Branson Trip with Briggs Grandparents

Grandma and Grandpa Briggs came to visit a couple weeks ago. It was a special visit this time because we decided to make a mini vacation out of it by spending the weekend together in Branson, MO. Jason and I took Tressa and Corbin there 2 years ago and had a really fun time, but Corbin was too young to participate very much and he doesn't remember it. We also thought it would be fun for Jason's parents to see more of Oklahoma (and Missouri). There's so much to do in Branson so we knew it would be a hit with everyone.

On the way there we stopped for lunch in Venita, Oklahoma. There's a famous McDonald's there with a dining room that is literally on top of the freeway. The kids (especially Corbin) got a kick out of watching all the different cars and trucks go under them.

There's a Blue Bell store there too, so we ended up stopping on the way home for ice cream. Yum!

Grandma made the hotel arrangements and got us a large family suite so that we could all be together. There's something so exciting about staying in a hotel for kids. When we first got there the kids were running around like crazy and trying out everything. They were really excited about the prospect of getting to share a bed "like a sleepover!" Given the sleep problems Corbin has sometimes even at home I was a little worried at how they'd do sleeping together in an unfamiliar place. It actually worked out really well though - we wore them out so much during the day that they were too exhausted not to sleep. They shared the pull out sofa and loved it! Thank goodness they are lightweight enough to not feel those bars in their neck and back. I laid on it for 10 minutes to read them a story and already had a headache and a backache...it was a really thin mattress. Didn't seem to bother them!

We spent most of our time during the next two days at Silver Dollar City which is a western themed amusement park. Of course the first thing the kids wanted to do was the rides. It was fun that they were big enough to go on some of them with us and on the kiddie ones by themselves. Tressa was pretty proud of herself for being so big...especially when it meant she could go on something that Corbin couldn't. Corbin wasn't so sure about the rides at first, but he warmed up to them and had a great time too.

Since we had enough adults to take turns with the kids we got to do some of the roller coasters too. This one that Jason and the kids are standing by goes upside down 5 times. I forgot how much fun they are!

The kids also enjoyed the old west area of the park where they got to feed goats, play in an old school house, explore a log cabin, and take a train ride.

Then we headed over to the giant playground where the kids could shoot foam balls at different targets and play on a giant splash pad. Once we were all wet anyway we went on a couple river rides...think water slide...in regular clothes. Good thing we brought extra clothes because we got drenched!

We enjoyed some really good BBQ food, skillet meals, funnel cakes, frozen lemonade, fresh fruit and kettle corn while at the park. Grandma said she got a few laughs and funny looks when she was pushing the stroller back from kettle corn stand. I guess people thought that was an awfully big bag for one little boy. Hee hee! Don't worry folks, he shared with the rest of us!

Grandma bought Tressa and Corbin each a souvenir too. Tressa got a fancy umbrella with her name on it and Corbin got a little baseball bat. They love them.

Of coarse, not everything was perfect about the trip, but I have to mention these things anyway because it will be funny to look back on. We had a couple of near meltdowns with Corbin on the first day at Silver Dollar City. He was hot and tired and he kept asking me to carry him. I knew there was no way I could carry him around the park all day, so I tried getting him to take a turn in the stroller or let Grandpa or Daddy put him on their shoulders. He refused to do any of those things for very long and I did have to give in a couple times and carry him. So on the second day Grandma suggested that we rent a double stroller for Corbin and Tressa to share. I wasn't sure if we should bother since Corbin refused to ride in our stroller the day before anyway, but I'm so glad she went ahead and got it because the kids LOVED it. Apparently this kind of stroller is way funner than our regular stroller. They were all smiles and giggles.

It was funny how many times people smiled at them and asked me if they were twins. I guess they look about the same size when they're sitting down. It made for a good napping spot too!

Another unexpected glitch was the Veggie Tales show. Last time we went to Silver Dollar City we went to a few of the shows to get out of the heat. They were really pretty entertaining and the kids seemed to enjoy them. But Corbin was terrified of the Veggie Tales show this year. It was crazy! Jason had to take him out because we couldn't settle him down. It's funny the phases kids go through, but I guess I can kind of understand how a giant singing tomato could be a little scary for a 2 year old!

At the end of each day the kids still somehow had energy for swimming at the hotel...in fact they wouldn't take no for an answer. They didn't care if it was getting dark and the water was cold!



All in all it was a really fun trip...and so nice to spend time with Jason's parents. They totally spoiled us!

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa! We love you!

June is flying by...

So much has been going on these last few weeks that I haven't had a moment to blog about it! We had a fun trip to Branson with Jason's parents last weekend and I'll do a separate post about that soon. But here are some photos from the first two weeks of June so you can see what we've been up to.

We took the kids to a Driller's baseball game....it was Xander's first time!

He did pretty well for a few innings, but then I think he got a little overwhelmed with all the noise. I seem to have a knack for sitting in front of the loudest person in the stadium for things like this! So, Xander and I spent about half of the time walking around outside while the kids enjoyed the game (and their snacks) with Jason. Jason and I joke around that the kids love watching baseball...until their snacks run out. It's partly true, but I think the kids really do enjoy the atmosphere and they were even cheering on the players (of both teams)!

Xander is 3 months now and growing so fast! Here's a cute picture of him in his sailor outfit that I took a couple weeks ago. His expression looks like 'what are you making me wear Mom!?' but I think he might have just been flinching from the flash.

He is such a blessing and we love him so much. Who wouldn't want to wake up to this sweet face?!

It continues to amaze me how sweet Tressa and Corbin are with him. They ooh and aah over every little thing he does and they are so helpful at entertaining him. Here's Corbin holding "baby Hando." He even shared his Wubby with him... and that's a big deal!

Jason celebrated his 32nd birthday on the 6th. We had a really fun family day and Jason got to choose where to eat for lunch and dinner. We ended up going to Cici's and Buffalo Wild Wings. The kids get so excited about birthdays. Here they are eagerly looking over Jason's shoulder while he opened his presents.

We love taking walks on Sundays with the kids. We hadn't been out to the big pedestrian bridge that crosses the river in a while, so we decided to go out there a couple weeks ago. The kids are getting good enough on their bikes that we thought we'd let them ride across this time instead of walk. It was a beautiful day and the kids had a blast!

Don't mind the hair...it was a little windy! By the way I have since cut it all off! You'll see the new "do" in my Branson pics (coming soon).

Finally, the kids finished up their swimming lessons right before our trip. They both did really well and loved going to the pool every day. It got to be a little exhausting for me though, getting all three kids to the pool every morning by 9:30. Tressa's lesson was first and then I had to take Xander to the nursery so that I could get in the pool with Corbin for his lesson. It got a little old doing that for two weeks and I think Xander had pretty much had enough of the nursery too. But I'm really glad we did it so that the kids can enjoy the rest of the summer safely in the pool.

Tressa was definitely the most improved swimmer this year. On the first day she was scared to jump to her teacher, but by the end she was able to jump in by herself and swim half the length of the pool! I was so proud of her! Way to go Tressa! She was pretty proud of herself too and has been begging to go to the pool just about every day since.

Corbin was pretty fearless to begin with and probably the most advanced in his class (one of the oldest too...so that probably has something to do with it.) He is not swimming on his own yet, but is pretty comfortable in the water and does great with some kind of floaty. Oh, and no problem jumping in to me or the teacher. He'll even go under the water a little with no problem. For some reason he got such a kick out of the part where the teacher asks them to get their ears wet. He'd lean his head over in the water, pop back up and just giggle. It was so funny!

Here's Corbin with his teacher, Amanda. Amanda was Tressa's teacher this year and last year too. She is so cute with Tressa and really helped her feel comfortable and confident.

So the summer is off to a great (but busy) start. I'll post pictures from our Branson trip soon!