Trip to Missouri - Part 1

Last week while Adam was on business in New York, the kids and I joined my parents on a trip that they gave to my kids last Christmas.  They had been wanting to take the kids to the new Wildlife Museum and Aquarium done by Bass Pro Shop in Springfield, MO so we thought while Adam was away might be a good time to take the little trip.  On our way up, when driving through Harrison, we stopped at a tasty lunch place called Neighbor's Mill Bakery and Cafe.  If you've driven through Harrison, AR you know that there is not many options for restaurants, so we were thankful to have found this little gem....think La Madeline's without the french feel.

There's indoor seating as well as outdoor tables for when the Arkansas weather is just right.

We drove to Springfield and all enjoyed getting the grand tour of the The Wildlife Museum and Aquarium.  It is so well done, but you don't expect anything less from Bass Pro Shops.  The kids had a lot of fun seeing all the many exhibits and when I say this place is huge....I mean it goes on and on and on.

There were some HUGE alligator gar and ginormous eel that the kids were pretty thrilled to see.

There was a lot of history throughout the museum explaining Theodore Roosevelts desire to conserve  not only our countries natural resources, but also help maintain the populations of wild animals that live within the timbers of our country so that future generations get to experience those animals too.

But Theodore Roosevelt was also into hunting and there was an entire room twice this size and on both sides of the room that were filled with deer mounts that he had shot.  (Lawson was getting upclose and personal with one of the deer.)

The penguin exhibit was fun to observe because the little tuxedo-clad animals enjoyed performing for the crowd, waddling to the edge of the rocks, jumping off the edge and swimming around in front of the window.  It made for a fun stop along the tour.

Literally there is an aquarium tank with 13 million gallons of water filled with all different species.

In my opinion, the museum and aquarium were definitely worth the drive.  (Ava Jane enjoyed climbing up "into" the coral pretending to hold her breath.)

This last little snippet is a perfect representation of how the kids felt about getting to see everything throughout the museum....they were mesmerized.

We enjoyed dinner at Whole Hog and then hit the pool to get out the last bit of kid energy.

The next morning we ended up having a little time to kill so we moseyed through the Springfield Zoo to see some more animal.

Our first two days of the trip went fairly smoothly.  Part 2 of our trip to Branson will be up next.

Sweet Summer Time

We have taken full advantage of every opportunity to be at the lake this summer.  Its a place our entire family enjoys and I hope it stays that way for years to come.  Usually our trips are weekend jaunts but we were able to stay longer and the kids enjoyed every single minute of our time there.

The boys liked playing king of the tube!

While Gigi made for a great nap spot for Lachie-poo.

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My sweet little tribe.

We try to do this at least once a summer.

These grill masters were some cheap entertainment.

We did some fishing from the docks several evenings after dinner.

Playing Mexican Train and eating lots of popcorn was how we spent our evenings.

We took an evening sunset cruise and enjoyed the cooler part of the day.

Sure was a lovely way to end a day!

Dad and Adam took the big boys and went bass fishing on Lake Hamilton.  I'm pretty sure they had a great time catching those fish!

I have been so grateful for this summer, for the fun times and the relaxing days spent with family and friends.  It really has been some sweet summer time.