We took my niece, Nicole, along for the ride since we were headed to my Mom's and I knew it would be a treat for both of them to see each other. We left on a Tuesday evening and we didn't have a strict itinerary other than needing to be to my Aunt's house Friday evening for our family reunion.
Tuesday night we drove through Kansas City and snagged a motel for the evening. On the way we were able to view some of the devastating flooding that Nebraska is dealing with. In fact, we had to take a detour on the way home on Sunday as the highway was flooded by that point.
Wednesday morning after sleeping in a bit, we enjoyed a hot breakfast and then hit the road again. We stopped in Springfield, MO and had a picnic lunch before browsing through the Bass Pro Shops. Then it was back to the road and off to Yellville, Arkansas.
Our first picnic lunch. We stopped at Wal-mart and loaded up on healthy food and then pulled over when we spotted a huge shade tree in a business area. It was perfect!Casey and Owen, my step-Dad, spent Thursday morning checking out the nearby lakes and planning future trips :) while my Mom and I visited and relaxed.
Mom and Owen's new place
Mom and Chase outside of her church
The boys on Grandpa's 4 wheeler
The kids had a blast feeding Grandpa Owen's chickens!
Then it was off to the next leg of our journey. We left mid-afternoon and headed for the Lake of the Ozarks. We left just in time, we got caught in the outskirts of a terrible thunderstorm, no fun on the winding, hilly roads while pulling a camper!We stayed in our first RV camp, and absolutely loved it! We wish we could have stayed longer. That evening we took the kids to a local restaurant and then putt-putt golfing. We weren't too impressed with their behavior at the golf course, they literally were running through each hole and didn't seem to be enjoying it one bit. By the time we got them calmed down we were at the end! Over tired?!
While Casey set up the camper, we played at the campground park. It was the perfect place after being on the road for 2+ hours!
Don't let these smiles fool you. If I'd turned my back, I fear they would have been chucking these balls at each other (or me!)
Where do those balls keep going?
This is me, taking away their golf clubs after each turn, trying to force them to slow down, take turns going first, and have fun. (Hey, I attempted anyways!)
Letting them beat out their frustrations, ha!
Peek-a-boo!
Friday morning we did some exploring! We toured a cave, which neither Casey or I had done before and it was so cool, our favorite part of the trip! It was during Chase's naptime, so he was super fussy and Kennedy was a little spooked, but there was only one other young family and they were in the same boat! Otherwise, the kids and all the adults loved it. We also went on a short hike and then visited some castle ruins.
Much happier after a good night's sleep.
There were several bridges on this one mile hike. It was the perfect length while we were waiting for the cave tour to begin. But it was super hot and muggy. We couldn't get in the cool dark cave fast enough!
No pictures allowed in the cave!
Another short hike to check out these castle ruins.
Quiet travels....The whole week, Chase only took one nap outside of his car seat, literally. I think he was beginning to believe that when he was buckled up it was nap time! He was our best little traveler, seriously!
After having another picnic lunch (so much cheaper than eating out!) we settled in for another long drive...off to the Iowa/Missouri border to meet up with my extended family.
Thank goodness it wasn't something worse and it healed pretty quickly. My kids were banned from swimming for a week. Kyndal and Corbin were both victims. Kennedy, who only sat on the side of the tub didn't get it, but she did get a terrible case of what was diagnosed as hives on her hands and feet. Good thing they had a lot of fun getting those battle wounds!!
Friday afternoon after spending the morning hiking with the group and eating lunch, our family ventured into town by ourselves. This huge elk (above) was sitting in front of a store, literally in the middle of town!
We saw these huge slides (at Fun City) driving down the street and decided to check it out.
Going down! Kennedy was so excited, she was the first to run to the top, plopped down on her sack and was ready to go. Halfway down she was bawling and trying to stop, poor thing!
They were super slick!
Next up, a little putt-putt!
Our little guy, what a trooper!
On the way back to the cabin, we pulled off to explore at McGregor Ranch. We loved this little adventure. We could have paid to take the tour, but instead decided to explore on our own. It was our lucky day, the sweet lady below asked if our kids could help feed the chickens. She proceeded to give us a full tour of the ranch and told us the whole history of it. We were so appreciative!
On Saturday, once again after a morning of hiking, we headed back to town. We had a blast on the bumper boats and racecars.
We lost Corbin for a few minutes right before getting on the bumper boats. SUPER scary!!
Kyndal had a blast getting soaked!
Kennedy wanted nothing to do with getting soaked. She was not happy when she got squirted on the side.
Corbin and I took a spin around the track!
.jpg)
