Vacation 2009 - Branson, MO

We took a vacation to Branson, MO. This was the first vacation that I got to take with my family in about 12 yrs!
Branson, MO has lots to offer families and kids of all ages can enjoy all there is to offer. Branson has lots of shows, shopping, water parks, go carts, bumper boats, and an amusement park!

If you are traveling with group of people I highly recommend staying at The Lodges of Table Rock Lake. Our lodge could sleep 16. We had 11. It was 5 bedroom and 5 baths. All the bedrooms had a bath with them. That was really nice! The downstairs bedroom also included a small laundry area in the bathroom. We did laundry while we were there, which saved on the
amount of clothes I packed to take with us and it saved me from having to bring back lots of dirty clothes and having mountains of laundry once I was home! Here are a few pics...

the lodge...


This was Annie's room...


the downstairs...


the screened in patio...

Two of the biggest downsides is that the Lodges are located in a very hilly part and some of the parking is on steep hills. The other downside is that there isn't a pool located within the small community. The Lodges were exceptionally nice and I could spend a week at the lodge and not even really do much! It is a great place to get away!

the girls waiting on lunch and naptime....



Table Rock Lake...



my Dad, Mom and Sammy at the end of the dock...


boatin' on Table Rock Lake...

my mom wasn't too thrilled about being out on the water, but she braved it anyway!

The girls and my parents lasted about an hour. We took them back to the dock and my parents took the girls so we could take the big kids out tubin'.

Annie and Sammy....

...ready to go tubin'

we rented a tube and pulled it behind the boat...

Annie and Sammy

Big brother keeping a careful watch...

JM

JM and Jonah...

....tired after an afternoon on the water!

More to come....

Answer and more

For everyone who played along in the "which baby is it"...
Cadie had the Red bottle (right) and Courtney had the blue bottle (left)
if you got it wrong, don't feel bad, I have to ask Jason which is which! They look so much a like in this photo!

We had a very busy weekend and here are some photos from this past weekend. Jason and I have been emailing a gal from Iowa who was interested in our camper. So, on Saturday Jason and I packed up and headed to Coralville, IA. I was so excited b/c Jason had promised me I could go shopping! This is a rare treat for me as he knows I can shop for hours on end!
I didn't think we would have trouble finding a hotel room at Coralville so I hadn't made any reservations and when we got there, one hotel had a big wedding going on and the rooms were $140 a night! Now... Ralph Nader isn't going to pay that price when we could drive 2 hours and be home! So, I talked him into staying if we could find a room for $100. He wasn't crazy about it, but he indulged me! So, we stayed at the Fairfield Inn by Marriott and it was very nice! The girls had fun in the big comfy chair...

Since we didn't pack the pack n plays, we just let the girls sleep with us... a rare treat! Esp since it is never comfortable for me...
as you can see! The bed hogs take up too much room!
When Jason and I got up in the morning and we got to moving around. The girls always amaze me when they sleep...
they always seem to sleep together and it isn't uncommon to find them touching each other some way shape or form!

Last noc was the open house at the school. In 2nd grade they are keeping Journals and I was impressed Sammy had wrote in his about 3 times! This is Sammy in front of his desk...
I think 2nd grade is one of my favorite grades! Mrs. Russell is a great teacher and I really look forward to 'woods day'!

This is Annie in front of her desk. We had to put a puzzle together that had little bits of info about Annie on little peices of paper. When we were all done, it made a face. She also did a little bio poem that hangs on the wall. I am excited and hopefull for Annie this year. Last year she really struggled with school and thankfully, my grandma tutored her. This year, grandma is still going to help her some, but she is encouraged to do most of her homework at school. I REALLY like Annie's teacher! Jacki and I were classmates and I know she is very fair yet, she won't let Annie get by with her antics!

If you are wondering how I was able to take such great, unhurried photos... my friend Jen was there and the twins took off with Jen, Hannah, Emma, Jen's hubby and Jen's mom and dad! My girls love spending time with Jen and her family! She just has a much more relaxed attitude that I am so envious of!