Weekend Getaway

 Our family took a little weekend vacation to Branson. It had snowed on Wednesday here and Thursday down there, but the roads ended up being pretty good by the time we left on Friday morning.

 We had been on the road for about 20 min. when I realized I had forgotten my wallet :( so we had to turn around back north and get it. Which was a disappointing way to start the trip. We stopped in Springfield, MO for lunch at Chick-Fil-A and then to visit the big flagship store of Bass Pro. The kids loved seeing all the animals and outdoor gear. Zoë and Naomi both picked out new stuffed animals to add to their collection.

Next, he headed down to Branson. We checked into our WorldMark location around 4:30 pm. The kids got situated, started up the fire place, and checked out what was on TV. I hadn't realized the Winter Olympics were starting that night, so it was a nice surprise to get to watch some of the opening ceremonies and a few of the events! We ate pizza and had brownies and ice cream to keep our Friday night tradition alive. The kids enjoyed taking turns in the jetted bath tub. Then we went to bed! 

On Saturday morning, we woke and ate eggs and blueberry pancakes. Around 9 am, we headed out for our first ever family show! We drove up to the Grand Country Music Hall to see "Amazing Pets". Applejack was our host and shared lots of funny jokes and included the kids in several activities to keep them entertained. We watched cats jump and climb, dogs stand on their back legs to dance and spin, had parrots fly over our heads, and a few other fun tricks. The kids went onstage to sing a song and participate in some of the activities Applejack led. 

 After our morning show, we went back to our suite and made lunch. Then we went to the huge hot tub and played for about 30 min. before we headed back for rest time. We watched some TV and then picked up bbq from Big D's BBQ. We ate dinner and then headed over to the rec center where we played ping pong, pool, foosball, a driving game, Levi played a shooting game, and then the kids all tried out some of the equipment in the fitness center. We had a blast! 

On Sunday morning we ate breakfast, packed up and headed out. We went to Mochas and Meows, a cat café we were very excited to visit. But as we pulled up to the the store front, there were no cars in the parking lot and there was a paper on the door that simply said "We are closed February 1-15. Sorry for the inconvenience." To say we were disappointed is an understatement. But we walked up to the windows and checked out the cats inside. Some came to the window to check us out as well :) We returned to the van and began the trek home. On our way, we stopped in Bolivar, MO at Lotus Tea Co. The kids enjoyed excellent boba smoothies and Jeremiah and I tried some coffee and tea. It was a board game store as well so the kids had fun looking around and we made a nice little stop of it before finishing the trip home. We were very thankful for our weekend away! We don't take many trips, but we're hoping to add in a few more here and there to add a little adventure and fun to our days and years, as well as make some great memories with our family!