Saturday, August 7, 2010

Our Family Road Trip Part 2

We then left Memphis and headed to our final destination which was Branson, Missouri!  We stopped on the way at what my uncle thinks is the second best cavern he has ever seen.  Curt has been to others and he said it blew the others out of the water!  He loved it!  The kids were amazed that we were outside and underground all at the same time! 
It was just phenominal to see God's creations!
We then went to see the natural springs that feed into the cave!  Colson fell head first into the water!  It was so funny!  It didn't seem to phase him a bit!!


We arrived in Branson and had a beautiful condo that our friends Doug and Shelly own.  They let us borrow it for a great price and it was FABULOUS!  We had a great view of the pool which was a favorite of the kids!

Great views!

Colson loved the balcony and looking at the pool!
Our first day in Branson we Rode the Ducks which was so fun!  It is an army vehicle built in the 40s that gives you a tour of Branson and then even goes into the water on Table Rock Lake.  Brooklyn loved the free quacker they gave us and LOVED when she got to drive the vehicle in the water!  She adored our driver, Captain Amazing, and I think she was a favorite of Captain Amazing's also!  Colson enjoyed the first part but then had his only meltdown the whole Branson trip.  Oh well!  Can't win them all!


A huge industry and attraction in Branson is trout fishing so we took the kids to the Hatchery and they got to feed the fish!  They loved it!  The size of the fish was amazing!


Monday night we went to the New Shanghai Circus and it was AMAZING!  The kids LOVED it!  Brooklyn still says that that was her favorite part of the whole trip.  It was pretty amazing what these people could do with their bodies.  At the end of the show we got to take a pic with the hula hoop expert!  Colson was so well behaved and we were thrilled because it was a 2 hour show!


The kids were so excited but no photography during the show!  B was so thrilled to get a picture with the hula hoop acrobat!

We spent the entire next day in the most fantastic family-friendly amusement park we have ever been to.  We went to Silver Dollar City.  It is clean, shaded, hilly, and carries an old-timey theme throughout the whole park!  Brooklyn was tall enough to ride most rides with an adult but Colson was very limited which was hard for him to understand!  They had a great time and we definitely plan to go back and visit again! 

The kids were chosen to clog with the cloggers on stage!  Brooklyn loved it!  Colson didn't get it at all!

The kids had a great time!  Can you believe that Brooklyn rode those high swings!??  She loved it!!!

The foam world was so fun!!!!
Kids' first ICEEs!  They love them!
Long but wonderful day!!!!
We spent the next day at Table Rock Lake.  It was so beautiful!  We played in the water at Moonshine Beach and the kids loved that!    Then we went out on a 50 foot sail boat that towed a large inflatable slide, kayaks, inflatable trampolines, and floatable mats!  We all jumped in the water with life vests and had an absolutely awesome time!!
Sand castles at Moonshine Beach!
This is the Spirit of America boat that we took out on the lake!  You can see the sline and inflatables that we played on!  It was like we were all kids again!

We went to historic downtown Branson and the Branson Landing.  It was fun to walk into the 5 and Dime store and see what fun things they had and eat at a quaint little old town restaurant!  The Branson landing has beautiful fountains and firework shows but we were not there at that time.  IT WAS A HOT DAY!

We went to the Dixie Stampede that evening which was  the second show that we went to.  It was a South/North show about our country's history played out in a very fun way!  The horses were amazing!  They fed us as we watched the show...whole cornish hens, corn on the cob, soup, biscuits, potatoes and pork all eaten with no utensils!  OH MY was that interesting with a 2 and 4 year old!!!  Again no pictures during the show so we just got some pics on the grounds...so beautiful!
IT WAS A GREAT SHOW!
The next day we went fishing on the Taneycomo River.  The kids caught a few small fish and they loved it!  Curt couldn't do his serious fishing with the kids around so he went back during their nap time to check out the current during the afternoon.  He didn't have any luck but would like to try to trout fish up there another time with my uncle!
Brooklyn loved the worms and even named them as if they were her pets!  Love this pic of Curt helping his son!
She knotted the worm herself!  She was so proud but we couldn't believe she did that!  So funny!!


WE HAD SUCH AN AMAZING VACATION!  We have talked several times and feel truly blessed that we could give our kids these experiences.  I had so many moments of pride, joy, and just peace during this vacation.  God is good!

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Our Family Road Trip Part 1

Our family vacation this year consisted of many different parts so I will split this posting into sections!  We started off on our 8 1/2 hour car journey to Madison, Mississippi on our way to Memphis for my cousin, Malorie's, wedding!  The kids were perfect in the car but didn't understand why the long ride!  They were so excited to finally get to Grandma's house as it was their first time to ever visit!  They loved showing off "their room", playing the piano, and playing in her gorgeous backyard!
                               Loved her out of tune piano!          Brooklyn couldn't wait to show Kiki her bed!

The next morning we hopped in the car again for another 3 hour drive to Memphis.  Unfortunately, Brooklyn developed a little cold at Grandma's house and had a red, runny, and raw nose...perfect timing for the wedding!  The kids did whatever to entertain themselves!  Colson covered himself in stickers several times, we watched many movies, listened to many songs, and read many books!  Brooklyn was happy just coloring and drawing!

                              Tons of snacks to keep them full!                Sticker man!!!!!!
We settled into our hotel and then got ready for the rehearsal and dinner.  Brooklyn was the flower girl and Colson was the ring barer.  I was so nervous about how Colson would do since he just turned two a few weeks ago!  We practiced at the rehearsal and decided he would walk holding hands with Brooklyn and then come sit with us on the first row.
Grandma, Poppi, Mimi, and Kiki             Malorie wore a dress her Mom wore years ago for her rehearsal.  It was a beautiful vintage style wedding!    

Welcome to the family Neil!                                                    The kids rehearsing their parts!  So serious!   

Memphis had a downtown power outage so plans had to change for the dinner.  Neil's parents were so upset but it worked out well.  We went to a local Mexican restaurant which we thought was pretty funny...eating Mexican food in Memphis when we are from Texas!  The kids were quite a hit!
Brooklyn and our other cousin Madison!  Brooklyn loves Maddy!      Colson was such a ham!   

We got to see both of the kids Great Grandmas this trip.  Granny and Grandma are just in love with the kids and wish they could see them more!
                 

We got all dressed for the vintage style wedding that Malorie and Neil had.  It was beautiful!  The kids did great even with no afternoon nap!

Brooklyn's dress was worn by Malorie and Madison when they were little.  Colson's whole outfit was made by Malorie's grandma.
Malorie made her own wedding dress and Brooklyn's hair band and all of the flowers...so talented!

Kisses to Aunt Susan!

The kids played ping pong and air hockey with Neil before the wedding!

This was Colson's fit before the wedding...it scared us...thought he wouldn't walk down the aisle!

They walked down together and did great!  Yay Colson and Brooklyn!

Now we went to the reception that was at the old Train Depot in downtown Memphis.  It was so fun!  Colson fell asleep on the way but woke up and the kids had a blast!

My Mom, and Uncle Frank (her brother) and their mom, Grandma!  B dancing with Madison!

The kids loved dancing with everyone...they were quite good!!!!

Uncle Frank always asks us to put our finger in the hole!  They love it!

Late night and we were locked out of our room!  We had keys but the door broke!!!!!!