Tuesday, August 9, 2011

First Family Vacation

(Just noticed this post was never published.  Our vacation was actually Easter weekend 2011).

Last summer at the county fair I put my name in a car window for the chance to win a car.  Well, I didn't win the car but I did win a vacation. I believe it was 4 days 3 nights but we could go to Branson.  Neither of us had been to Branson so we went for it! We ended up spending more time there but got the room at a discounted rate. It was a 9 hour drive (if we didn't stop, although we did) so we left Thursday and planned on driving all day.  That gave us Friday - Sunday with then Monday being a driving day.  Friday was nice weather most of the day so we did the outdoor features and stuff that day. About dinner time it started raining and didn't quit the entire time we were there.  It was just Keith, Kamryn and I, our first (hopefully) annual family vacation.  We all had a very good time. I will let the pictures tell more of the story...

Stopped 1/2 way to Branson to visit Aunt Jen

Such a good car ride baby

Entrance to our hotel

Name of place we stayed at

Posing for a picture to make Mommy happy

Dumb idea in a hotel....Kleenex's at toddler level. We went thru a box and a half.

Helping daddy drive the luggage cart. everytime.

Keith had never done the Ducks, so we did before the weather turned

eating ice cream while we waited on our duck ride to start

only family photo the entire trip


Taken while on the duck ride





Enjoying the view.  Kamryn didn't even mind the wind blowing on her face

So pretty.  It was so nice out.

Watching all the fun stuff we passed



She didn't make it the entire trip tho.  It's an hour and a half ride, she slept for about 1/2 of it



Getting ready to go swimming in the hotel pool
 
Mommy and Kamryn

 One day Keith and I wanted to take Kamryn to an aquarium. It stormed all but one day of our vacation so we had to plan indoor activities.  This place was absolutely horrible.  I've never felt sorry for a snake or some of those other creatures until we visited this place.  There were signs up all over the place saying it was in the process of being transferred to a non-profit group that could provide better for the animals.  I sure hope so....it wasn't good. And they still charged us like $15/person!
when you first walked in.  The stench was horrible and the floor had big puddles on it.  I'm not convinced they were because of all the rain outside either!



Kamryn enjoyed it tho.  Luckily, she's too young to notice the bad things.

The stingray tank.


These were fish (?) you could pet but the water was only like 6 inches deep and we stayed away because I was afraid they would jump out of there.

Keith  got to feed a sea turtle

I got to feed a shark. The worker guy put a dead fish on a pole and they would come eat it off the stick. It was kinda weird....

Keith and I spotted a Ripley's Believe It or Not and thought that would be a great place to take Kam.  We went once while visiting Gatlinburg, TN and enjoyed it and we weren't disappointed this time either.  We sat in the van and ate our picnic lunch (still raining so we couldn't eat outside). Here are a few pictures from our visit to Ripley's.


Pulling up to the building


Love her!


The entrance

Kamryn enjoyed being able to get out and walk around. And even touch a few things!

 
This room was hilarious!!! It's built on a slant so everything is tilted, maybe 20 degrees or more.  Kamryn literally could not stand up in this room.  The poor thing would fall down and just start to roll every time.  So I had to take a picture with her in the room. 
Me = Pretending. Kamryn = Not Pretending
 
Posing for Momma

Kamryn and I next to the world's tallest man.

 
Playing with the wavy mirror


Kamryn and Daddy posing by the largest ball of string


This is one of those rooms that you walk across the catwalk but it's black and the blacklight is lighting up the spinning walls.  She FREAKED out! Can't blame her...I don't care for them either!


After we left Ripley's, we went to the Titantic museum.  The do not allow pictures or videos to be taken so I could only get pictures of the outside.   We drove up and down the strip looking for a place to eat. We finally settled on a Chicken place (can't remember the name) and had to go back down the strip to get here.  It was worth it tho! The food was great and the service wonderful!



The outside of the Titantic museum.


Someone is ready to eat!

Daddy


Peek-A-Boo


Kamryn "deciding" what she wants to eat


Some of the restaurant decorations.  Near and Dear to my in-laws


Trying to get a picture of Kamryn and Mommy
 

Finally starting to get some hair.  Granted, it's only down the front and back, think mohawk-esqe, but hair none-the-less.


Ater dinner we went back to the hotel to swim some more.  Kamryn really enjoyed the pool so we took advantage of the free activity and tried to swim every night.

She HAD to ride this down the elevator.

She's ready!
This one is out of order and would NOT get back in order....Daddy helping Kamryn get dressed for swimming
 



Daddy and Kamryn ready to go swimmi 






Safety first!


She loved swimming, even though this picture would say otherwise
 The next and final day of our vacation was yet another gloomy, icky day.  We were getting  tired of sightseeing and Keith was wanting to see the Bass pro national headquarters so we drove the hour or so up there. It was sooo cool.  All three of us had a good time! That place was huge.  And, it was under construction to add even more amazing-ness!



Entrance

Every ceiling was decorated some cool way.  This one was as if you were in the lake looking up

Checking out the fish tanks

Daddy and Kamryn

Pretty girl!

Kamryn and Mommy

Please Daddy?!

Playing video games that night back at the hotel



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