A Few Videos

Riding in the Ice Cream Truck with Uncle Steven.




The Singing Fountain at Branson Landing.




A fun video game...remember this one?

Vacation Ending and Other Stuff

Here are the last of my pictures from our trip.
My parents got a beautiful Condo down on the lake. Here is Kayley in her big-big-big-girl bed.

The living room.

A duck out our back patio. We threw him some bread and he quacked a lot.

The view from our Condo. Gorgeous isn't it?

We spent our last day in Branson doing several different things. One place we went was down to Branson Landing. There Kayley played on the playground and rode this horse.

She convinced Uncle Steven to Paddle her down-river in this boat.

And she talked him into going down the slide. Uncles are so fuuuun!

Here is Kayley with her Uncle Steven and Aunt Jenna.

The elevator.

Look! It's that one car...from that one show! haha!

Singing fountain at Branson Landing.

Kayley hanging out with her Uncle Steven.

Seriously...could Uncle's just be the best thing ever. I think Kayley successfully twisted my Little Brother around her finger.

She even managed to get Uncle Steven squished into this little ice cream truck.
Hey! Self-portrait of me and my mom. We decided that when you take it above y our head it really eliminated the double chin. The sun was awfully bright though. My Dad said my wrinkled nose made me look like those aliens (couldn't remember what they were called) from Stark Trek: Deep Space Nine. Thanks Dad.

A lady making fudge at "The Fudgery."

A street Performer at Branson Landing.

Kayley with Pooh at the Disney Store.

Watching the Singing Fountain at Branson Landing.

We didn't have enough money for lunch...

So we made Kayley fish money out of the fountain. Just Kidding.

My brother trying to look like a model while wearing Jenna's jacket.

After our Day at Branson Landing we went to Dixie Stampede. It is a huge dinner show owned by Dolly Parton. It has live horses, singing, dancing... whoa! It was a WHOLE lot of fun.

Checking out the horses on our way into Dixie Stampede.

The fam on the way in. Photography was not allowed inside so I didn't get any pics of the show...but it was great fun.

After Dixie Stampede we went to Wild Woody! It is a go-cart race track and an arcade. Kayley played a few games...and we raced go-carts!~

Waiting in line for our turn at the go-carts. I know it is hard to believe, but it was my first time racing go-carts. When we were done I smelled like a lawn mower!

The track!

Weee! Goin' Go Cart Racin!

End of the day, we were sure tired....BUT...one more thing must be done before leaving MO.

You HAVE to go to Andy's and get Frozen Custard!

Yuuuummmy! My favorite! The James Brownie Funky Jackhammer!

The next day...time to go home. Packing up... Playing with the coolest Bubble Gun ever, thanks to Aunt Jenna and Uncle Steven. (Kayley calls it her Bubble Gum)

Kayley took this pic of her fav. Aunt and Uncle with my camera...

And this pic of Uncle Steven's lip where he bit it. OUch!

And this pic of Papa in the front seat.

We drove to St. Louis to catch a plane...and Kayley ate this "Wallypop" that the Easter Bunny brought her. Seriously...check this out.

We had such a fun fun trip. Hope we can do it again.

Silver Dollar City!

Ok! Here is the posting you have been waiting for. The best day - EVER! We went to Silver Dollar City on Day 4 of our vacation. I have been going to Silver Dollar City for as long as I can remember, and I know my parents went before I was born. It is a lot different now than it was several years ago... A lot more commercial, but still a lot of fun.

Here we are loaded up in the car on our way to SDC! There is Steven and Jenna in the back. You can see Kayley in her carseat. That's Dad's eye on the right and Mom's shoulder on the left...

Once we reached SDC we were forced to park in Lot 4. Why? I have no clue...but other parking lots much closer to the gate were empty... weird. Anyway, we took a open-air trolley to the front gate.
We stopped at the front and took a picture of this clock that has been there forever and ever. I'm sure my parents have several pictures of us as kids in front of this clock.

Next we went to breakfast at the Mine. Funny thing...about halfway through our breakfast I looked over at Kayley and though, "wow...this table is really tall..." Then I realized that the table was awfully tall for me...and pretty soon the table was too tall for all us?!

What's goign on here? Our table had a hydraulic lift-thing underneath that made it go up up up! Our waitress came over and chastised us for NOT having our Elbows on the table. She said in the Ozarks you have to eat with your elbows on the table to keep it from floating away. So we did...and when we put our elbows on the table it went back down down down. It was really very funny. We have eaten at that Mine restaurant for years and years and have NEVER sat at that table. Fun!~

Kayley sure grew fond of Uncle Steven and Aunt Jenna. She clung to both of them.

Our next stop was Grandfathers Mansion. Things are not as they appear in Grandfathers Mansion...check out the pics.

Peeping in the windows. Everything on the otherside is upside down?

On our way into "John's Room" It always says you should knock before entering...which I always have. John never answers from behind that door though.

In the basement. The swing that rocks itself.

Things are very crooked in the basement.

We stopped at the SDC jail. That old guy is still sleeping in there...and has been for as long as I can remember. Kayley thought he was a little creepy. I can't blame her.

The swinging bridge.

Uncle Steven locked up in the stocks outside of The Flooded Mine.

The Flooded Mine boat ride. A LOT of fun. Has laser guns to shoot and you earn points and try to beat your friends' scores.

Kayley thought it was only a little spooky. When it was over she wanted to go again though.

After the Flooded Mine, Steven and Jenna headed over to ride this thing. Called the "Electro Spin", it spun in circles and went up and down on a track. It looked like it would make me sick. Blech!

While they rode that Kayley and I headed over to the Kiddie area. I played a Midway game. I bought ONE dart (it cost 3 bucks!) and hit a balloon on one try to win Kayley this little purple monkey. Afterward we also tested out the duck pond (another 3 bucks - sheesh)...anyway, it was "everyone a winner" so Kayley won herself a little stuffed Duck as well.

We rode this flying elephant ride which, suspiciously, looks like something straight out of Disneyland.
Then we rode the same thing on a smaller scale with caterpillars and ladybugs. Kayley couldn't figure out the button to make it go up and down and she was bouncing and jerking it all over... I thought I was going to be ill. hahaha.

Since she wasn't tall enough for "Happy Frogs" I ended up riding this with her as well. I have never laughed so hard in my life! It bounces up and down on a spring and at a certain point it lifts you up and drops you down on this spring so you boing-boing your way around in a circle. Well, with a little 30lb kid in there I'm sure you get some nice boings out of it...but hey, throw a 100+ pound (like I'm totally going to post my weight on here...not) Mom in the back seat and we got some serious air time. I was laughing so hard my cheeks hurt and I had tears in my eyes. Kayely giggled like mad... it was a pretty fun little ride.

Then Kayley rode this little lady bug all alone...

We found the next play area over at Geyser Gulch.

Lots n' Lots of things to do in Geyser Gulch.

Kayley rode this little kiddie-coaster with Uncle Steven. When she got off she told me, "That train went really fast!" Ya think?

Having a ball.

Jenna going down the slide.

Me and Kayley trying to fit down the slide.

Steven climbed up through the nets... He's Crazy.

A view of the Geyser Gulch play area.

Dad and Steven playing the bongo's...with a shoe.

Lunch...Ohhhh yum... Some of our favorite SDC things to eat. The skillet mixes are Yuuummmy...and homemade potato chips fresh out of all that yummy grease... A foot long corndog and a drink in a souvenier cup... It's a shame I forgot to take a picture of the luscious funnel cake we ate too...

I thought this was weird. I guess Germ-X and SDC have some kind of a deal. These little things were everywhere...and in fine print at the bottom they all said, "The official Handsanitizer of Silver Dollar City." hahah.

Waiting in line for food... Yum.

Eating.

FIRE IN THE HOLE!!!!

Powder Keg! This roller coaster takes you from 0 to 53mph in 2.8 seconds.

The pictures say it all.

Ahhh...the talking bucket. The talking bucket knows all....
It even knew Steven's name. So weird.

Ya'll come back now, ya hear?
Thanks Dad & Steven/Jenna for sharing your pics with me!! And really really really really thanks Dad & Mom for helping us come on this trip...we had such a fun time and can't wait to see you guys again... XOXO!

Tune in tomorrow for Our Last Vacation Day and a special Bonus - Images from Kayley's NEW kid-tough camera!