Branson- Day 3

Today was a water day!

We thoroughly enjoyed sleeping in and taking in a chill morning.

Both Stephanie and I have arrived, as in our kids sleep late and

when they get up, they don't need our assistance:)
It's THE BEST!!

I am not a fun breakfast mom.

I hardly do anything exciting at home.
I'd rather put my energy into dinner.

Sometimes on vacation I will get wild and make something "elaborate".

Lucky ducks got Bisquick pancakes (that they beg for constantly). 

A real treat from my normal "healthy" pancakes... these kids are something else.

And what better to top your cake in a circle than homemade buttermilk syrup! 

We stayed on Table Rock lake again.

These kids swam and kayaked to their hearts content!

Mother Nature is enchanting.

I could hardly believe we were here 6 months earlier and it went from this...

...to this!!

I was anticipating the water to be on the chilly side.

Nope!

The water was gloriously warm and inviting.

We had pizza delivered and shifted back to the house 

for some pool time!

I loved the set up of the house we stayed in.

The backside had this view and easy access to the pool. 

The boys shooting some hoops. 

Our house to the left.

Our pool boy making popsicle deliveries.

 

We had a show that night but ate dinner at Mel's Hard Luck Diner first.

Only in Branson!

This is home of the singing Diner!

No joke the waiters/waitresses sang the whole time.

It is also known for its generous dessert options!

One scoop wonder right there!

The Duttons perform in our home town when they are not in Branson.

So I have seen them before.

However, their show in AZ is nowhere near the show they put on

in Missouri! 

True talent lies in that family.

It was great!!

 

The hubbies flew in late this evening as well!

We were following them on our phones in their uber.

It was an hour drive so we thought it would be funny to hide outside and surprise scare them.

Didn't really work, but we were happy to have their presence, finally!

Branson- Day 2

There are ENDLESS choices of museums, shows, shopping,

exploring, etc. of things to do.

All of the shows are in the afternoon and evening which opens up

the day to do all of the other things.

This toy museum seemed intriguing as we drove by it the prior day, so

we decided to start there!

We walked in and our childhood hit us smack in the face!

As well as the musty, old smell of your grandparents house:)

This place was loaded to the brim of every toy imaginable!

Anything from any decade you can think of.

Upstairs, downstairs, around the corner to another building full of "treasures".

Not going to lie, my minimalist mind was going crazy.

I wanted to sit in a corner and rock back and forth after 15 minutes.

But fun to see some nostalgia items from the past. 

  

Before the hoopla of the new Barbie movie even started!

Might get struck by lightening for this one!

Della really likes to pretend to give priesthood blessings.

My feminist daughter, lol!

This doll reminded me of a show I watched growing up.

Little Audrey: Tarts and Flowers

Then on to Wonder Works.

It was on our list last time we came but was closed. 

It is science focused and combines education with entertainment. 

I knew we would be here awhile.

We literally walked past the entrance and the kids were entertained by

the first 2 exhibits for an hour!

There were over 100 exhibits!

Lunch break at Steak N Shake!

It is actually weird how much I love Branson because I am NOT a play person!
I have zero interest in Wicked, Les Miserable, Hamilton...

Yet I LOVE the shows at Branson.
ESPECIALLY at Sight & Sound Theater. 

They are all bible based plays and are phenomenal!!

We got to see Queen Esther.
I loved that my kids remembered her story when we studied it in
Come Follow Me.
Her story is truly miraculous.
How her ordinary life changed when she was taken to the palace and was
chosen to lead a new life of royalty. 

How she had faith and followed in Gods plan risking her life
and not knowing the outcome.

Because of her courage, God preserved her as well as the Jewish people. 

Della still does not do well in movies, so I was worried all of these
shows would get to her.

She LOVED them all!

The stage is neat in itself.

They have side stages to fully captivate you. 
They also use live animals. 

You can kind of see them in this panoramic picture. 

You aren't allowed to take pictures during the performance, I think Della

took this one by accident. 

I didn't want to eliminate any shows, so we squeezed in one last one that day!

ReVibe by the Hughes teenagers/young adults!

Love when they all jam to their violins at the same time!

Andy's night cap!