Branson

My parents had a timeshare in Branson, Missouri, and I was so excited to go back. One of my favorite childhood family vacations was to Branson. My mom and I won a game show when we were there and I have very fond memories of the trip. Going as an adult and taking my kids was like a dream come true.

On Saturday, we packed up and left home around noon heading for Dallas. We checked into our hotel and then met Mike and Sarah Lemich for dinner at a Thai restaurant.

After dinner, we went back to our hotel and went swimming. This was the beginning of a vacation where we spent a lot of time in the pool!

The boys watched a show before we all went to bed. 

Sunday morning, we went to sacrament meeting at a nearby ward and then drove the rest of the way to Branson. We arrived at 5:15pm and hustled over to an ice cream social the timeshare place was hosting. The boys loved the exercise room. It was so fun to see my parents. We had adjoining suites.

On Monday morning, we all went shopping for some groceries so we could cook our own food during the week. Then my Dad, Sam, and the boys went swimming. They had PB&J sandwiches poolside. Sam and Declan took a nap in the afternoon while my Dad, Mom, Alex, Edison, and I played skeeball, air hockey, ping pong, and Yahtzee. After the Big Boy and Little Boy's nap, we made dinner and then had Family Home Evening. We put together beggar bags to give to the plethora of homeless people begging on the street corners around our house. At one point I put together bags of snacks to give out but it was hard to keep up with those. Then I just kept extra granola bars in the van. It was fun to put together little bags with cash and a small quote. The boys decorated the bags with stickers. After FHE, we played soccer on the tennis court and then put the kids to bed. Afterward, Sam, my Mom, and I played Skip-Bo and Phase 10.

Watching Uncle Matthew play baseball

On Tuesday, we tried to get tickets to an animal show but it was sold out. We didn't want that to happen again so we went to another theatre and bought tickets to see Jonah the next day. Then we packed lunches and drove to Springfield, Missouri, to go to the Discovery Center. We went there when I was a kid and I still have memories of it. We picnicked outside in the parking lot and then went back in for more fun. We were there for five hours and it wasn't very busy at all. We had dinner at Texas Roadhouse before heading home. Declan fell asleep at 6:30pm and stayed asleep the whole night! I fell asleep at 8:15pm. Sam, my Mom, Alex, and Edison went swimming and they were very excited to report that they also sighted fireflies!

Bed of 4788 nails

They enter the MTC headed for Barbados on October 5th!

Sam took the boys on a bike ride the next morning. Mom and Dad were at a timeshare presentation to earn tickets to see acrobats. Then my parents had to get chest x-rays for their mission. I practiced Turbo Kick and then Sam and I took the boys swimming. Declan went down for a nap and then Edison and I played Yahtzee and Uno. That afternoon, we went to see Jonah. It was incredible! There were real camels, donkeys, and horses in the show. The stage was mind-blowing. We had frozen pizza for dinner and then the boys played outside and the girls hung out inside.

On Thursday, the kids played in the fitness room and in a little man-made creek. They caught a frog. Then we went to see the Amazing Pets show. We picked up my parents' chest x-rays and then dropped those off at the post office. My Mom took Alex and Edison swimming while Sam, my Dad, Declan, and I all took naps. Then Grandpa played Yahtzee with Alex and Edison. After that, we all played soccer and some arcade games at our timeshare. That night, we had chicken fajitas and fruit for dinner. It was so nice to have a kitchen! We enjoyed an evening swim after dinner and then finished off the night with cinnamon rolls. 

Spitting pool water in Grandpa's face. They thought it was hilarious.

On Friday, my Dad and the little boys played shuffleboard. Then we all went swimming for two hours. A lunch of mac and cheese, a nap for Declan, balcony-sitting, and Skip-Bo playing rounded out the early afternoon. Declan woke up and we went to see Amazing Acrobats of Shanghai. They were so crazy-talented. Sam and I got called up on stage as volunteers and it was so fun. After dinner, there was more time for swimming. The boys went to bed at 9pm and the adults followed at 10:30pm. We were wearing ourselves out during the day!

On Saturday, my parentals left at 8:15am. It was a long goodbye because we won't see them again until after their mission! The boys played shuffleboard and then we headed out to play miniature golf. We had leftovers for lunch. Emily went to the pool, Alex and Edison watched TV, and Sam and Declan took naps. We played some more games in the afternoon and then went swimming again. We went to a barbecue joint for dinner. It was claimed they have "Branson's Best Burger" and it was pretty good! In the evening, we went shopping, stared at animals at the pet store, and then went back to the timeshare to do laundry, pack, and look for fireflies.

On Sunday, the boys slept in until 8:30am, later than they had slept the whole rest of the week. We were on the road at 9:45am. We listened to podcasts for hours and got home at 8:45pm. It was 92 degrees in our house and the butter was melted! So crazy! I had not gotten a single bug bite in Branson and got a mosquito bite while walking to our mailbox. Houston's "Welcome Home!"