Our last Fun Friday :(

At the beginning of summer the kids and I made a list of things we wanted to do on Fridays since it is my day off work. We didn't get it all done, but we also did things not on the list also. I am so happy I had the opportunity to make all these fun memories with them this summer. We are already starting a list for next summer! For our last Fun Friday we decided to go big and take a mini vacation to Branson! I had a free hotel stay and we have Silver Dollar City passes so that was all free! The great people at Gap gave me some Gap cash back when all my stuff got stolen in May and it had to be used this weekend, so it was the perfect time to go!

We started our time with lunch at one of our favorites - Joe's Crab Shack! The kids love their fish sticks and I love the shrimp! The also always have to get the Paint Your Own Rice Krispy Crab where they can paint strawberry, chocolate and caramel sauce on a rice krispy treat.

After our shopping was done we went to the new Bigfoot Golf and Arcade. We have been watching it being built over our last few trips there so we were excited when it was finally open. First we golfed and the kids really surprised me with how good they were!

Next up was the arcade - my kids are obsessed with arcades! It is so fun to watch them get so excited! With the 250 tickets they won they were able to get a purse, candy, pokemon characters, army man and a hand buzzer - I probably could have bought all that for $5 but they had so much fun winning the tickets it was worth it!

For dinner we went to one of our Branson favorites - Pasghetti's! The food is good but I love the atmosphere! It reminds me of Vegas because it feels like we are eating outside. The kids love the ferris wheel too!

It was finally time to check-in to the hotel and hit the pool! Since I had a free hotel stay I splurged and booked somewhere out of our normal price range. We stayed at the Welk Resort so the kids could have a cool water park area. As soon as we walked into the Splashatorium Noah ran straight to the slide and did not stop for an hour! Ryan hung out with me in the pool that was half indoor and outdoor, then we got in the hot tub. It was about this time that Meme surprised the kids and joined us on our trip! We always love having Meme on vacation with us! It was about time for the pool to close and Ryan finally decided she wanted to go down the slide. I took her up but she chickened out. Then she went to Meme and talked Meme into going down with her. Of course, as soon as she went down the first thing she said is "I want to do it again!" I literally watched the life guard close the slide as soon as Ryan said that, so she started crying when I told her. Well, Meme worked her magic and they were able to go down one more time :)

The next day we were at Silver Dollar City when they opened the gates! The crowds were so low and the weather was great! In the 5 hours we were there, we were able to ride the Powder Keg twice, Fire in the Hole, Lost River, all 6 rides in the Firemans Landing, Thunderation 4 times, the train, the Lost Mine, all 5 kiddy rides, American Plunge, Huck's River Blast and Grandpa's Mansion!  It was a great day! We were all soaked and tired but full of memories!

Noah had been begging all day to do the Mountain Coaster before we left Branson so we stopped by there on the way out of town. They loved it and are ready to do it again, and of course "go faster next time" :) For the first time in a long time, they napped in the car on the way home :)

Now it is back to the school life! Noah begins school this week and Ryan starts her last year of pre-school. Not to mention we still have ballet and are about to start soccer and basketball! I love my busy life making memories with my kids!