What I like to call "The Benchwarmers Club"
Ches and her cousin Liv:
Dan with our refillable drink bottle:
Coaster Man with Coaster Girl:
Sometimes I wish I could sit in a stroller and nap.
18 balls and all we won was a 99 cent yellow stuffed dog.
And some total cuteness...
At some point that morning, we joked about Brady's job to be to take Emery over to Camp Snoopy. Since he wasn't riding much more than I was, we figured that would be fun for both of them.
Emery, however, doesn't like Brady the best any more. It's all Mykiah for her. And her mom and dad.
So off we all went to Camp Snoopy. Ran into some of our favorites on the way...
Sally seemed to have a personal interest in Mykiah. She followed Kiah around, trying to steal a drink from the various soda/water bottles Kiah was holding.
While at Camp Snoopy, the little girls rode the Wacky Worm and Ches & Liv rode an Airmail ride that a mini-detonator. On the way out, my sister and I saw something that immediately caught our interest:
That's right. Sale. The Peanuts shop was 50% off everything. Off to the side, the Peanuts gang was putting on a little audience participation show. So the little girls went over there, and I shopped. We didn't get a whole lot -- Ches got a stuffed Linus and Woodstock, Dan got a big yellow playground ball with a Charlie Brown stripe, and Kiah got a cute Sally pillow and a Sally key chain to remember the day. All for $30.
Next we made our way over to the Taxis, which is a ride full of nostalgia for my sister and I. We both remember riding this ride 30 years ago or more. It seemed fitting to take our families on it. Dan and I put our kids in one car (with Chesney driving), he and I took another, and my niece Olivia drove her family in the car behind us. Some fun.
Just realized that Liv doesn't even have her hands on the wheel in that photo. She should be fun during driver's ed. :)
About this time we decided we were hungry... again. The smell of the Cinnabon was too much for us.
We left for home about 4 pm and got home just in time to see the kick-off of the Chief's preseason game. I found it ironic that we had to leave KC in time to get home to see a game being played in KC, but I had no desire to actually go see the game, so I shut up.
While we were there, I was thinking we were having so much fun that we'd get season passes next year. We got in the van, however, and each of the kids said they liked Branson and Silver Dollar City more. Hey, that's fine with me. Still, a pretty darn fun way to spend a Saturday.
OK, my entire family is not fond of coasters. It's more like Dan loves thrill rides, and I would sometimes ride them with him before we had kids. Since the birth of our 3 children, he's been holding out hope that at least one would love the thrill rides with him.
It became fairly obvious in Brady's early years that our son was not going to be a daredevil. He's a scientific thinker, and to him, roller coasters just don't make much sense. He could probably design an amazing coaster, but he'd never ride it.
Chesney approves of her brother's philosophy. She may not understand the physics like he does, but she knows that it's not natural to be flipping upside down.
So that means Brady, Chesney, and I are all counting on Mykiah to step up and be Dan's thrillseeker. God bless her, she stepped up in a big way. It probably started last year when she had her first ride on Wildfire at Silver Dollar City. This year, Dan got her on California Screamin at California Adventure. Since then, she's been saying she wants to ride some "real" coasters.
Last Christmas, the kids had bought Dan 5 tickets to Worlds of Fun in Kansas City. We hadn't used them yet, and on Thursday, Mykiah suggested we use them over the weekend. I looked up the KC weather for Saturday, and it said 77 degrees. Called up my sister (who has season passes) and it was on.
We arrived at Worlds of Fun about 9:30 am, and the look on Mykiah's face when she saw the huge coasters on the skyline was priceless. First stop for my thrillseekers was The Patriot.
They totally loved this inverted coaster. I totally think they're crazy.
After getting half-lost walking around the park (Dan and I swear they've changed where the entrance is.... we had season passes 16 years ago and we remember it differently), we found the Mamba. Folks, this thing is just horrific looking. I've never seen anything look quite so frightening.
About this time, my sister and her family arrived. Dan, Mykiah and my brother-in-law John went back to ride The Prowler.
This one apparently scared my sister so bad that she screamed herself hoarse for 24 hours.
Now at this point, Dan is worrying that I'm having an awful time at Worlds of Fun. I have yet to ride one ride. I assure him that I'm having a great time. Watching my family have fun makes me happy. The families also rode several minor rides during this time. My sister and I caught up. My kids got to see their cousins and everyone was happy. It was a gorgeous day.
At some point, Brady learned that the Fury of the Nile was open. That's a water rapids ride, and I was just crazy enough to say I'd go. We picked our 6 people and got in line. The line was short because... hello, 70-some degrees.
That last one was taken just after Dan asked us if we were wet. Look at the expression on Mykiah's face. This simple little water ride burst her happy bubble, and it stayed popped for quite a while. It got better, but the next couple hours weren't a lot of fun....
We now conclude my completely subjective, entirely made-up bestowing of awards upon my favorite Branson shows/lodging/restaurants.
The Sparkliest Show in Branson is definitely Grand Jubilee, but oh, I love it so. We have such a good time watching this show. Dan loves the comedian, Jamie Haage, and I love New South. This quartet is actually a favorite of the entire family. We have one of their CDs and play it often from start to finish. It doesn't hurt that if you can look past all those rhinestones, the boys aren't bad for the eyes. And YMCA.... may it never die. Love me some shirtless boys onstage. They keep mixing this show up, too, and that's one reason we enjoy going back. It's a don't miss show for us.
Oh gosh, I don't even know where to start with these boys. I can't even explain the energy I feel, sitting in their theater, while the first notes of the first song start. I know it's going to be a good show. I've seen a lot of Haygoods shows over the past 3 years, and will see a lot more. Since the first time we saw the show, we haven't been in Branson without seeing the show at least once, and that says a lot for us. I appreciate that this family puts so much into producing a show that pleases their audience. I honestly can't imagine a trip to Branson without Tim, Pat, Dom, Shawn, Mike, Matt, Cat and Aaron. I truly adore them all.
Oh, how fun. I get to go from the warm, gooey feeling I get when I think about the Haygoods to the smile on my face contentment I feel when I think about The Wilderness. I can honestly say that we have never stayed anywhere that I have loved as much as I love our trip to The Wilderness. As you probably know, we love to travel, and we've stayed everywhere from a 2 double bed family owned motel where Brady had to sleep on the floor to a luxurious upper floor room at Mandalay Bay. We've stayed on property at Walt Disney World for two weeks, and just this summer had a wonderful room with a view of Disneyland. None of those places even begins to compare to how much fun we have when we stay in a rustic log cabin at The Wilderness. Stepping into a cabin at this campground, you truly feel like you have been transported deep into the woods. We come together as a family when we stay here. Dan and I taught the kids to play rummy, the girls rode their scooters all over, we toasted marshmallows for s'mores. We listened to the rain on the roof on a morning where we just decided to stay in bed and sleep a while longer. We love our loft cabins, and looking at the pictures we've taken while there simply makes me happy. Next year, we had planned to do a big Orlando vacation, but we've decided that we just want to spend our time in Branson. The one provision that I will not negotiate is that we must stay at The Wilderness every time we visit. I'm so looking forward to it.
Besides the fact that they hire really cool employees, Pierce Arrow really has a great show, which is why we keep coming back. I think one of my favorite performances in all of Branson is the duet of Casey Ellison and Cole Currier on "I Can Only Imagine." I can watch Jarrett Dougherty, sometimes twice in the same day, and still laugh my butt off. It's also the only show where I actually enjoy the female vocalist. Desta is just so darned cute and I love her spirit. Yup, definitely one of our favorites.
We'll end our awards show with a fun one. I love to shop at The Amish Store. I actually keep a mental list of what I want and what I need when we're there. I usually pick up a dried bean/pea/pasta mix to add to my fall vegetable soups. Chesney loves their corn chowder mix. I've gotten garlic, ginger, and parsley for cooking. I've also enjoyed their dried spaghetti sauce and sloppy joe mixes. A little deeper in the store, I can find mixes of baking chips and nuts to add to my cookie recipes. Dan always picks up some fruit butter -- pumpkin or apple seems to be his favorites. For my niece Emery, and my big son Brady, there's dehydrated marshmallows (think Lucky Charms without the cereal). I hear they work well for toilet training rewards. Before we leave, I always grab a package of freshly baked snickerdoodles. It's tradition, and it's not a trip to Branson without a stop at The Amish Store to stock my spice cupboard.
So let me continue with making up fake awards for things in Branson, and giving the winners nothing at all. First up...
My friend Rose and I have a thing for bald bass singers, and we're not afraid to admit it. (OK, I think Rose has it a bit worse than I do, but I can see where she's coming from.) I love when a bass singer can take his voice so deep that the floor vibrates, and Tim Storms can definitely do that. He actually holds 2 world records -- widest vocal range for a male and lowest human voice. He's in Pierce Arrow, and I really enjoy that show. Jak Knudsen is a member of SIX, and I've already established it's our all-time favorite show in Branson. Jak is a huge reason for making it our favorite show. He emcees the show, and he's the main comedian in the show. No matter how many times we watch him sing "Hero," we always laugh. Always. He rocks the bass, too.
I know what you're thinking. Kim, I've been to Branson, and I'm pretty sure there is no bar there. Sequins, country music, go-karts... yup, so those. But no bar.
That's wrong. Oh so wrong. I've visited 3 of the late night establishments and I actually love them all. There's Club 57 for comfy chairs and scurvy. I can't imagine a better place to spend St Patrick's Day than Waxy O'Shea's Irish Pub (it helps if Dirty Old Towne is playing... they rock). However, I think Ernie Biggs is the place to go if you're in Branson and want an adult beverage and a late night. My favorite place to sit is out on the patio (at Branson Landing). You can enjoy the night air, the music isn't too loud, which can be a concern at the other two places, and if you're there on the right night, you can even access the bar from outside. Great place to sit and catch up with friends and come up with crazy ideas like Facebook fan pages for bald bass singers in Branson. Or, you know, swimming in Lake Taneycomo.
Changing the subject, I love kids, and watching them perform can sometimes be painful. It can feel forced, or sometimes it's just not good. It has really been a pleasure to watch the children of the Duttons grow and perform. When we started watching the Duttons, they featured the children only briefly, and mostly to show them off while the adults sang. Now, the children are up there performing, and they are so good at it. I think that Jessica and Rachael Dutton have wonderfully strong voices, and hope Jessica gets to do more than just Teddy Bear soon. The little group that I once watched pushed on stage in a six seat stroller are now coming into their own and performing songs and skits during the show. Watching the Dutton children perform is always a joy. (We love the adults, too. This was our first "real" Branson show, and we see it almost every trip.)
While I'm talking about the Duttons, let's talk about how excited I was when the Dutton Deli became Luigi's Pizza. We discovered Luigi's pizza exactly 2 years ago this Labor Day weekend. Ask my kids their favorite pizza anywhere and they're going to say Luigi's, without thinking about it. We really, really like it and have it at least once each trip (and on one memorable trip, 3 times). If you're in Branson and wanting pizza, try Luigi's. I think you'll like it. [P.S. Branson has no Pizza Hut, so you might as well try something new.]
I've heard it a half dozen times, and heard it twice in one day on our last trip, and yet I still love the Jarrett Dougherty/Bobby "here's what's for sale at intermission" skit at Pierce Arrow. Jarrett has this bit where he points to the old fuddies in the audience and tells them the reason they're not having fun in Branson is because they won't spend money on stupid stuff, and the rest of the family is sick of it. This makes me laugh sooooooooo hard because it's sooooooooooo true. On our last trip, we bought the light up bouncy ball, and the flower pot hat. Silly me, I wanted a Pierce Arrow gospel CD, and my kids get toys. How does that happen? Because the sales pitch works. For that reason, it's my favorite in town.
Back when I was in Branson.... oh so long ago... I did twitter reviews of some of the shows we saw. It was suggested to me by a very nice person that I review the shows on a "critic" website. This website takes reviews, tabulates them, and then gives awards to the shows with the most reviews.
I have issues with this. To keep it short, I just don't feel like any voting process that involves Branson can be fair unless someone takes a random sampling of visitors to get a random opinion.
Instead, I decided I'd have my own awards ceremony. There are no trophies, and no promised-certificates-that-never-arrive. Just my little blog, and my little graphics.
Let's begin.
And presenting our first award... will be me.
It doesn't hurt that he has Matt Gumm (who is one of my favorite performers) in the show, but Paul Harris was like a breath of fresh air when we saw him over Spring Break. He was able to make my family of teens and tweens laugh, and at the same time entertained a mostly senior crowd. He was current and managed to be funny without making anyone feel bad. Really loved this show.
I just can't say enough how much we enjoy this show, and judging by the sold out audience (in a huge theater) last week, the secret is out. We've seen the show a half dozen times, and it never changes much, but we always come out laughing, and amazed at their vocal talent. For those not familiar, it is an acapella group, but they do so much beat boxing that there are times you'd swear there was a full band up there. They look like they're having a good time, they speak of their gratitude for Branson audiences in a way that makes my heart warm, and Jak is my kids' hero. We'll be back. Again and again.
Say what you want about the bedazzler costumes and questionable song choices at Grand Jubilee, Jamie Haage really keeps us coming back to see this show. He does most of the show in character as Jim Dandy, and he makes Dan laugh so hard his guts hurt. I prefer it when he "takes off" his character at the end and is just himself, playing every instrument onstage and singing a beautiful gospel song. From comedian to instrumentalist, Jamie's got it all.
OK, so we've only seen two tribute shows in Branson. Of the two, we really like Liverpool Legends. I wasn't sure how the kids would react to the show, but they really enjoyed the trip through Beatles' history, and they left singing the songs. Also, Chesney did not fall asleep, which is huge. We bought the CD, which is also huge, and Brady loves it. All around, a big two thumbs up from our family.
And my last award for today...
I couldn't decide on this one. We had breakfast at Chester's on our latest trip, and I really enjoyed it. I had Jeramy's pile up, which was two hard fried eggs over home fries, sausage, onions, peppers and cheese. It came with what is perhaps the best biscuits and gravy I've ever eaten. Brady and Dan had omelets. Brady ate the whole thing, and had the jaw of our waitress dropping. On the other hand, there's Billy Gail's, which is located right next door to my favorite place in the entire world. The pancakes at Billy Gail's are huge... just imagine a huge dinner plate and then the pancake dripping over the sides of it. Mykiah says Billy Gail's biscuits and gravy is amazing. I honestly think I need to try them both again to better make my decision. Now to convince Dan...
I think we went shopping on Thursday morning. We found great deals at Children's Place, Old Navy, the VF Outlet and TJ Maxx. The kids all got shoes at the Nike Outlet. I got no shoes, which still chafes a little. Except a threw a couple pair in the cart at Walmart the other day. Since when did Walmart have cute shoes?
In the early afternoon, I took the kids down swimming.
Then it was off to get dressed for our double header:
Yes, I was feeling particularly bright and cheerful on Thursday. We walked down the street and saw the 3 pm show at the Pierce Arrow theater. I usually really enjoy this show, and the afternoon show was good. I had to take a photo:
After the 3 pm show, we once again met Rose and her family for dinner. This time we met at Branson's finest dining establishment. Taco Bell. Hey, it's cheap and close to both our hotel and the theater. Dave (Rose's husband) was rained out of work again (we must be his good luck charms) so he joined us for the show that night.
While waiting for the show to start, and in an effort to amuse Rose's little guy, I gave him the light-up bouncy ball we'd bought at the PA show. He played catch with his dad, while we sat on the balcony and talked. This was great, until the ball rolled off the patio/balcony, down the hill and into the woods. This caused great laughter on my part, while I watched first the girls, then Brady, then Dan trying to find this ball. Of course, I took photos.
We walked down to the Pierce Arrow theater to catch the 7:30 show. Here we met up with Shanna and her friend, as well as another friend of Jason's. We took up two full rows at the theater, and I managed to have Dan take a halfway decent shot of all of us.
This one is for Rose:
And this one is for me:
At intermission, I got a couple of photos of Rose with the performers.
Yum.
In the second half of the show, Rose and I managed to get pulled into the aisle to twist. If anyone was there that night and has a photo, I'd love a copy. I should have handed my camera down to Dan, but I just didn't think about it.
After the show, Rose, Jason and I once again had to stay up late. We went to Ernie Bigg's piano bar at the Landing and although the show was quite horrid, the conversation was wonderful. I rolled into bed about 1 am, and slept until... oh, 6:30?
Given that I really like my sleep, and hate getting off schedule, you know Friday had to be pretty slow for me. We spent part of our morning at Grand Country's new Fun Spot. Ches played the mini-bowling.
Brady played our family's favorite, "Deal or No Deal."
We had so many tickets that we were loaded down with loot when we left. I got a Mickey Mouse kitchen timer, we got a small giftie for Zach, the girls' got a dozen bouncy balls (we have ball issues in my family) and the kids got a Mystical Orb. You may know this by the more common name "Magic 8 Ball." This one small little item made for hours of fun the rest of the trip.
We didn't see a show that afternoon (this is when we did the picture walk I featured on Monday, and Dan went to see Funny People). Our evening show was Grand Jubilee, which is usually one of my high-energy favorites. I was dragging by the time we got to the theater, though.
Not even this guy could perk me up.
I pretty much spent the evening hiding under my New South t-shirt, and trying to stop yawning. Lesson learned... either take a nap, or don't go see a show after two late nights in a row. Got it. Still... very fun trip. We slept a bit later the next day, and left Branson for home about 8:30 am. Managed to join a parade of classic cars when we stopped for lunch, but other than that, it was an uneventful journey home. We probably won't be back to Branson until 2010.
I hope it doesn't miss us too much.
We woke up Tuesday morning to see this outside our patio:
Just a little family of ducks, out for their morning walk. It was a little rainy, but we set out for southern Missouri hoping the sun would start to shine. It did, just as we pulled into Branson and checked in at our hotel. We stay at Southern Oaks Inn quite a bit, and this time we upgraded to a veranda room. It was OK, and SOI is always a good place to stay if you're on a budget. I have places I prefer, but this was fine for this trip.
Tuesday evening, we met my friend Rose and her family for dinner. Her 10 year old daughter Autumn shared a chicken fried steak with Chesney. That thing was huge! I think I have a cell phone photo...
After dinner, we drove down the strip to the Americana Theater, where we wasted some time talking to each other and random Haygoods before seeing the Haygoods show. It was very fun, as always, and I was so glad we went. After the show there was more talking, some bears to be hugged, and then we went back to the hotel and crashed. I took one photo that evening, but I really like it.
Wednesday, we woke up pretty early and went down to have what our hotel generously calls continental breakfast. I call it "morning snack." It's not much, and I'm picky about breakfast anyway. We hit the pool for a couple of hours, then we decided it was time for some real breakfast. It was about 10 am, and we drove up to Chester's on the strip and had what ranks as one of the best breakfasts I've ever had. More on that later.
Our afternoon show was the Duttons, and I always enjoy this show. We hadn't seen the show for a year, and it was fun to see how the Dutton grandkids have grown. Tim and Judith's girls -- Jessica and Rachel -- are developing such strong voices (like their mom!) and I look forward to seeing them on stage for years to come.
Here's me and Mykiah before the show:
And the adorable Wizard of Oz segment:
Our evening show was SIX and I forgot my camera! We met another of my online friends before the show. Shanna and I have been email buddies for a good 18 months, having bonded during a late night chat. We'd never met and it was very fun to finally meet her! SIX was sold out that night, and we loved it, as we always do. We saw their show just a few months after they opened in Branson, and we've seen it almost every trip since. I'm so glad this family moved to Branson.
After the show, it was off to Applebee's for late night appetizers. We met my friend Jason there, and had a surprise visit from Rose (thank you Mother Nature!). I insisted that my entire family join me so we all rolled back into the hotel room about midnight...
On our full day at Great Wolf Lodge, we were at the water park a few minutes before it opened. I took my camera so I could take photos of everyone else playing.
I was too afraid to climb the stairs to the water slides. I'm not sure I've mentioned it here, but I have a huge fear of heights. I used to make Dan go with me to the library in college because I couldn't go into the stacks without shaking. I'm make him go get my books and bring them out to me.
So here's some photos from our early morning adventures:
Then I managed to stand on the bridge over the slides and get some fun photos of my family shooting out of the tubes. Ches and Dan took a little spill on one, so that was it for that slide. It was interesting to see my husband fly out tubeless...
As soon as the outdoor pool area opened, I was outside to get myself a lounge chair in the shade. The chlorine and the noise in the indoor area really bothered me, and I wanted to have our "home base" be outdoors. Pretty soon the family joined me out there to play a little pool basketball.
Brady really entertained himself by ambush-hugging Mykiah whenever he could. She reacted predictably.
Before we left, I wanted to get a photo of all 3 kids that I could frame with a GWL frame. I got the photo, but the frame was $25, and that was way outside my budget, so it's just a good photo that I'll get scrapped.
We weren't sure, after having spent a week at Disneyland earlier this summer, if we would be able to pull off a 2nd summer trip. We really like to do two vacations a summer -- one to start the summer, and one to end it. We sat down with a budget sheet and finally decided we could either go on a trip at the end of July, or we could take our traditional Thanksgiving trip. We asked the kids, and they said summer.
Of course, on the way home Saturday, they asked where we were staying for Thanksgiving.
Short memories, eh?
Anyway, we've been wanting to check out Great Wolf Lodge in Kansas City for a long time. The two older kids had gone with my parents when they were younger, but Ches, Dan and I had never been. It's just so darn expensive and we could never justify the cost.
We still thought it was crazy, but decided to spend a couple of weeknights there at the start of our trip. We checked in on a Sunday, checked out on Tuesday, which is much cheaper. We stayed in a Kids Kabin room, which was fun for our kids. Here's a little peek at their cabin:
This was Brady's side. A small bed (the mattress were awful... like crib mattress in that they were stiff and wrapped in plastic) and a kids' TV up on the wall. The "logs" you see are all wallpaper. The girls side looked like this:
We checked in about 1 pm, and were told it could be 4 pm before our room was ready. I had packed a bag with just swimwear, so we grabbed it and headed for the locker rooms to change. We were standing outside the locker rooms, stuffing our things in the locker, when my cell phone rang. Our room was ready.
So off Brady and I went to bring everything into the room (the whole Kids Kabin thing was a surprise, so that was fun) and then we joined the family in the water park.
At 8 pm, it was time for bedtime stories in the lobby. Ches changed into her PJs and we went up to watch the little clock show.
I think Dan felt a bit guilty about not being there, because he showed up in time to snap this photo of me:
If you're thinking... wow, Kim dresses up for bedtime stories, you should know that under that t-shirt (which is Dan's PJ shirt), I have on a tank top that I would never wear in public. And the skirt is what I wear as a swimsuit cover-up. I may have even had my PJ pants on under it.
Before we left, Chesney got to help wake up Wylie the Wolf.
After that, it was time for bed. Dan and I slept wonderfully.
The kids... not so much.
