2nd Annual Family Trip to Branson, 2012

Poppy and Mimi cut back :) on Christmas gifts and decided a trip together would make for fun memories in the long run.  We completely agreed!  So we headed to Branson for about 5 days for the 2nd year in a row.  Mimi and Poppy added a little surprise this year of spending the first couple of nights at Big Cedar Lodge, which is practically a vacation in itself!  The boys were SO excited when we arrived!  Mimi and Poppy had already been there for a few days so they had scouted out the grounds and were pretty excited to show the boys around!  There were hiking trails, outdoor heated pools, inside pools, mini golf, shuffle board, playgrounds, hot chocolate, boat rides, and some pretty amazing scenery! 

 Here's the view of sunset from our balcony

 Big Cedar had the most beautiful fall decor, perfect place for a photo op!

 

The boys quickly found the sand and a place to skip rocks down at the marina

 bros...

 My favorite four-year-old enjoying the great outdoors

 

Being swallowed up after a round of mini golf

A few family pics....

The boys...

Our handsome Warrior

How did my baby ever get to be 18 months old?

Soaking up time with my baby

 

 Achooooooooooooooo!

 

 Love this blond haired, blue eyed, smiley boy

Oh, and Silver Dollar City.....Let the fun begin! :)  I didn't get near enough photos but everyone had a blast.  I think we opened and closed the park 2 days in a row!

 The boys thought this show was HILARIOUS!  They've been reenacting it ever since the curtains closed! ;)  Mostly the part of one cowboy catching his bum on fire and the other cowboy roasting a marshmallow on the burning bum!!!!!!! 

What a FUN time we had together!!!!!!!  So many super duper fun memories that we'll be talking about for many years to come.  Thank you for a wonderfully spectacular trip, Mimi and Poppy!!!!!!  We love you to the moon and all the way back.... 



Micah at 18 Months!

 Here's a look into the life of Micah Jay at 18 Months Old!  His newest accomplishment is learning to drink the milk from his bowl of cereal each morning without spilling.  It is seriously cute to watch! :)  Otherwise, nothing new too report!  Micah loves life, has a very sweet and tender heart, and is growing way too fast!!!!!!! 

Micah Jay, 17 Months

 Here's our sweet 17-month-old!  His smile just lights up my world! :)

 This lil guy loves to be outdoors....

 Micah is becoming very independent!  He's a doer for sure.  If he wants something he goes and gets it which is a blessing and a curse! 

 Micah loooooves movie nights for the popcorn!

 And Micah also looooves sugar.  This momma is not a fan of refined sugar and candy but every once in a while Micah will get a sweet treat! :) 

 I just love how he sleeps with his little bum bum in the air! :) 

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Fun Facts About our 17-Month-Old:

MICAH....

 

-is one of the boys now!  He doesn't want to be left behind or out of anything that his big bros are doing.

-wants to use his own utensils now.  He's independent which = a mess!  But I love that he loves to do things for himself.

-has an opinion, for sure.  He's super duper content and easy going about most things but he's definitely not passive....He makes his opinions known!

-does not have a large vocab but he grunts and points and is surprisingly an amazing communicator.  I think his repertoire of words includes: mama, dada, more, bowl (notice that the last 2 are associated with food :)

-is very SWEET.  He gives the BEST bear hugs in the whole wide world, loves to snuggle and would let you hold him ALL day if it were possible!  He just had an incredibly sweet demeanor (except when he's hungry!).



Steam Engine Ride!

Since our Isaac is very much obsessed with choo choos right now, Mimi and Poppy took us on a very special excursion....... to the Midland Railfest in Baldwin City, KS! 

We were able to experience what train travel during the "golden ages" of railroad was like. We took a ride on "Sadie," a 1931 coal-fired steam locomotive, for a trip from Baldwin City to Norwood.  It was slow, hot, and a bit stinky with all of that steam blowing, but our 3 little engineers loved it which made it all worth while! :)

I think this might go in the books as a top-ranked 'favorite day' for our family!  Thank you sooooo much Mom and Dad for initiating such a special day for us.  We love you!