Post Vacation Wrap Up - Missouri, Missouri, Missouri

What were we thinking?  Four children, four different stops in nine days in four different cities.  We went from northern Missouri to Branson, Missouri to Joplin, Missouri to Springfield, Missouri.

And it was fun, but exhausting!

We visited great-grandma.  She is a fabulous lady who is in her late 80's and still gets up early and fixes our breakfast.  She always makes a lot of food for us when we are there.  She is definitely all about serving.

 We introduced some cousins that had never met.

We played.

 We took mandatory pictures.

Then we headed south to Branson!

We swam in the pool a lot!

We went out on the town.

We went shopping.

 We went to the water park!

We did some local rides.

We went to the lake for some rock skipping lessons.

And to get our feet wet.

Then we decided to go to Silver Dollar City when it was 97 degrees outside and the heat index was 103.  Hot, hot, hot people!  I would not recommend it because the Ozarks is a hilly place and Silver Dollar City is no exception!  We were a sweaty, sweaty mess.

After our days in Branson, we headed over to Joplin.  Here is part of a park that was done when Extreme Home Makeover went there.  It was so cute!  We stayed in Joplin overnight to visit with more family and we had a great time.

Kids looking at the fish.

Then we headed to Springfield to spend our last few days there.  We visited with Grandpa and Grandma and played in the backyard.

And I got to do something I have been wanting to do for a while - visit Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds!  They not only have rare seeds but they had heirloom breeds of chickens.  It was so interesting!

My oldest really liked the animals.

The pioneer village was so cute.  We got to visit each "store" and try some homemade bread.  I bought some soaps and more seeds.  It was such a fun afternoon!

Then that evening we got to visit with more extended family that we love and miss!  We had a dessert party and a bon fire.

Then we got to relax a little with Grandpa and Grandma before heading home.

It was a great trip and our kids were wonderful little travelers (electronics do help).   We had a lot of fun but we don't think we will travel across a whole state on a vacation again - but maybe we will - you never know.




 

Intentional Family Outings - The state park

Remember when I made a new goal - Intentional Family Outings?  We have done two of them.  Here is a recap of our most recent one.

We chose to go to a state park not too far from us.  We packed snacks, water and our lunch.  We stopped often and looked at the leaves and trees and flowers.  My husband even had us do a few minutes of silent walking so we could hear the sounds of the forests and figure out what we heard - of course, our 10 month old did not get the memo she continued to babble on.

The day was beyond beautiful and the weather was so mild.

Peekaboo

 We found some tracks.  We saw turtles.  We stepped over lots of bees and they didn't bother us.  We rolled down hills.  We spotted beaver teeth marks on trees.  We ate lunch.  We played on the playground.  We came home and looked up the flowers we saw.  We spent time together, outside, admiring God's amazing handiwork.

I'd call that a success.  Best.school.ever.