Branson Baby!

It has been a year since we went anywhere on vacation. We desperately needed a break but with our current situation of a newborn and Ian, we didn't want to go too far. There are so many places around us to explore that we have never been to before so we decided to check out Branson. It is about a 3 1/2 hour drive to get there so we figured we could handle it with the kids. Ian and the girls were so excited to go! They packed up their bags several days in advance. I made them empty thier bags out to see what they had and to make sure that they hadn't forgotten anything. Ian's suitcase was so cute. He had put a bunch of shirts (all orange in color) some shorts, a toothbrush, an orange flashlight, and an orange tooth holder (in case he lost a tooth) . I guess it was fresh on his mind since Lauryn just lost one and Emma was pretty close. He was convinced he would lose one too.

I got to drive on the way there while Mike somehow figured out a way to tether his phone so he could have internet connection and do some work the whole way there. The kids did really well. They all had their head phones on and were watching Harry Potter 1 which they haven't seen for a really long time, so they were completely into it. Mike and I didn't hear a word from them for 2 hours. It was almost like we were on a trip by ourselves.

We arrived in Branson and went straight to Silver Dollar City. The weather was in the high 70's, low 80's the whole time we were there and there was very little humidity so it was perfect. The park is very clean and pretty. There are so many trees around that most of the tracks on the roller coasters are completely hidden. I was unsure how Ian would feel about the rides, but there was not a roller coaster big enough or fast enough as far as he was concerned. He couldn't do them all, but he was a good sport about sitting out even though he really wanted to join the girls. We spent 2 days there since there was a deal on tickets where you buy one get one day free. It was a lot of fun. We hit all the rides and saw a magic show among other things.

The condo we stayed in was really nice and clean. We figured it would be a better bet than a hotel as far as germs go, and it completely surpassed our expectations. It made us feel like we were at home almost and it was nice to be able to cook and not have to eat out every meal.

We set Sunday aside to check out Branson since we spent Friday and Saturday at Silver Dollar City but since our kids weren't too interested in watching the shows, we headed home after checking out.

It took us a lot longer to get home than getting there. Caleb, was not too happy about being locked up in his car seat for that amount of time so I found myself sitting next to him rubbing his head, holding his hands, and talking to him to try to give him something to do other than staring at the ceiling (I can see why he would be bored). Plus, our navigation system had us take another route home which mile wise was shorter, but the speed limit was slower so it actually took longer.

It was a much needed and enjoyed trip. It was short and sweet. It will be fun to go again when Ian can do everything!