Grandma and Grandpa Visit!

 

 This visit came at a great time.  We had rested up from the big Branson getaway and we were ready for some more summer fun before school started up again.  What could be better than a visit from Grandma and Grandpa?  Nothing I tell ya! Grandpa Chuck got to go to his first Midwest county fair this trip.  This is the Brown County fair in New Ulm and it was our first time there.  We had fun touring the old school house, watching a dog swimming show, and seeing the top prize winners in the flower show.  We enjoyed the petting that included a camel and had a couple of milkshakes to round out the day.  Good family fun.

 On Monday we headed down to The Works museum.  This is a place filled with hands on learning exhibits for kids of all ages. This looks like a game I had as a child and the kids had fun trying to trap the balls in the tube.

 Sister enjoyed this magnet experiment with Grandpa Chuck.

 Peanut and Grandpa built a balloon powered car!

 And I think our trip inspired them to continue creating when we got home.  Grandpa Chuck is great at engineering contraptions and it's so nice when they can have time to complete a project together.

 Grandma Sharon surprised us all by climbing right in the bounce house!  She let Peanut bounce and said it was quite nice like the waves of the ocean.  It made the kids so happy.  She is braver than I am!

 After we put Sissy to bed each evening Peanut got to play a "big kid game" with Grandma and Grandpa.  Guess Who is one of his favorites.

 One thing I really admire about my Dad is that he is always interested in learning new things.  His latest hobby is making 3D photographs!  He collaborated with Grandma Sharon to make an entire 3D story book for the kids and it is fantastic!  Here they are in their 3D glasses before reading it for the first time.

 That dinosaur horn is coming right at me, AAAHHHH!

 Grandma and Grandpa are animal lovers just like us and it had been several years since we'd all been to the zoo together so we made a point to go this trip. 

 The weather was great and we got to go to the butterfly exhibit as well as the bird show, the tropics and the big outdoor loop.  Here is Peanut using his new real binoculars that Grandpa bought him.

 Later that evening Gammie and Pappa came over to enjoy a grill out with us.  I'm so glad that my parents and in laws truly enjoy each others company and it's fun to have everyone together to catch up on family news and watch the kids play. 

 The rest of the time they were here we spent playing inside, outside, walks to the park for birding and butterfly hunting, with the occasional stop for a treat.  No more sharing for Sister, she gets her own cone now!  And I love her hair in this picture.  Grandma and "the Captain" look pretty happy as well.  Smile.

 Relaxing at home reading books.  Both of my parents are avid readers and I love to see them share this love with the kids.

This is probably my favorite picture from the trip.  Sister and Mom are so happy to be together again.

 And the bond with Grandpa continued to grow as well.  One of Sissy's favorite things to do is to copy Grandpa's laugh.  It's really cute.

 On one of our little outings Grandma and Grandpa bought Peanut an animal sticker book with about a million reusable stickers and pages to place them on... Here is Peanut working on it with Grandma.

 And here is the last picture before we left to take them to the airport.  It's always so hard to say goodbye.  We had a fabulous time though and made so many wonderful memories.

Thanks so much for visiting us Mom and Dad.  We all enjoyed having you so much and we are looking forward to next time!  Love you!

Branson or Bust!

 

Well, to be honest I felt a little like the Griswold's this summer when we packed up and headed out on our over a week long vacation to Branson, Mo.  I was so excited and full of wonder...wondering how the kids would do on such a long trip, if the new minivan we had purchased earlier in the month would meet my expectations, what the attractions would be like, and how hot would it actually be?   I am so happy to tell you that in every situation except the last my expectations were met and surpassed!  The new minivan was a lifesaver and with all the activities I brought along we weren't bored for a minute.  Here is Peanut working on a puppet show for Sister.

 

And here is his happy audience!  Although Sissy has been nuk free during waking hours for 8 months now, we did make an exception during her regular naptime in the car.  Smile.  I set up the minivan with the bench seat in the back for Peanut and I and only one of the captains seats up on the second row for Sissy.  That left us with a ton of floor space for our activity and snack bags, etc.  We let Best drive us because he likes to and he's better at it and I am better at road trip bingo and puppet shows.  Although he did chime in during Bingo and has some eagle eyes I'll tell ya!

 

Although the car trip wasn't bad and we split it into 2 days going down, we were so happy to get to the hotel in Kansas City.  The kids had much fun in the suite and we went for a walk and had some ice cream to celebrate a successful first day.

We rolled into Branson mid day the next day and had already planned our first stop so we headed straight to it. 

Mel's Hard Luck Diner with the singing waiters.  It's super popular and the food was delicious.  I'd never had someone set down my dinner in front of me while belting out Amazing Grace! 

We had burgers and shakes and then headed over to The Worlds Largest Toy Museum.  It was so much fun and I'm so glad we went!  Best and I had so much fun reminiscing about toys we'd had as children and our kids got to see some really cool old toys.  The best part was that there were lots of things the kids could touch and even climb on.  A great first day!

That afternoon we got settled in at the vacation house and it was so great to see all of the family.  We were there to celebrate Best's parents 50th wedding anniversary that is later this month.  The kids got together and planned this trip for them and I think they were both surprised and pleased.  In reality it was such a gift to us all to get to laugh and fellowship with each other. 

The house was great and plenty big for us to all have our own space when needed but with a nice common living space to gather together for games and meals.  We took turns preparing meals and had some bar b que, a grill cook out, taco night, as well as some nights we ate out.  We also really had some fun playing games and I think we all learned a few new things about each other!

To say I love theme parks is an understatement.  It was a favorite destination as a kid and somehow I've never gotten over the excitement.  The theme park in Branson is called Silver Dollar City and I absolutely loved it!  Best had the good idea to order us season passes since we were staying only a mile away and I'm glad he did.  It was so nice to come and go and not worry about trying to cram everything into one visit!  Here we are entering the kid's zone called Fireman's Landing.

A nail biter apparently, ha ha.  This and the carousel were the only two rides Peanut would get on.  But he had a great time.  There was plenty to do besides the rides as you can see!

Sissy and I splitting a chocolate milkshake.  I have to keep a tight seal on my straw if I want my share, she's serious about her ice cream!

Here's Miss Priss shaking her groove thang' to the music at the splash pad.  Peanut loves a good splash pad but he was running about 100 miles an hour soaking himself!

Our first outing with the whole family was at Ride the Ducks.  It's a "Duck Boat" that starts out as a driving tour through Branson and then proceeds to morph into a boat that takes you out on the lake.

 

And then they let your 4 year old drive the thing! YIKES!  Just kidding.  He was great and I'm pretty sure he was actually steering the boat.  He is not at all shy with strangers and had a great conversation with the "other" captain.

 

I had to include this picture because it happens so rarely anymore.  We really wore him out during the trip but he had so much fun and just nodded off when he needed to!

 

There are a couple of things in Branson that have been around for a long time and have stayed popular throughout the years.  The Showboat Branson Belle is definitely one of those!  It was such a special night out with just the grown ups.  A very special thank you to my fabulous nieces and nephews who did such a great job of taking care of our little ones.  We were treated to comedy, singing and dancing, and a great dinner.  The boat was a big paddleboat and we enjoyed talking out on the deck during the intermission.  Best and I got Peanut a really cool light up souvenier cup that is now one of his most prized possessions.

One of the little getaways Best and I planned for just our immediate family was to the Promised Land Zoo. There were two main animal attractions in the brochures for Branson and I think we picked the best one.  Here is Peanut in the parakeet house.  You can't tell from the picture but there are about 300 parakeets in this "house" and you are given a stick with bird seed on it to take in to feed them.  Although a bit skittish at first, Peanut soon became quite the bird handler with multiple parakeets hanging on his stick at one time.  He was so sweet and wanted to make sure the birds got EVERY SINGLE SEED before he would agree to move on to the next exhibit.

This was a new experience as well.  He really wanted to feed the baby camels but this guy was more his size.  This zoo was all about hands on experiences and we loved it! 

As I mentioned, it was hot.  Very hot.  And although Silver Dollar City is now one of my favorite places in the world, it is hilly, and although filled with places to eat ice cream...did I mention it was hot?  Anyhow,  this brave man and his dear wife agreed to join us for a day of frolic at the park.  They were troopers!  Here is Papa helping Peanut load up with ammo for the blaster at the fire station.   

 

And there they are on what is actually the third story of the playscape.  The floor is just full of hundreds of balls for the kids (and Papa's) to shoot out of cannons at these targets...and sometimes their moms...smile.

One of the reasons I loved this amusement park so much was that there was truly something for everyone.  Thrill rides a'plenty, but also things like music shows, a petting zoo, and stations like this set up with toys and blocks for the smaller kids.  And they were shaded, score!

Our last big adventure was to another of Branson's must see venues: Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede.  Here is a pic of the grandkids before the show.  Notice it is now Thursday and "the Captain" still has his hat on from Monday.  It didn't spend much time off his head.

 We had great seats and the show was fun and lots of interaction and excitement for the kids and adults alike!

Here is Sister engrossed in the show...btw don't look at her plate and think they just served us crackers...that was her appetizer during the soup course.  She was actually served a full meal and as you will see in the next picture we all got plenty to eat!

Peanut loved every minute and really got into waving his flag that Gammie and Papa bought for him to cheer on our troops!  The premise was a battle of the Civil War and we were seated on the North's side.  Just look at that plate of food!  Here's the kicker, no silverware!  It was fun and it's ok to get a little messy when your at a Stampede!

 Here is what they are watching:

 Meanwhile back at the ranch we just happen to have a bison guarding the place...

The kids said goodnight to the bison each night and Sissy blew it kisses.  Below is an inside view of the cabin with Peanut and Papa "seeing what's going on in the world."

 

We missed our sweet Hannah so much on this trip but she has a crazy schedule with her college band and we hope to catch up with her soon.  Here is a pic of the kids with Gammie and Papa on the porch.  These kids don't know how lucky they are.  These two are such kind, loving and generous people.  They have made such a beautiful life together and raised smart, kind, and loving children who are now raising great kids of their own!  I'm so happy and blessed to be a part of it.

Happy Anniversary Bill and Char.  I know I speak for us all when I say we love you so much and are so thankful for your marriage as an example of what a loving family and home should be like.  Here's to you!