Fall Break

Our family went to Branson for Fall break.  It was quite fun because my parents got to go, as well.  My mom's birthday was while we were gone, so we got to celebrate in style at Silver Dollar City with her and then have dinner in the trailer complete with cupcakes and candles.  

There were a couple of snafus during the trip.  The first is that we went to check into our hotel after spending the afternoon at Silver Dollar City to find that they had overbooked and we did not have a room!  Needless to say, the steam was coming from Jeremy's ears as he showed the man at the desk our conformation e-mail that said the room was "Guaranteed."  The guy at the desk could/would do nothing, but hand us a map to the hotel where they booked us--Howard Johnson.  Not quite what I was hoping for, but at least the room was bed-bug free.  When we got to the old HO JO, we waited 1 full hour with hungry, tired kids just to check in!!!  The kids did really great, considering the circumstances.  We have such wonderful, well-behaved kids.  The following day, we got to our original hotel around 9:00 A.M. and they told us they would put our things in a room for us later in the day and appoligized.  We did not have to pay for the first night of our trip and got free breakfast on Sunday out of the deal. 

The second snafu occured on day 2 of our trip.  We were happily enjoying ourselvles at Silver Dollar City, when we rounded the corner after lunch to go ride the train, and I say, "where is Jarett."  Yes, we lost our son for a full 15 minutes of shear terror.  Thankfully, a nice couple found a wondering child and they had him sit with them at an ice cream parlor.  Of course, I contacted security, and they were on the case.  I was impressed with Jarett--he never cried, till he saw me.  It was a good learning experience for us.  We went over who to look for if you are lost--look for someone with a badge, working behind a counter.  If you have kids--remind them of this.

My favorite thing about Silver Dollar City was seeing Macy enjoy the rides.  She loves roller coasters--especially the one that started off going 0-60 mph in seconds.  She also sits on the back of the huge pirate ship, because that goes the highest, and she rode it 3 times, back to back--that would make me sick!!  She cried because she was not tall enough for the ride that went upsidedown 5 times.  She is a COMPLETE chip off the old block.  I cried the first time I was too small to ride the shock-wave. I used to say I wanted to own an indoor roller coaster park so that you could ride roller coasters all year round, and did not have to ride the boring non-roller coaster rides.  

Macy and Megan had lots of fun riding many rides together.  Here they are about to ride the swings.

Jarett with mom.

Case thinking, "Is my Grandad going to fit?  Will he be able to get out when the ride is over?  ...Or, What's that smell?  Grandad, was that you?"

Case, "Let's get this thing off the ground?"

Gran riding with Macy and Megan

Jarett and mom.

What sweet friends.  It is so fun that we have 3 generations of friends with the Cromlings/Mesas.  

We did not take the camera on Day one of Silver Dollar City, but Case's first ride was the frogs.  They really do bounce a lot.  He liked it, though.

Case snoozed with Grandad while we rode the train.  All the smiles are a result of finding Jarett, and riding the train all together.  Julie and Addie are next to Baby Case.

Macy, Megan, and Jarett barely stopped eating popcorn to take the picture.  The fall color was beautiful on the train ride.

Julie took a picture of the whole family.  I love Jarett's expression, but I think we did pretty good, as a whole.

After a full day at Silver Dollar City, we ate with Gran and Grandad.  Here we are singing happy birthday to Gran.

Macy and Jarett got to spend the night in the trailer.  Jeremy and I took Case to the hotel, and met up with them in the morning for breakfast and some fishing.  Can you find Macy's fish in the net?

Macy tried to hold it, but...

...that trout was just too slimy.

Jarett did not have any luck fishing.

...and here is the family picture.  It is a bonus to have my parents with us, because I actually get to have a few pictures of the entire family!

Some things I learned:

1. Jeremy likes black walnut ice cream.

2. Branson is a haven for the >65 crowd, who also likes black walnut ice cream.

3. I would parallel the strip on Branson to the strip in Vegas, but the entertainment all has "Jamboree," or "Jubilee" in the title.

4. Macy got her first lesson on dentures and the importance of brushing her teeth while we were waiting to wash our hands in the bathroom--seriously, a lady took her teeth out and rinsed them off while Macy watched, wide-eyed.

5. Don't take directions to a trailer from someone who doesn't know the names of the roads.

6. And, the #1 thing I learned is, don't take your eyes of Jarett while in a crowded amusement park.  Better yet, let him ride on Dad's shoulders or hold a buddy's hand.