Fall Break in Branson, MO

For fall break this year, I took the kids to Branson, MO. After all the golf benefits Randy put on this year, he is almost out of vacation! But we didn't let that slow us down... we gave him hugs and kisses and took off without him. As soon as we got all checked in, the kids started rummaging through their suitcases for their favorite item of clothing- their swimsuits! We took advantage of the indoor pool almost everyday!I did bring with me some extra helping hands! My sister-in-law, Jen, had her brother (Stephen) and sister (Amanda) visiting from Tennessee. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to let them see some more of this part of the country and selfishly get some fun people that my kids could hang out with! They didn't disappoint! My kids had a blast with them! My brother, Jordan, was also running low on vacation so we left him behind too. Sorry, boys! Maybe next year!I also brought along my mom, who is always a big help with the kids! I was excited to get her back out to Branson as it has been years since she has been there. It has really changed a lot in the last few years! Vacation is not for catching up on sleep! We stayed up late every night. This was one of our movie nights!
We also did a lot of shopping. Branson has some great outlet malls. We spent the next day shopping til we dropped! Then we headed back to our condo so Avery could make some bracelets at the clubhouse. After that, they played miniture golf while my mom and I took the younger girls to the park.The weather was beautiful the whole weekend. We spent a lot of time outdoors at the park, or miniature golfing, or playing horseshoe or basketball at the lodge.
That night we had tickets to go see the Duttons. I could tell that Jen wasn't quite sure about going to a show. She was asking a lot of skeptical questions. I kept reassuring her that I was told it was a good show but inside I was praying that it really would be good since I hadn't seen them before either. However, I can now say as one having seen the show that they are AMAZING and HILARIOUS!!! Jen agrees :-) We had so much fun! It was a show for all ages- the kids loved it. Avery, however, was feeling under the weather (in fact she threw up in the van on the way home from the show). Ashton even sat there intently watching... until she fell asleep! The show didn't start until 8pm which happens to be her normal bedtime. Poor girl didn't even get a nap the whole weekend. She didn't want to miss out on anything.Addie, was the funniest at the show. She must have been missing daddy or something. One of the Duttons would come out dressed as his "twin cousin" from Spain. He was so funny, I was laughing so hard at what he was saying and what he was doing. But Addie would get so mad at me and tell me to stop laughing. She would put her hands over her ears if I laughed or put her hands over my mouth and tell me to stop. Finally I said, "Addie, he's funny, look at him." She looked at me sternly and said, "Don't laugh at him, mom, you're not his wife!" I guess I'm not suppose to think anyone is more funny than her dad!Our next day we went to downtown Branson to do some shopping at Branson Landing. The kids loved hanging out at the fountains. The water went along with music and at the end of some of the songs the brown pipes you can see in the water would blow out fire... that was super cool!
We usually split up when we went shopping and Avery always went with the big kids to shop. She is growing up so fast! It was cute because on this day she really wanted to buy something for her dad. She was feeling better after getting some rest the night before. I think she was car sick from all the twisty and hilly roads of Branson.After going back to do some more crafts, bingo and swimming at the lodge, we went out for a fun night of go-carting! Poor Ashton wasn't big enough to go, but she was a good sport (most of the time). Addie just made the cut-off and she road with me the first time and then Jen the second time. She was adorable- she really thought she was big stuff! We went on the go-cart track that twirled up high off the ground. She would hold on like she was driving and every time she passed the look-out tower she would wave. It was super cute!Austin road with Jen one time and Stephen one time. This was definitely a highlight for Jen, Amanda and Stephen... they rode three times!! We were leaving the next day so they wanted to get all the fun in that they could!Our last morning Jen was in the shower and all of a sudden the water stopped. Luckily she had just finished rinsing her hair out! We had trouble with our water tank the whole time, but this took the cake! Amanda went outside and told us that it was flooding. I guess a water line broke under the pavement. You can see the crack in the cement where the water was coming out. That parking spot is actually where my car was sitting! I had Stephen go out and move my car. It was crazy- but luckily we were leaving anyway!

This might look like a beautiful waterfall, but it was actually going to the bottom apartments in the building! Stephen was so excited that there was some crazy excitement going on! We aim to please! All in all, it was a great weekend getaway that we all needed! Now, it's time to go home and catch up on some sleep!