Big Time in Branson!

So, we were supposed to go to Destin, FL the week of July 12th with some of John's family. Everyone knows all too well about the oil spill in the gulf. We had been watching the news, checking the internet, & staying in touch with John's aunt in FL. Tar balls had been sighted on the beach & so we made decision to cancel & just spend some time locally. We didn't want to chance takign the kids to the beach & not even getting to enjoy it & after all, we can have just as much fun hanging at a pool locally as we could there. So, we all decided to spend a few days in Branson instead. Boy, did we have a group...The four of us & John's cousins & their family. All in all, we had 7 adults & 9 kids. Think we're crazy? Maybe just a little bit. Anyway, we decided to take the girls a day early to spend some time together. Tinsley & I started the day off getting our nails & toes done & they we headed off!

As soon as we got there, we checked out one of the local activities on the strip for the kids. Avery was still too little to ride herself, so I crammed myself into the teacup with the two of them. I was a little worried since this is the first time Avery had rode anything, but she loved it! In fact, she was laughing it up while I was starting to feel a little queasy at all the spinning.

Next, Tinsley checked out the swing!
Tinsley & Avery on the bouncing bunny ride. They looked so hOppy!
Avery got a little upset that Tinsley got to ride the go carts & she had to watch from the side with me. :(

Look Mom, no hands!

Mom's turn. By the way, I totally wore the wrong shoes for this. You can't see, but I had on 3" heels. What was I thinking? Oh well, we still put the petal to the medal & passed a few folks!

The next day, we met up w/ the rest of the crew & headed to Silver Dollar City. It was so stinkin HOT! Tinsley rode THREE roller coasters. I was so nervous for her...

but she did GREAT & LOVED it! She even rode Fire In The Hole. Now, I love roller coasters, but something about that one always scares me just a little.

After a long day, we headed out to Chateau On the Lake. This was our view from the room. Much more peaceful than settling in on the strip. We spent every afternoon at that pool. They also have a great Spa. John was awesome. He booked me a facial one morning. I think the kids really liked getting room service too!

The next day was spent at White Water & the kids had a blast! Tinsley got to ride all the rides & she loved it. Her, John, & I even had a race down the big slides! Avery had fun in the wave pool & the kiddie pools. It was so fun to see the non stop smiles they had on their faces. Goes to show you that no matter where you go, as long as you're with your family, it's all good.