Spring break day three and four

Since Mother Nature had other plans, we went with the flow.    The kids had been talking about "Ripley's Believe it or Not" since last year.   We all enjoyed some very interesting facts, photos and objects.   We even managed to get the kids to sit still long enough to get a photo of all of them at once!

We decided to stop for a quick cheap lunch at Wendy's.   We want the kids to be hungry for tonight's meal!

Next we thought we would try the Hollywood Wax Museum.   After King Kong had us in his grip we should have run the other way!  Not worth the time or the money.   We actually had to look at the names on the figures many times to see who it was...they were that bad!   We did pose with some of them, but it was a speedy trip through and then we heard a chorus of "Can we go swimming?" from the kids.

It was raining pretty hard after leaving the wax museum so back to the hotel and the kids swam until they were prune material.   The next outing was to Whipper Snappers  All you can eat Lobster and Crab buffet!  Sounds great...right?!   Well, not so much.   The lobster was whole and you had to tear it apart.   Parts of it wasn't as tasty as I remember lobster tasting.   I actually enjoyed the crab legs more than the lobster.  Now we can say we ate there, can't say I will ever go back.   Very expensive and really not any better than eating at Red Lobster...I would pick RL any day over WS!!   And unfortunately early the next am, I was bowing to the porcelin throne as something made my stomach very sick.

The kids finished the day in the pool again.   I think we would have saved a lot of money if we had just let them swim the whole time!

The next day it was rainy...I see a trend here!   We decided to go to the Talking Caverns.   The place is owned by Silver Dollar City who at one time added sounds and gaudy lights inside the cavern, but fortunately SDC realized that what they were doing was not well liked...in fact scared many people.   The Caverns are now being leased by an organization that cares about the ecosystem of the cavern.   It was wet outside and wet down inside the cavern.   The temperature outside was cooler than the cave so it was a warmer way to spend some time.   And we learned some interesting things to boot!   Chuck was our guide and a very good one he was!   We went 100 foot down inside the cave.  Then we had to climb back up 265 stairs!  Can you say workout?!  Mother Nature sure did a fantastic job in the cave!

We were going to see a movie, but timing is everything.   We had worked up an appetite in the cave, so it was time to recharge our bodies.   Timing again had us going back to the hotel to chill for a while before the next time for the movie to start.   A quick nap for Mark and I and the girls played with their dolls.   Then we took off to find the movie theater...without results.   So back to the hotel and the kids were more than ready to hit the pool again.

This morning we said our sad goodbyes and we all headed for home.   We knew that it was snowing our way.   It was lightly snowing in Branson before we left.   Oh well, there is always next year!!

Spring break day two

Woke up this morning to find the sun trying to shine.   It's surely not going to snow?!   However, by the early afternoon it had clouded over and the wind was blowing very hard.   North sky looked ominous with dark clouds and you could feel moisture in the air.

Mark and the girls ate the continental breakfast while I wrestled with a few more zzzz's.   Then we decided to go to WalMart and pick up a few things we needed to stock our fridge with and things that I had forgotten to pack.   Plus I thought it might be in our best interest to see if they had end of season hats and gloves.  They did!!   The girls were so lucky to find some really cute fuzzy hats.

We then headed down to the old Branson area to find something different for lunch.   We wound up at the Farmstead House and it was pretty good.  The girls also stopped and chatted with Branson Bill.   Then we wandered around in Dick's 5 and 10 for a while before heading out to the Tanger Outlet shops.   It was really starting to get cold by the time we were out there and we decided to come back to the hotel so the girls could go swimming.   It wasn't long after we were back at the hotel that the first flakes started coming down.   They really started adding up!

The girls have some new outfits from Justice and Mom and Dad's bank accounts are lower.   The girls were real excited.  Jordis, Tessa and Kendalan did a quick style review for me!   With the snow coming down heavily, our friends were taking it easy out on the freeway.   It looks like our trip to Silver Dollar City will be postponed until later on this season.  Good thing there are so many things to do inside here.

Our friends ran into the heavy snow and it slowed them way down on interstate.   We would rather they go slow instead of pushing too hard to get here.  Our plans are changing by the hour.   Looks like Silver Dollar City is out and in door things are in.   We will regroup in the morning to decide what we will be doing.   What ever it is, it will be fun!!

Spring break in Missouri

It's time for spring break!   We are spending four days in Branson, Missouri to meet up with our friends.   Lucy and Tessa are from the same orphanage and was adopted on the same day.   I had emailed with Lucy's Mom before we met up in China and then we met in China and we have been friends ever since!!   Branson is about half way for each of us to meet and there is so much to do here that the kids enjoy.

                      Jordis resting on the ride down.

However, someone forgot to tell Mother Nature to be nice!   Branson is supposed to have snow tomorrow and a 50% chance of more snow on Friday.   But on the upside, there are lots of things to do inside if Mother Nature does drop some flakes on our heads.   So let it snow!!

                                          Yummy....my liver and onions!!

We stopped and ate at Lambert's.  The girls loved catching the "Throwed rolls!"   Then on to Branson and to
our hotel the Hotel Grand Victorian.   Nice so far.   This is the first time we have stayed here.   Very clean and the hotel staff has been very nice.   The girls love the pool.   Zora and I wandered around the lobby tonight while the little girls were swimming.    They leave their Christmas tree up all year round and decorate it for the holiday.   Right now it is in it's Easter finest with Bunny's and eggs all over it.   Very pretty.   Tomorrow our friends will arrive...unless the snow stops them.    We plan on checking a few things out and I am sure that the girls will want to swim again!!

Spring musical

Kendalan's spring musical was this week.    She bugged asked me for several weeks "Mom, what am I going to wear for my program?"   She had a couple of dresses in my closet picked out and I kept putting her off saying "There is no need to get in a hurry."   So three days before the program I let her try on one of the dresses she wanted to wear and she thought it was perfect!   I did too...that is until I ran a few errands the day before the musical.   I saw a dress on a sale rack that was screaming Kendalan!!

I sure wish I knew how to make my girls be more outgoing and less self conscious.   They are real goof balls at our house and with people who know us, but put them on a stage and they are shy and quiet

She tried to hide behind her teacher as they filed into the gym.   Even though she was trying to hide, it actually made her stand out more!   Then she stood on the bleachers making faces.  Ugh!   I was so proud of her because this year she actually sang...and I could hear her!   Last year she stood there and lip synched.  Now if we could get over stage fright!

She was pretty cute...even if I do say so myself!!