My grandparents own a timeshare in Branson, MO, and since my parents didn't use their Breckenridge timeshare this year, they decided to trade it to get a week with my grandparents in the Ozarks. For the first time in a VERY long time, we were able to vacation with all my aunts and uncles, my grandparents, and a couple of my cousins. Having never been to Branson before, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I knew that no matter what I'd have a blast hanging out with my Wisconsin fam.
Well Branson exceeded my expectations honestly, mainly because it is an awesome family destination. It reminded me a lot of the Wisconsin Dells, and had a lot of the same attractions that appeal to kids - go-karts, miniature golf, bumper boats, water parks, the Ducks, and lots and lots of theater and shows. Hayden was absolutely addicated to go-karting, and my sweet cousins and poppy happily took him so that he was able to quench his need for speed on a daily basis haha. It was a huge wooden track with tons of hills and levels, and he was hysterical, screaming and shouting "wooo" whenever we went down a hill. Veyr dramatic and cute. Riding the Ducks was another highlight, as it took me back to my own youth on the Ducks in the Dells. Although it was a steamy 105 degrees the afternoon that we went, and we were literally pouring bottled water over our heads, it was still thrilling to go speeding into the lake and sending up a giant splash. The kids were THRILLED! They even got the drive the boat and get their captain licenses. Pierce lost steam near the end of the trip and fell asleep, but all in all it was a good time :)
While all of that was fun for the kids, what really made it fun for me was beautiful Table Rock Lake. It was our only saving grace in the 100+ degree heat, and we definitely took advantage. The waters were deep, clean and clear, and even surprisingly cool and refreshing (a far stretch from COLD, but still nice!). My all time favorite activity of the trip (and perhaps the entire summer) was renting a brand new pontoon with a waterslide on it. All 15 of us piled on at 7 am (to beat the heat) for a 4 hour jaunt on the lake. The pontoon had a powerful enough motor to haul a tube, so we all took turns tubing, and then we'd take swim breaks to cool off and go off the slide. My boys were so brave and just jumped right in, despite never having swam in a lake before. Hayden even went on the tube with me. It was a perfect vacation activity and I just loved hanging out on the lake with my family.
We were also able to spend a day at the beach (Hayden's actual birthday), and it turned out to be somewhat rainy and relatively cooler, which was a blessing. Hayden brought along his snorkel gear that had been a gift, and we built some sand castles, buried Hayden in the sand, and just swam and enjoyed a morning together.
We spent the morning of Hayden's birthday on the beach, but what birthday is complete without a party and cake? Per Hayden's request, I created a pretty cool little volcano cake made of confetti cake and rice krispie treats. I regretted not having my hubby there for his creative genius, but we managed to pull it off, and Hayden was thrilled. He got all sorts of great gifts from the family, and it was fun to celebrate with them this year. It's hard having them far away in Wisconsin, and I'll always remember this birthday party as being very very special for us for that reason!
While all the activities were super fun, the best part of the trip was laughing with my cousins, watching my kids bond with my own aunts and uncles, seeing my dad with his parents and all of his siblings, and just enjoying this lovely family that I have. I'm very very lucky and count my blessings each day!!
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