Branson Trip

We are back at Table Rock Lake for the weekend & this time it is MUCH nice weather! We are staying at the same campground as last time & trying out some new adventures that we didn't quite get to do when it was 100+ degrees out the last time we were here.

One of the things Shane really wanted to do with Mason was ride the go karts so we spent a couple of hours at the Track Family Fun Park. We rode go karts (which Mason LOVED), drove the bumper cars where Mason thought it was hilarious to hit Mama's bumper car, played some arcade games & did a round of miniature golf.

We were both amazed at how well Mason did golfing & pretty impressed by how natural it came to him. But why wouldn't it...his Grandpa Mountain & Daddy are both really good golfers so it seems he inherited the gene. Thinking golfing lessons will be in his future soon!

Unfortunately we didn't get any pictures while on the go karts since we needed to pay attention to driving but managed to "say cheese" in front of the track.

After our afternoon of fun we headed over to the Dixie Stampede where we had reservations for dinner & a show. We had never been here before so we were excited to see what it was all about.

The show got going & Mason was into watching all the horses, stunts, music & the light show. As the show was going on the waiter started to serve us dinner. Out came the soup, then the bread, then the main course & we had all this food in front of us & they wouldn't bring us any silverware. We asked for it but the waiter kept saying there wasn't any so as we looked around we saw everyone was eating with their hands. So mental note for you all who have never been....either bring your own plastic silverware or be prepared to get messy eating with your hands. Don't forget the hand sanitizer too! 

After our meal they handed each person a warm, wet cloth to clean our hands & mouths with. It got pretty messy but the food was SO good. We all enjoyed the show & the food & would definitely do it again next time we were in town.

The show got out around 8pm so we made our way back to the camper & started a campfire, made some smores & enjoyed a cool evening around the fire.

The next day we headed out for breakfast & then to Silver Dollar City. It was a gorgeous day out & we were excited to be able to enjoy the place in 80 degree temps compared to the last time we were there.

Just as we made our way into the park, we stopped to take some family photos. He did good for two pics but once we sat down to take a family photo you can see Mason fighting me & saying "noooo" because he didn't want to stop for pictures. Ugh kids.

Whenever we come here we always start out towards the back of the park because that is where all the rides are that Mason can ride. We ended up riding all the kiddie rides & when I say all I mean ALL. THE. KIDDIE. RIDES.

He absolutely loved it & had so much fun. We spent a lot of time in Fireman's Landing shooting the foam balls & I think my husband actually has more fun than my child does :) I couldn't get them out of there! Of course there were more rides back there that we went on.

We stopped for lunch & then headed over to the train to take a train ride but sadly it was out of order so we ended up walking around a bit more, had some ice cream & then decided to call it a day.

We made our way back to the camper, made supper & started another campfire for another night of smores, wine & some peace & quiet after Mase went to bed.

Sadly, we are packing up & heading back home tomorrow but are looking so forward to getting back here next spring for more adventures.

Swimming 101

Here is a scary statistic for you.....according to the CDC, drowning is the leading cause of accidental death in 1-4 year olds. Enroll a child in swimming lessons & it reduces the risk of drowning by 88%. 

WOW!

Mase spent a lot of time at the pool this summer & this Mama spent a lot of the time in the water with him making sure he wouldn't drown. This summer is going to be more of the same so I wanted to get Mason in swimming lessons this fall & take them through the winter/spring so that he would be a better swimmer come summer time.

Those lessons started up tonight & Mason was SO excited to be going to swimming lessons with his best friend Greyson.

The first lesson they tested them to see where exactly they were at with swimming & then would proceed with lessons from there. The teacher said they were actually better than "beginner" level (which from what I understand is pretty basic...blow bubbles in water, dunk your head, etc) & started working with them so they could graduate from wearing the "bubble" you see on their backs.

The teachers here are awesome & I can't wait to see how much progress the boys make come summer-time! Lessons at this place are a bit pricey but it is SO worth it. In my opinion you can't put a price on the safety of your child! And when my child hits the pool this summer I want to make sure he can get to the side of the pool without trouble & without panicking.

Headed Home

Sadly we are headed back home today. Excited to get back home & see the husband & the furry children but sad to be leaving my sister & her family.

Yesterday we spent the day shopping at the outlet mall, making cookies & watching football. My brother-in-law thought it would be funny to put Mase in Packers gear since we were in "cheese-head" country after-all. 

I sent this picture to Shane. He didn't think it was very funny being a KC Chiefs fan :)

We SO enjoyed our visit & had an uneventful airplane ride back home to KC. Ugh I just love traveling with this little guy. 

We are looking forward to having my sister & her family to KC for spring break in March! There is sure to be lots of fun while they are here!!

Annual DS Walk

Today we are joining our team Dana's Daisies along with 1600+ other people from the community to celebrate those born with one extra chromosome & help raise awareness Down Syndrome. 

My niece Dana is one of those being celebrated today! I absolutely love being able to come & help support my family & help raise awareness for those with Down Syndrome. 

During this annual event individuals & families are able to learn more about Down Syndrome, browse through resource vendors, network with other families & enjoy tons of family entertainment. It is always a great time & the kids end up having SO much fun!

This year almost $70,000 was raised for DSAW-Fox Cities community through sponsors, pledges & donations! 

The weather wasn't too bad for once. There were moments of sunshine, it wasn't raining & it wasn't super cold or windy - unlike the past 2 years. We got to the park late morning, collected our t-shirts, food tickets, goody bags & let the kids run around playing in the park & participating in all the fun activities the event had to offer.

There were clowns who made fun balloons for the kids, face painting, mini-train rides, giant slides, rock climbing wall, trampoline bungee jumping, bounce house, photo booth & a petting zoo.

After we all ate lunch, we headed over to the stage area where the speaker announced the top 10 teams who had the most donations. Our team Dana's Daisies proudly raised $4295 which put us in 4th place of all the teams.

After the announcements it was time to line up & begin the 1 mile walk around the river front of Lake Winnebago. It was at that moment that it started to lightly sprinkle :(

We got about a 1/2 mile in & it started to pour down rain....of course. We took a short-cut back to the park & ended up packing up our stuff quickly & heading home to dry off & warm up. It was a bit disappointing that it rained but we were thankful it had held off until that moment!

All in all, it was a fun event & the kids had a great time playing & hanging out together. Next years' event is already on the calendar & once again we will be making the trip to WI. Let's just hope for some sunshine next year while we are there!?

WI - here we come

This afternoon Mase & I are headed to WI for our annual visit & Down Syndrome Awareness Walk with my sister & her family. We have made this trip every year for the last 2 years & plan on making it an annual tradition in the years to come.

I ended up working half a day today, then went & picked up Mase from Daycare & headed to the airport. Mason was definitely excited to be going on a trip in an airplane! He is such a good little traveler - as long as he has his snacks, blanket, headphones & iPad!

We flew into Milwaukee & then rented a car & drove the rest of the way to where my sister lives. It is only an hour & fifteen minute drive so it went pretty quickly. We got to her house around 8pm & spent the rest of the evening visiting while the kids played.

Cousins Jensen & Mason are still besties & were so cute hanging out together.

And there is little Dana - such big smiles from these two! 

Tomorrow we have the entire day to have some fun & then Saturday is the Down Syndrome Walk & we are praying for no rain. For whatever reason, it is never great weather when we are here for the walk. Fingers crossed for sunshine!

Cell Phone Dump

Here are some fun pics taken with my cell phone this month....

Drove past this the other day - $400,000 motor-home pulling a $400,000 Ferrari. WOW - puts our little 5th wheel camper to shame.

Someone got a haircut :)

My boys & their muscle shirts!

The fire department stopped by our block party to show the truck to the kids!

Mason even got to sit in the front seat & sound the siren! He was beaming from ear to ear!!

Always a treat to stop at Dairy Queen for our favorites - chocolate dipped cone & a cherry Arctic Rush!

Lunch at my new favorite BBQ place - Q39! YUM

A sick little boy & man's best friend always close by.

Still sick & still Millie doesn't leave his side. That is love right there!

It wouldn't be a cell phone dump post without at least one Snapchat photo - at work of course. LOL :)

MNO = Mama's Night Out

It has been a ROUGH couple of weeks here at our house. Mason was sick for a week & then Shane got sick. You all know what it means when the man of the house is sick....

And the Mama be like....

Seriously though he has been pretty sick & down for the count for the last 6 days & it has not been pretty. This Mama has pretty much taken care of Mase, the dogs & my husband for the last week BY MYSELF & I am in desperate need of a break.

Thank goodness we had a Mama's Night Out planned & on the calendar for tonight because this Mama definitely needs it!!!

We all met up at Coach's Bar & Grill & sat outside on the rooftop where we had appetizers & drinks. It was such a nice night out & not too chilly - perfect to be sitting outside! I'm going to miss these cool, crisp fall nights out on the patio :(

After everyone filled their tummies we headed over to a little sports bar by Mary Helen's neighborhood & bellied up to the bar to watch the football game.

Later in the evening everyone was ready to do a little dancing so we headed over to our favorite little dance club & got our groove on. They always play such good music & the "people watching" is fantastic!

We all ended up leaving the club around 1am & made our way home. It was definitely a fun evening out & about! I just love hanging out with these Mama's & definitely enjoyed an evening to myself. 

Deanna Rose playdate

Today was another gorgeous day outside so we decided to head to Deanna Rose & spend a couple hours of fun in the sun. This time we asked if Greyson could join us & his parents agreed so we stopped by his house to pick him up & to say the boys were excited is an understatement. 

We had brought the wagon which ended up being a good choice on our part & the boys loved riding in it throughout the farmstead while checking out all the animals.

The boys saw the goats, pigs, sheep, rabbits, calves, fed the baby goats, fed the ducks & played on the playground equipment. They had a blast!!

Halfway through the afternoon we stopped to get a snack & drinks & cool down a bit as it was a pretty hot day!

We ended up running into our friend Hannah & her Mama & spent the rest of our time there playing hanging out with them. 

Afterwards we all headed to Chick-fil-A to have a late lunch & then returned Greyson back to his family & headed home! It ended up being such a fun day with these littles & are so glad we were able to take Mason's best friend Greyson!

Bennett Springs State Park

We are headed to Lebanon, MO where Bennett Springs State Park is to do a little camping on the Niangua River. We have never been camping here before so we are super excited to check it out, do a canoe trip & some trout fishing!

The campsite was an awesome place & once we got all set up we took a little walk around the area, threw some rocks in the river & met some folks along the way who were camping there as well.

Our 2nd day there was spent touring the fish hatchery, feeding the fish, watching the expert fisherman catch rainbow trout & then my boys tried some fishing themselves.

Our last full day camping here at Bennett Springs was spent taking a canoe trip down the Niangua River. I was SO nervous about taking this canoe trip with Mason on board & Shane later told me he was also! I had no idea how deep it would be, if it would be treacherous or hairpin turns or not & my fear of losing Mase down the river was enough to make me ill. 

The lady at the office assured us the river wasn't any deeper than 2-3 ft, it was crystal clear so you could see the bottom & it was a very calm, peaceful 3 mile trip. So we agreed to go & the nice thing about this campsite was that they had shuttles that took you to the drop off site & your canoe trip ended right at the campsite. SO nice!

So I strapped that life jacket on my child as tight as I could get it, sat his little chair in front of me so I could see him at all times (& grab him easily) & away we went down the river. 

For someone who had never been in a canoe before I was scared to death. Not for myself but scared to death the canoe would tip over & I would lose my child down the river. As you can see in the pics it was a super calm & peaceful ride so I was able to relax a bit.

Mason was enjoying it for about a mile & then for some reason he got scared & kept saying "I hope the alligators don't get us." I tried to reassure him that there weren't any gators in the water but he didn't quite believe me. 

We pulled over half way down the river for some lunch & let Mason fish a bit. It was so quiet & peaceful on the river. I was SO enjoying our little afternoon excursion until out of the corner of my eye I see something moving on the rocks & spotted a baby Copperhead snake wiggling it's way towards my son. One thing about me is I don't do snakes - especially poisonous ones. I had no idea where the Mama snake was & I wasn't about to find out so I quickly scooped Mase up, threw our stuff in the canoe & we got the heck out of there & fast. 

 Turtles sunning on the log

Around the corner was a fork in the river. We had encountered several of these forks & would always take the left side which proved to be a good choice. There were two teenage kids sitting on the bank & we asked them which way to take & they said the right side is better so that is the way we took. A**holes. Those kids were a**holes. They told us to take the right side for a reason because they knew what was ahead. 

Two minutes later we are in a turbulant area with a 90 degree hairpin turn, Class VI rapids (okay maybe I am exaggerating a wee bit here but it felt like it at the time) tree limbs are down & we are ducking to avoid from hitting our heads & doing what we can to avoid tipping over the canoe. I have Mase between my legs scared to death, Shane is steering the front, I am steering the back & by the grace of God we managed to get out of that death trap without tipping over or losing my child or getting a divorce. Man nothing challenges your marriage like a canoe trip let me tell you!!

Once we made it back smooth territory we looked back & saw that those two kids had left. Imagine that! I was SO mad - clearly they saw we had a child with us!? I made Shane pull over to the bank so I could calm down & pray to God for saving us. After that little situation Mason was done with the canoe trip & so was I. Unfortunately, we still had at least a mile yet to go. 

The rest of the trip down the river was smooth as glass & the river was super shallow. It was actually quite enjoyable & Mason was able to calm down a bit & enjoy it as well. 

It took us about 4 hours to canoe down the river & we got back to the campsite around 2pm. We turned in our canoe, got our fishing poles & sat on the bank to do a bit of fishing. We saw trout in the clear, shallow water but sadly never ended up catching any.

The next morning we sadly packed up the camper & made our way home. I always hate packing up & leaving our camping trips. We absolutely loved it here at Bennett Springs State Park & are looking SO forward to heading back there Memorial week in May. 

I just love all these awesome memories we are making as a family & all the quality time we are spending together! Warms this Mama's heart!