexington.  We started at this racetrack where we got to see some race horses working out.  Maybe the next Derby winner???  Several scenes from Secretariat were filmed at this racetrack.

This is one of Secretariat's grandsons, Perfect Soul.  He had a pretty successful racing career and is now making lots of babies.  His stud fee is $15,000 and expected to rise. 

Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby Museum.

This is the tunnel that the horses walk through on their way to the racetrack.

The kids got to dress up like jockey's at the Kentucky Derby Museum.  Here they are standing on the jockey scale.  Each Jockey and his saddle has to weigh exactly 126 pounds. 

Here I am with the kids outside Churchill Downs.

We could not leave without having some Derby Pie.

Louisville Slugger Bat Factory and Museum