Family Vacation 2009 (part 3)

So, today concludes our trilogy of vacation recap posts. Sunday morning was a beautiful morning. I guess everyone was recovering from the busy day before because Brother (who usually gets up with the sun slept until 10!) So, sister and I enjoyed the quiet morning on the patio. Isn't she cute?
If you cannot tell, the chairs on the patio had the State Seal of Texas -- how appropriate! So, once everyone was up and moving, we headed out to Talking Rocks Cavern to do a little spelunking. We got to enjoy neat things underground like this

and this (they call those formations cave bacon -- can you tell why?)

Did I mention that the cave is underground? So, we had to climb these stairs to get there. The were quite narrow and steep.

While the cave was interesting, I'm not sure spelunking is for preschoolers. This is how sister felt about the cave. (Yes, I had to hold/carry her through most of it. Did I mention the many stairs? AUGH)

Brother is into science and stuff, so he thoroughly enjoyed the caving. Sister was much happier at the scenic overlook once we exited the cave world.

After a not-so-fabulous lunch (maybe another post), we headed back to the condo for swimming and a much needed nap for mom. YIPPEE!

Then, after getting cleaned up, the family showed our sporty side with a rousing game of putt-putt (commonly referred to as "little golf" by sweet Sister).

Brother took his golf game serious.

Sister was just more concerned about looking good on the greens.

She was so proud that she found a pink ball that complemented her wardrobe.

She did manage a few good shots, including this very close hole-in-one. We scored it as a gimme.

Aren't we a happy bunch?

Along the golf trail, we encountered various creatures. Some from the Jurassic era.

Others from more modern times. (That, my friends, is a groundhog!! Have you ever seen one other than Punxsutawney Phil? This one just lived at the putt-putt and wandered around the grassy area like a pet.)

After the game, (I'm not sure who won because we didn't keep score -- but I'm sure it was me) we went out for a bite to eat. We ran by a couple of stores, but because it was Sunday, they had all closed up for the evening. I got a chuckle out of this one sign.

Yes, that store wasn't closed, it was SHUT! HaHa

So, we moseyed back to our condo to pack up for the trip home. It was a fun get-away. One that we richly deserved and greatly appreciated!

Family Vacation 2009 (Part 2)

So, we are still enjoying a fantastic Saturday in Branson. After the Butterfly Palace, we headed back to the condo for some swimming. I have to say that swimming was the main agenda for this vacation. The kids love to swim, and we just haven't had time for it this summer. However, mother nature had other plans for our family because it was a bit too chilly for swimming and the water was COLD! Not to be deterred, the kids still got in the water, but we had to wait until later in the afternoon so the sun could warm up a bit. Hubby drew the short straw, so he got in, too. I was official photographer.
I did eventually get in the water, but Hubby was not allowed to document any of that with film!

After swimming, we cleaned up and headed to Branson Landing for dinner. Sister was so worn out, that she fell asleep in the car on the way there (about a 8 minute drive). She slept on Hubby's shoulder for about 45 minutes!

We were excited that we could catch some "back home" flavor in Branson.

Nope, we didn't eat here -

We choose to eat here. YUMMY!!

We sat outside on the patio, so we could take full advantage of the beautiful weather and scenery. Isn't that was vacation is all about?

Plus, our outside seating provided a great view of the Fire and Water show! It was AWESOME!

After dinner, we strolled the shops and watched the street entertainers. Once again, we found a little bit of Texas.

Although we aren't hunters or fishers, we wandered into Bass Pro Shop. Where Brother had a brief encounter with a bear.

Sister got so excited by the fish that she apparently waved her arm right off.

And both kids added to their Christmas wish list.

We did buy something at Branson Landing - a table for the family room. Yes, we are crazy people who buy furniture while on vacation. It never fails that we find some treasure and have to figure out how to haul it home. Sadly, this isn't a first time thing for us. But we did make it work.

On the way to the car - after a long day - we caught the Fire and Water show again. It is really incredible.

So, we headed back to the condo for some much needed rest. It was a fun day -- one that reminds me how much I love and enjoy my family.

Family Vacation 2009 (Part 1)

So, 2009 hasn't been an all-that-terrific year for our family. The summer seems to get away from us and unless you count our travel up and down IH-30, we never got to get-away as a family. So, before the craziness of back-to-school took over, we made a nice weekend trip to Branson. It was just great to be together and to not keep any specific schedule. (As I get ready to write all this, I realize that we can really cram A.LOT into one day. So, to save you the reading, I will break it down into manageable segments.)

We drove up on Friday - after Brother got out of school. It was a nice, pretty drive through the north part of my new state -- full of nice scenery. Best of all, the kids slept most of the way. SCORE!! We got to our condo (Thousand Hills Resort) just before dinner. The kids quickly settled in and made their room look just like home.

This place was FANCY! And had lots of great stuff - stuff that we would never use. This was the view off our patio.

Too bad we don't golf.

It also had this HUGE kitchen. One that I would love to have in my house.

I didn't come on vacation to cook, so the kitchen stayed this clean the entire visit.

So, Friday night we went out for dinner, then drove around, exploring the town. We stopped at Wal-Mart to get cereal stuff for breakfast, then we went back to the condo to sleep.

The next morning, we got up and hit some of the local shops. Sister found something that fit right into or vacation lifestyle.

After browsing other stores, we found a great place to rest our weary feet.

And here I thought things were bigger in TEXAS.

After grabbing a wonderful lunch, we headed out to the Butterfly Palace (thanks for the recommendation, Amber).

To our surprise, the Butterfly Palace has lots more than butterflies. First we saw creepy things that I do not like. Sister was so brave and gave it a touch.

Then we walked through this way-cool mirror maze. Brother and I thought it was great. Sister still calls it "the scary part." It is supposed to be decorated like the rain forest.

Then, it was time to set our sights on the butterflies.

We saw butterflies of all colors and sizes. It was really beautiful. The visit was even more wonderful because we "hatched" our own chrysalises this spring, so the kids knew all about butterflies.

I have to share a funny story: When we were in the butterfly room, a centipede came crawling out of the rocks -- right towards Brother's feet. He SCREAMED bloody-murder and ran to me. I think he was so loud that he scared the ugly thing and it crawled right back into the rocks. I was trying to calm him and tell him it was part of nature, one of God's creations, blah, blah, blah. Then one of the workers came up and said, "That thing is one of the meanest bugs on the planet. If you see it again, stomp on it." It was UGLY and creepy!

Here are my two favorite butterflies.

When we finished watching the butterflies, we went outside so Brother could climb the coconut tree.

He is so brave - and such a boy!

The rest of us sat on the sideline and cheered!

So, are you tired? Well, we aren't even half over with this day. :) After the Butterfly palace, we headed back to the condo. I'll fill you in on the evening activities later.