Anniversary Trip Day 2

  For our second day, Daniel and I went to hear the sales pitch while the kids relaxed. Our guide was actually a member of our church from Venezuela. She was so nice and fun to talk to. After that, we went to the cabin to change and got ready for the water park. We started with the wave pool.

Devon and Lizzy went off to try the slides while the rest of us played.

    We went on a group raft ride a few times. It was fun, but I think Oceans of Fun is better. After a full day playing in the water, we changed and went to a fun restaurant for dinner called The Hook and Ladder. It is a firefighter-themed pizza/pasta place. They had badges from all over. It was so cool!

They had this tiny hall filled with gear that they let you put on.

    The food was great, and you couldn't beat the atmosphere. A place that ticks all the boxes is a rare find, but this really hit the spot. It was next to a fun London pub and on this cute street. 

    We headed out to The Sight and Sound Theater to experience their production of David. When we had made plans for this trip, I gave the kids a choice of either a magic show or David. All but one kid chose David. I was excited to see it. I had heard it was really good.

    The show was amazing. I had streamed their show, Jesus during Easter, and I was impressed with the sets and acting. They have a huge menagerie of animals that they make good use of. They have double screens so they can project on either to create immersive scenes. The Golath and brothers were amazing puppets. Our seats were next to the aisle where several sheep, a few horses, and actors rushed through. It was so fun. Teddy had an accident, and the staff was so accommodating in helping me clean him up. He soon fell asleep; the show started at his bedtime, and no amount of lights or sounds could keep him from succumbing to sleep. Which was a mercy in the end, as he is a talker otherwise. They are having their shows free to stream here from June 29th through July 3rd, if you want to get a taste. It was a wonderful day.

 

Happy Anniversary!

     Daniel and I celebrated our 20th anniversary in June. We took the kids to Branson to celebrate. Our first stop was Fritz’s Adventure. After the 3-hour car ride and lunch in the parking lot, the kids were ready to play.

    Besides the climbing and ziplines, they had a laser game. Teddy loved showing off his skills. They had a viewing window so I could get a picture.

Hi Charles!

    Here's a quick video of our experience:

    We played for four hours. Afterwards, we headed to the cabin. At check-in, the girl tried to show us where it was located and how to get there. She highlighted the map and told us there were new roads. We wandered and wandered; there were no roads. After consulting the map a fifth time, we went out to the road and came in the back way, which worked much better. To add to the confusion, the cabins had 2 different numbers on them. We tried the keys, and it worked, so we unpacked, and I made dinner. 

    Devon and Henry fought over a room. They both wanted to sleep in the same room, but not with each other. So in the end, they shuffled around a bit, but Henry and Teddy ended up in the room. Charles and Devon had a blow-up. Not bad for our first day.

The Start of Summer

     To welcome summer, we went to the library's summer reading kick-off. Since we are hosting some games for the FIFA World Cup, the theme is dinosaurs and soccer.

    We went to Science City again to show the older kids the laser room. I thought this wall was a shadow wall, but it showed the light spectrum. Charles used his glasses, and it was super cool! 

Teddy and I played with the trains.

    I encouraged Teddy to climb this structure, and I thought he was enjoying it, so I went to sit down. When I looked back, I noticed he was crying. Due to the slopes, he couldn't figure out how to get down. Several parents tried to rescue him, but I was able to direct him, and he made it down safely.

    Devon decided to make corn quesadillas on the griddle for his dinner night. He had never done that before, so Daniel helped him. They turned out great, but the kids prefer flour to my preference of corn tortillas.

    Summer school! The kids like going to summer school. It's more relaxed, and there are lots of fun things to do. This year, Teddy got to go too. He and Henry will attend the school together in the fall, and this was Teddy's first real classroom experience. 

    He was a bit unsure, but his teacher is very nice. They had one day of school, and then we left for 3 days. When we returned on Friday, Teddy was not so keen on going back to school, but has since declared that school is fun. Whew!

May I?

 I saw a cardinal on our beehive! I tried to get a picture before it flew away. They are definitely more active in our neighborhood right now. It always gives me a thrill to see them.

    The Truman Library was having a free day and had the 250 Celebration: The Story of US, a visiting exhibit with several original pieces of note from our history. Including the Brown v. the Board of Education, the original design for the Great Seal, the Bill of Rights revisions, among other historical documents. It was incredible to read the words and mark the signatures. To have the importance of valiant people seep into your bones. 

    Typically, the kids ran through and really just wanted to get to the gift shop, but Henry and I took our time. President Truman's term was fraught with so many worldwide complications. He really did well despite everyone discounting him. His life is fascinating, and the library is well worth a visit.

 

   Later, Daniel and I went to see The Mandalorian in the theater. It was fun.

    The following night, we had Ron over for dinner. It was fun catching up. Daniel showed him the summer project he and Charles are working on. 

The city is redoing the roads in our neighborhood. It is quite the experience watching them work.

    Look how pretty my flowers are! It took them the better part of the week to get the roads finished. We skipped town while they worked. On to better things!