Tuesday, July 30, 2013

French Braidin' It








Yesterday I attempted to French braid Brynn's hair...it was far from perfect but I think it turned out really cute!! I turned on a Dora and so she sat pretty still while I did it. I LOVE it!!!

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Monday, July 29, 2013

Branson - Sunday and Monday

Sunday morning we slept in.  (Well...by we I mean me and Brynn...Ryan had gotten up early to go work out with Jason.  Sarah and I TRIED to explain that this was VACATION but clearly our superstar triathletes don't take a vacation from training...I am 
SO READY for triathlon season to BE OVER!)

She had gotten in bed with us during the night and when she woke up she looked SO CUTE I had to snap a pic with my phone.  (Side note - she normally NEVER sleeps in our bed except if she's sick...and even then she lays in our bed for maybe 30 minutes and then is ready to go back to her own bed.  I don't know if she is getting too big for the pack 'n play or what, but 3 nights on this trip she woke up and we decided "what the heck?  It's vacation" and let her get in bed with us.  I was honestly a little nervous that when we got home she would think that was the norm, but thankfully (almost a week later) she hasn't woken up once at night and tried it.  I guess vacation is just different...she is in a new place, etc.  Truthfully, it was kind of fun having our little bed buddy.  And she didn't roll around at all, so we slept just fine.  Okay...sorry that was so long. I just want to remember stuff like this!)


Pam had gotten her some "little mermaid" toys the night before (Ansley brought some and Brynn is NOT good at sharing right now.  We are working on it! =)  She LOVES to take Ansley's toys, which understandably upsets her big cousin, so sometimes it feels like you are playing referee when those two are "playing" together.)  Brynn having her own little Ariel toy was A MIRACLE!  She woke up, looked at me with her little bedhead and said "morning mommy" then proceeded to crawl off the bed by herself, open the bedroom door, go out to the condo living room, find her new toys, and open them up and start playing, all without saying A WORD!  It was seriously one of the funniest moments I have seen.  It probably doesn't even sound funny but it was!


We got ready and everyone headed back to Silver Dollar City.


Ansley really wanted to go see the "dog show" so we went.  I felt like I was a little kid again, going into the Palace Theater at Six Flags!




I've gotta admit, as cheesy as it was, it was pretty cool!  The girls were ENTHRALLED!


We left Brynn's wristband on from Friday, so she was able to get on all the rides again.  This time they rode some new stuff.  I saw these little pirate ships and thought "no way...that is WAY too fast!"  But she and Ansley wanted to go, and they loved it!



Although it was going so fast I don't think Ryan did!  HA!
Then they rode the "pirate ship" (but it was smaller than the normal ones).  I figured this would be a piece of cake compared to those super fast ones, but Brynn was NOT a fan for the second half of the ride!



Jason and Sarah headed to a "roller coaster" that Ansley could ride, but it was still too much for Brynn, so we took her and Charli to the kiddie area to ride some stuff.











Then this happened and I had to tweet about it!



The girls went down for late naps, and Pam and Rick had decided that they would keep the girls for the evening so that Kyle, Jason, Sarah, Ryan, and I could go out to dinner and go back to the park to ride the roller coasters and hang out together.  We ate at an Italian Place, and then headed back to Silver Dollar City.  Of course I spent the evening reading blogs on my phone and holding stuff for everyone while THEY rode the roller coasters, but it was still a super fun evening!



At first I thought I'd go through the line with them to just hang out and chat, but I quickly felt SO WEIRD waiting in line.  Even though I knew I wasn't going to go on the ride, I kept feeling like people were looking at me like "is that girl seriously going to ride that with a baby in her belly?" I honestly felt like I was the "fake pregnant" girl in a TV show about "what would you do?"  Like "will these people stand up for the unborn child and say something to this pregnant girl about how unsafe it is to ride this ride!"  (Maybe that's weird to think...just random thoughts from a 31 week pregnant girl) So I decided I'd just wait outside the rest of the time and read blogs on my phone!  HA!

I felt much better just watching them ride stuff...

And when you are 31 weeks pregnant, this becomes your life at the amusement park...



Pam and Rick bravely took the girls back to SDC to eat supper and ride a few more rides, so we met up with them right before they left to say good night to the girls.  Ansley wanted to ride this little roller coaster, and Brynn is not one to be left out, so she said she wanted to ride it too.  We tried to explain to her that it might be scary and she might not like it, but she insisted "I a big gurl...I not be scared."  So Ryan took her.

Clearly she was SO EXCITED!

Ansley's coaster had left before Brynn got on, so she got done first.  When Ansley came out bawling I thought "Oh my...this can't end well for Brynn!"  HA!  And here is what Brynn looked like coming out...



Ryan said she actually liked it the whole way, until the very end when they went through a dark tunnel that had a drop and then they got sprayed in the face with a bunch of water.  He said that scared her more than anything!  Thankfully it only took her a minute to get over it.  That was one thing that surprised me...she wanted to ride almost everything, and even after she didn't like something, she would try something else.

Pam and Rick took all the girls home, and we kept hanging out, since the park was open until 10.

The next morning we got up and loaded everything up.  We all went shopping at the Outlets and then around 12 we headed home.  We grabbed some fast food and ate in the car, and before we hit Springfield, this is what Brynn looked like.  Clearly she was WORN out!


And this is STILL what she looked like when we turned off on the Cape Girardeau exit!  I could NOT believe she had slept that long!



We had such a fun time hanging out with family and making special memories on this trip.  Ryan and I were talking on the way home that Branson is a great place to go for a little vacation.  It's not too far from home and has lots of fun stuff to do.  I have a feeling we will be back soon!

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Branson Getaway - Saturday

Saturday morning we got up and headed to the lake.  We rented a boat (thanks Pam and Rick!) and got to enjoy four hours of driving around the lake, tubing, swimming, and relaxing!

How hilarious is Charli in her life-jacket?  Kids under 7 were supposed to keep them on the whole time.


Then it was time for a little tubing fun...first up?  Jason and Ansley!




Then it was time for Ryan and Brynn.  I obviously couldn't tube being pregnant, but I don't know if Brynn really understands that.  Pretty sure she thinks she has a lame mom who doesn't do the "fun stuff!"  HA!






Surprisingly, she kept shouting for Uncle Kyle to drive the boat faster!  She really liked it!  Then the girls "swam" a little before the guys tubed.




Jason, Ryan, and Kyle all tubed and it was hilarious to watch them drive the boat around and try to throw each other off.  I kept thinking "man, they are going to need some MAJOR pain medicine after this!"  And each time one of them would get done they would climb in the boat and say "why did I always think that was so fun when I was a teenager?  That was ROUGH!"  I guess even at age 30 our bodies are just not as limber as they once were!  HA!

Then we stopped and all went swimming.  The water was AWESOME!

Clearly this tube was just floating and not moving.  =)
Ansley tried out a bunch of her gymnastics moves for us up there. =)

Let me tell you...Ansley's turtle float was AWESOME!  That thing even held me up!







It was SUCH a fun morning on the lake!  After lunch and naps, we got ready for dinner and headed to the Landing Area again.  We went to the Bass Pro restaurant (what else would the boys pick?? HA!) and walked around and shopped.  It was so nice!


Cousin pic...clearly we are master's at capturing the moment!  =)

There were a bunch of little tiny baby ducks down there.



The girls had SO MUCH FUN dancing in front of the fountains.
And side-note...seeing me in this dress reminds me.  When we were getting ready at the condo Brynn saw
me put this dress on and she goes "we going to church, mommy?"  HA!


They put on quite the show!
Then it was shopping time!


HILARIOUS...they were having each other smell all the candles!

We left the Landing Area a little late...around 9.  Pam and Rick went to get some groceries, and we all headed home.  When we got back, Jason and Sarah (who were staying in the same condo as Pam and Rick) realized that they didn't have a key.  We tried calling maintenance, but there was nothing they could do that late on a Saturday night.  So we had a little party with everyone in our condo until Pam and Rick got back around 10.  Poor Charli desperately needed her bottle, the girls were loopy because they were so tired, and it was just a crazy night!  But also full of fun memories!


I think Jason is on the phone saying "mom...PLEASE get here quick!"  HA!

We even had "story-time" by Uncle Jason...HILARIOUS!
Oh Saturday...you were SO MUCH FUN!