Vacation 2011 Final Post - Springfield and Lambert's Cafe

On our final day of vacation we drove to Springfield, MO to check out the largest Bass Pro Shop in the US (as of today). To say it is big, is an understatement! They had numerous tanks for fish, alligators, and turtles. Every time you turned around there was something else to see. Glad we got to check it out.
Do you need a hug?
Hey, what's in here Mommy?



He had a good time pretending to drive the boats



Byron and Elijah were looking at the adult and baby turtles that were swimming and lounging around

Checking out the fish


Lambert's Cafe
Byron had seen this place on the Food Network so we decided to check it out. They are know for their flying rolls. The atmosphere, food, and service was great!



This was right after he caught the roll. Byron snapped a picture when Elijah caught it, but it turned out so blurry that you couldn't really make it out. :( The guy throwing the rolls seemed very surprised that Elijah caught the roll all on his own because it was a fast and long toss. I know we were :)

Taking his first bite of the roll

Check out the size of his cup! He thought it was too cool.

It wsa a very relaxing and fun vacation! Just what we neeed!

Vacation 2011 - Happy Anniversary (Part 4)

Branson Landing is where we started our day on June 30th. Did a little shopping and oh course when shopping everyone needs a break for some lunch.
Having a little fun before eating some yummy BBQ

We followed Famous Dave on a recent Food Network BBQ competition. The BBQ was very good and the jalapeno mac and cheese was a favorite for Byron and I.




Pam and Elijah doing some leaf rubbings later that afternoon.


Anniversary Night21st Anniversary celebration at Worman House






It was a wonderful night and a romatic way to celebrate our life together!

Vacation 2011 - Table Rock Lake (Part 3)

Tuesday we headed out to Table Rock Lake for a day of fun. The weather was perfect and it was such a relaxing time! This was Elijah's first time on a boat and he was in heaven. In fact, the next day he kept saying he wanted to go out on the boat again. Think it is safe to say that we see more boat adventures in our future.
Our boat captain for the day
Such a sweet picture
Pam and Gil were wearing life vest because neither one of them felt comfortable with their swimming abilities. :) And an added plus was that it made Elijah feel better to know he wasn't the only one having to wear one. We were shocked that he didn't ask one time to take his life vest off.






Byron and Elijah even braved the super cold waters to take a little dip.

Vacation 2011- SIlver Dollar City (Part 2)

We decided that since we were in the area, we could check out Silver Dollar City. When we got to the theme park on Sunday, things didn't start off smoothly. Elijah was really scared by an unexpected LOUD noise and it took him awhile to settle down from that. Poor baby! But once he did, he was fine and had fun. And another factor that played into our visit not going so well was the heat. It was HOT! But we made the best of the situation and kept on going. Our friends Pam and Gil met at Silver Dollar City while working there and later they married.

The dogs in this show were amazing and an extra bonus was that it let us cool down for awhile.




At the end our adventure, Elijah had fun playing in the Lego area at the park. Note to self: All future visits to amusement/theme parks will be in the fall - especially Disney World!

Vacation 2011- Our Home Away from Home (Part 1)

This year we decided to head to Branson, MO for our family vacation. We both had been wanting to see what this area was like. We stayed in a small town outside of Branson called Spingdale. That is where our cabin we rented for the week was located.
The view of the back of the cabin
The living area
Some artwork around the grounds
Our backyard critters :) They came out every afternoon and were funny to watch



A short walking distance from the cabin was a play area that Elijah loved going to.



Having some fun with our friend, Gil.