road tripping to Missouri

We have wanted to take a big family trip with Keri's family for a few years now. We finally decided that this was the year to do it! Jack and Dianna generously gifted us the trip-what a blessing! They got us condos at a timeshare in Branson, Missouri. We decided to leave June 4th and be on vacation the first week of summer. When we planned the trip we never imagined that we would have 5 snow days that would need to be made up which complicated things a bit! Camryn and Makynna actually had to miss their last day of school! Also, Addie's dance recital ended up being June 4th, so our crew had to go one day late. My hard working husband decided to work a summer job this year, and in the weeks before the trip, he decided he really needed to stay home and work. He ended up working 2 football camps and lots of hours at his second job too, so it was worth it. We missed him so much though. If you're following along then you figured out left me + 3 kids to drive to Missouri alone! I was nervous at first but the trip went really well. I carefully planned potty stops, food stops, and limited our fluid intake! I listened to a book on my ipod to keep me awake too. We made it to Missouri in under 7.5 hours and were thrilled to see some friendly faces when we arrived!



Our first night was spent playing and chatting with everyone. After a good night of sleep the kids enjoyed laying in bed and watching cartoons.



Our family had a 2 bed/ 2 bath, full kitchen condo to ourselves! This made mealtimes, nap time, bed time, and play time so easy!



Our first trip of the week was to the Butterfly Palace. The kids loved looking at all the creatures in the Rainforest Science Center.





The Butterfly Aviary was amazing! There were many different types of butterflies, plus all the gear you needed to check them out!



If you stood still long enough the butterflies would land on you. The kids thought it was so cool!



These blue butterflies loves Bryan's sunglasses-they kept flying right around his head!



Makynna's turn!





Doak's turn



Nanna and Pop Pop made the trip so fun!



I'm so blessed to have Amy as my sister!



After spending a few hours inside, the kids decided to do the coconut climb outside!



After a fun filled day, we had a restful night with games, grilled burgers, and a movie.



Pop Pop is always prepared with fun things to play with-I think Doak got about 20 new cars on this trip. He was one happy boy!



We spent some time each day at the resort pool.



Another outing was to Ride the Ducks. The kids loved this and they all got a turn to drive the Duck out on Table Rock Lake.



The resort had a playground, volleyball court, and a recreation center. So we spent some time playing there too.



Our last big outing was to see Noah at the Sight and Sound Theater. The play was quite spectacular with many live animals and great music.



Nanna got all the kids a souvenir from the gift shop-2 umbrellas, 2 white tigers, and one book for baby Brock.



I brought the kids bikes, so on our last day we walked and rode around the resort to get a little exercise.



The scenery was beautiful!



Brock did so well traveling and being away from home. He's such a good baby!

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We had a wonderful time. I loved being with Keri's family and feel blessed that we all have so much fun together. We can't wait for the next adventure together.