Family Trip to Branson, MO

I am going to do this entry for the day in two parts because so much has happened…

June 8-11, 2016
Our Trip to Branson - (10 Months)

Wednesday morning we woke up early, behind schedule as our family usually is (but not on MY part), to head off on our trip, all packed in my mom's blue Durango. Luke and I had been double checking and triple checking bags for days. I think we overpacked. But better safe than sorry. We met up with Maecy and Juan at their apartment, and they were behind schedule too. (I actually think they had just packed that morning! That's something I could never do… I am a planner at heart.) The drive down wasn't bad - Luke watched "Blank Check", I read my book club book written in the voice of a kid with autism doing detective work like his personal hero Sherlock Holmes over a neighborhood dog that was murdered, Aldo was probably bored, and we all did a Mad Libs that was really drawn out. Mila was terrific and slept for a good portion of the drive.

We stopped at Lambert's, Home of the Throwed Rolls. Delicious! I should've known then that the trip would be a little difficult, but I'm an optimistic. Or try to be at least. … I have my moments… Lambert's is just a place that you HAVE to stop at when you go to Branson. It's like a right of passage, or approval to continue on the rest of your vacation. You order your food, but random waiters and waitresses pass by with sides that you can try like fried potatoes and okra, and macaroni and tomatoes (NOT Aldo's favorite). Mila loved the chicken and dumplings I ordered. I filled myself up on buttered rolls though. My stomach was miserably happy. Luke shared livers and gizzards with Grammy - it's their thing. Maecy also had chicken and dumplings, but I don't know if she got to eat much because she was taking care of Mateo every time I looked over. Juan didn't like his chicken fried chicken. He said it was like meatloaf. ((I'm confused. How is chicken fried chicken like meatloaf? Did he order the wrong thing? And who doesn't like chicken fried chicken? You must not be American. Oh wait… ;-D ))

The condo that we upgraded to was nice, but not at all what I expected. I kind of expected a little more extravagant… almost like a cabin with a large living space and kitchen, with three rooms branching off each with their own bathroom and jacuzzi. That's how they explained it. Well, it's not like that. The condo was like three nicer hotel rooms connected. Ours was the middle one and had a large kitchen and  large living room/dining room, a small laundry closet, a small bathroom, and another toilet room in our bedroom and a jacuzzi. Maecy and Juan picked the one I would have preferred, it had a smaller living space and small kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom with jacuzzi. Mom and Luke got stuck with the side that didn't have a jacuzzi, or any flatscreen TVs. Just the ol' tube television.

From what I'm saying, you probably understand that this is one of the only trips that I will ever go on again with my extended family. I've learned that you just can't please everyone. Not everyone likes the same things. Not everyone thinks alike.

That night Maecy and Juan decided to go to Cherry Berry (same thing as Sweet Frog), a yogurt place, and then to a martial arts show called "Legend of Kung Fu - The Return of the Dragon". The show wasn't bad. It wasn't great. It's also not your typical Branson show to see either. Luke got a broken steel rod from it though, and a cheapy wire bike thing, and a picture for memory's sake. Later that night Maecy and Juan bought pizza.

Day 1 - "Legend of Kung Fu"

I figured for this trip we had 4 days, so each of us would be able to pick ONE thing that we wanted to do, and we'd be able to do it easily. Mom's choice was "Ride the Ducks". We decided that Thursday morning before Silver Dollar City was our best shot. Siri, the phone character who is supposed to give perfect directions, got us lost and we were an hour or so late getting started. But, we ended up having the best time! Captain Crunch was making jokes with tidbits of history thrown in and shout outs to nearby must-see shows. We loved it. It was one of the highlights of the trip! I would definitely recommend it. Although, it's not really geared toward Luke's age…

Day 2 - "Ride the Ducks"

Afterward we went to Silver Dollar City. We arrived at around lunch time, and we were at the exact location of the restaurants with the moving tables. Another unwritten right of passage. Because we had chicken the day prior, BBQ was our only other option, and of course it was at the restaurant below ground with the longer wait and the table that was taken right before we got to the buffet. I thought everyone was alright sitting down and eating, until we got outside again. Maybe it was the heat?? Maybe they were tired of American cooking / potatoes?? I don't know. My attitude went sour though. One of my pet peeves is when people don't listen and it feels like I'm talking to a wall. Or they can't make a decision so we're stuck in one spot wasting time and energy. I want to move. That's what we're there for. Let's find something to look at, ride something, or split up since everyone can't be happy. Eventually we made it to the first ride. It didn't occur to me until we were in line that Luke had never ridden a roller coaster before. I imagined it was like watching a scary movie for the first time, like Jurassic World. If he got scared, he could hold my hand. That's not how it was. It wound around and whirled, it went up and down, it went fast! At the end he said he never wanted to ride it again. I realized he had never ridden a big roller coaster before. And he probably actually feared for his life! Maybe I didn't prepare him enough. Oops. Somehow we convinced him to go again with Aldo. Well then we decided maybe we should go to the kiddie coaster. He was still scared and hid his face. Other rides to mention are: the wet ride similar to The Nile at Worlds of Fun (Luke loved, but the wait was over an hour and miserable in the heat), Fire in the Hole (Mom, Maecy and I thought it would be exciting because of the train coming straight at us, but the only exciting part was the water splashed in our faces. Is that new? I remember screaming because of the train…), and the other wet ride in the log. Luke's face was priceless.

Day 2 - "Silver Dollar City"

That night we had already purchased tickets for the Dixie Stampede. It's one of my favorite shows I have ever been to. I remember a more escalated rivalry (political) between the North and South, but I know they change the show with every season. It was still good. The food is AMAZING. What irked me most is that a certain person in our party didn't even try the food. After it was paid for. I'm going to rant for a second: if someone offers you something or already buys you something, I don't care who you think you are or how sick you are of it - you at least try it. Make an effort! The soup was on point. It's like the soup of my life I think. And I'm not particularly in love with soup. So and so missed out.

The day completely wore us out, and emotions were high. The next day we decided to take it easy. It was easier than what I would have chosen… Maecy and Juan picked Mexican food for lunch. (As Aldo would say… "You don't go to China and complain about all the Chinese food." He meant that when you go somewhere, you stick to the local cuisine.) Luke had been wanting to swim since the pools had opened, so we went down to the pool. The water was freezing. All the kids enjoyed it though, shivering all the way. I was uncomfortably cold and mom was by herself. I asked if Mom and Maecy wanted to go to the downtown store for fudge while the guys continued to swim. We agreed. Well, plans changed and changed and changed and changed. We ended up going to The Fudgery and buying about 5 pounds of different flavored fudge. Then going to the Track because Aldo and Juan wanted to ride in the go-carts. Except that it wasn't the right track for Juan. So Maecy and Juan walked across the street to shop while the rest of us stayed at the Track. When they came back they said the stores were closed, and somehow some way, we all drove a go-cart that night. And we all had a good time. I don't know if 100% of us will admit we had a good time, but I know all of us were smiling.

Day 3 - "The Track"

Our final day we drove back up to Silver Dollar City. It was still hot, and busier than the other day we came. Maecy and Juan ended up leaving early because Mateo was showing signs of a temperature. (Or that's what they say.) All in all it was probably good that they left when they did, because I don't think they would have enjoyed another minute being there - Maecy had ridden a few rides, gotten a headache, and Juan was stuck alone watching the kids. After they left, we went on the Nile ride again for Luke and ended with the largest ride Outlaw Run. Before heading home, we stopped at the 5 & 10 (Five and Dime) to buy some souvenirs. You know how the drive home is usually faster than the drive leaving for your trip? It wasn't like that. The drive home seemed longer. Mila was cranky and tired of being in the car seat. My feet were crushed by bags and at a weird angle. And it was dark so there wasn't anything I could read, and Luke took over my phone. Aldo wanted to listen to music, but mom selected Celtic opera Celine Dion-comparable junk that annoyed me.

Family knows just how to get under your skin. But it's not funny.

 

Day 4 - "Silver Dollar City Again" 

Luke bought ostrich jerky with his spending money.

I've had time to think it over. Was I harsh in my judgements? No, not at all. Will a trip like this ever happen again? I hope not. Nothing is interrupting/overtaking a family trip that Aldo and I planned out ever again. To turn this into a positive - I'm deeply grateful and thankful for my family (Aldo, Luke and Mila). They are seriously THE BEST.

Summer Days Driftin' Away...

Almost 10 Months

I absolutely love summer. The weather, the sleeping in, the possibility of big breakfasts, the grilling out, the open schedule, the outdoor activities (picnics, spots, shopping, etc.), the longer days, and the swimming when I finally decide to do it. I would consider yesterday our first day of running with our summer schedule. Luke and I woke up around 9am while Daddy went to work and Mila slept. He watched two movies, then I told him he needed to do some schoolwork before anything else. I bought him these workbooks so he wouldn't get lazy over the summer. We did the page that talked about President George Washington. I've also introduced Mad Libs to him, so without knowing it, he's learning the different parts of speech. Smart mama. Grammy was visiting friends in Tennessee, so we picked her up from the car rental place in the afternoon (after playing outside for an hour practicing soccer... Luke of course won) and went to our On Pointe classes before coming home. Also, we've been taking care of Grammy's animals while she's been away, and the last day, she had a baby chic hatch. We set up the box and heat lamp, water and food, and have been keeping a close eye on the little guy.

Today was more productive. Before we go on our trip to Branson, I told Aldo I wanted the house clean and laundry done so we had clothes to pack. Luke already had his "What to Pack" list made up... This morning Aldo cleaned out the fridge, took out the trash, and did all the dishes. I cleaned the living room, did laundry, cleared the dining table, and made lunch. Now all I have to worry about is upkeep. Eventually I'd like to shampoo the carpet (which wasn't done before we brought Mila home from the hospital) and go through our closets and drawers (especially Mila and Luke's). Maybe I'll find the Driver's License, credit card, insurance cards, and social security cards that I lost??? With Mila being a little more independent, it'll be easier to keep a sort of "House Rules" or summer schedule. I'm thinking of things like: Fold laundry out of dryer, keep sink clean of dishes, before playing on Mommy's phone must do a page or two of schoolwork, in bed by 9:30 or 10 (adults laying down at 11:30). I didn't say it earlier (because I don't want to be bummed if it doesn't work out) but I'd like to also work out a little bit in the mornings. It's my one time to get anything done for me. Both kids are asleep, and Aldo too... So I could wake up, work out, read/study, computer work, clean house, shower. And have fun the rest of the day, and focus on Luke and Mila while Aldo is at work.

As for Mila, I think she'll do wonderfully on our trip. She says "Mama" and "Dada", although Dada is more of any boy and her go-to gibberish word. She'll let other people hold her and even watch her in short spurts of time. She'll let you know when she's hungry with sign language (the correct one, by doing the hand gesture for "please" by her mouth). She'll shake her head "no". It's a matter of time before she starts saying it. She'll play Patty Cake. She eats grown up food!!! Her favorites are mashed potatoes or French fries, straight up avocado, seasoned meat (carne asada), bananas, apple sauce, jello, baby pudding, and baby snack puffs. One of the biggest successes is that she's been taking semi-regular naps. I say semi-regular because it depends on what time she lays down. But around 4 o'clock I can count on a two hour nap. And when she wakes up, she doesn't go toward the edge of the bed. She's such a happy waker-upper. Generally speaking. She's a girl, so she has her  days. We're in the fun stages though!! I'm reading to her and trying new things like Hide and Seek, letter magnets that go on the fridge, more bath time, and other stuff. Hopefully there's a pool at our hotel in Branson.  I wonder if she's a water baby too...