Memorial Day 2011

Have you ever returned home from a wonderful vacation and found your mind drifting back to the place you just left? Have you ever pictured that place in your mind and wondered what was happening there – at that very moment? There are also the times you return home and sigh a huge breath of relief that it is over…that you are safe at home…and don’t give the place a second thought. Today….my mind is back at Big Cedar. It was that great.

We took the kids out of school on Friday and headed to Branson for a long Memorial Day weekend. We started the vacation off right with a trip to Andy’s for some frozen custard. Every vacation should begin AND end with ice cream, of some sort. We then stopped at Fast Track for some rides, Go-Kart racing, and video games.

They are having fun in this picture…but that was BEFORE the “attendant”  spun their saucer so fast that Bryce had a “near-vomit” experience. Custard, revisited, would not have been fun for that teenager to clean up.

Notice anything different about Bryce? Yes, he is holding his peedie. Why? Because he is in big boy undies and enjoying the “freedom”. No, he didn’t have to go potty….he was just holding it…because he could.

Tom took Karah for a spin.

 

Bradley wasn’t sure if he was ready for the “Heavy Metal” track…so he looked on in admiration.

The most fulfilling part of the trip was seeing that Bryce has followed in my footsteps with an intense love for Skeeball and Wack-a-Mole.

And Tom was proud that Karah and Boo followed in his footsteps.

We then caught the matinee at the IMAX. Great movie, Born to be Wild, a documentary about orphaned monkey’s and elephants that are fostered back into the wild. The kids were completely enthralled with it. Bryce pretended to be a baby monkey the rest of the evening.

The next morning was a breakfast “adventure”. The picture tells the story.

Did I itch while I was inside? Yes. Flea markets and food don’t really “mix” for me.

Was the service slow? Yeeeeeeeeees. It’s a bad sign when they bring you out an entire BASKET of toys to keep the kids entertained until their food comes.

Was the food big? Yes. This was Bradley’s “kiddie” pancake, overflowing the plate.

Will we be going back? No. We will not.

I took the boys to ride the Branson Scenic Railway. Tom stayed back with Karah and let her nap in the car because she wasn’t feeling well. The boys had so much fun!

Waiting to board.

Bradley took  lots of pictures with my phone. I don’t know where he gets it from???

His favorite shot.

The boys loved the views…

Especially when we were on the bridge 150’ above the ground.

Their favorite part was going through the tunnels. Still not sure how our train fit through.

This is how Bradley held Bryce through the long tunnel of blackness.

Towards the middle of the trip they were growing weary.

It was nothing a little trip to the Snack Car wouldn’t fix.

Karah was feeling good after her nap in the car so we grabbed lunch at Devil’s Pool restaurant at Big Cedar Lodge.

We went back to our Lodge and changed into our swimsuits for the much anticipated afternoon of swimming. Here is a pic of the living room/kitchen area. This unit was a 2 bedroom/2 bath. If you ever take a trip to Big Cedar …book it on ebay! Can’t beat the space for the price!

We spent the rest of the day enjoying the lazy river, waterslide, and pools.

This was our first trip that Bryce wore big boy undies the entire time. He did awesome….not one accident the entire time. He even pooped on the big boy potty. This was something that he had been struggling with at home. He would wear a pull up to bed and poop before he came out of his room….avoiding the toilet. No longer on our trip! He told me he had to go potty – and did….and hasn’t looked back since. He is completely potty trained and so big now!

Tom and I celebrated our graduation from having children in diapers. An end to an era….bittersweet. I know, I’m crazy…but I will miss changing him. He’s my baby. Any sadness has been dispelled by the thought of never having to pack diapers/wipes again. We did it, Tommy T!!! So excited to move on to the next chapter of our life.

The next day Big Cedar was having a fun celebration for Memorial Day. The weather was perfect!

Karah loved the bungee run.

 

He always knows when I’m looking. Even through a zoom lens.

We broke from the fun to meet our friend (Karah’s teacher) and his family for some ice cream. I wish I had brought my camera. We love him. Amazing teacher…and fabulous golf partner to Tom. It was fun to be able to spend some time with his sweet wife and kids.

We spent the rest of the day swimming until dusk. We chose to swim at the “swimming hole” pool. It was right next to the stage where the Clay Self Band was playing. It was so fun to swim and hear the music…and take a break for a snow cone. Yes, we had ice cream that day….but it’s vacation, right?

Later we sat on a big blanket out on the lawn and watched the band. When it was time for fireworks – we went back to our lodge…because our 3rd floor deck view would be better than anything on the ground. The show was amazing. Way bigger show than I would have ever expected!

Our last and final morning, we rented a boat and went out to enjoy Table Rock Lake. Two of the kids loved it. The other yelled, “Daddy slow down!” the entire time. The child not pictured was the one who wasn’t amused.

We stopped in a cove and enjoyed lunch…and before we knew it – it was time to go back to shore and head back home. The kids decided we “need” a boat. Kids are always great at determining our needs, aren’t they.

Today Tommy T called home from work and said, “I’m still thinking about our trip. I miss it.”

He’s not the only one. Can’t wait until we can go back. Hopefully this will become a Memorial Day weekend tradition.

Heaven.