Vacation!!!



Our vacation actually started with a family reunion in Muscatine, which I will also post pictures of.  We were gone from home for 10 days, which is the longest vacation we've ever taken and longer than I've been on for a very long time.  We stayed in the Ozarks for a whole week and there are more pictures posted here than I intended, but we did so much stuff while we were there and I could have posted so many more!  It was a great trip and the weather was beautiful!  The time flew by.

 

 We're here!!!  Owen is excited to arrive at the Ozarks even though

 it was too late to do much of anything.

 

 First day out on Ben's boat.  We drove about 10 miles or so on the water to meet up with some friends.  The kids got to go tubing and swim in the lake all day. 

 

Nick and Owen sitting on the tube in the water.

End of the first day.  I think Owen was tired.  He fell asleep on the boat ride back and stayed asleep until we ate dinner around 6 or 7pm.  Annie and Chad stopped by to say hi just before dinner.  It was a great first day.

 

I didn't get many pictures of the second day.  We went out for lunch with Annie on the strip and celebrated Dad's bday that night.  After lunch the kids spent most of the afternoon in the pool.  Mom and Dad had their group of friends over and some of our friends joined us, as well.

 

Day 3: On the Boat to Captain Ron's!

 

All of Wednesday was spent on the boat and at Captain Ron's.  We had lunch there and the kids played on the beach.  It wasn't as warm at the previous days, but it was still sunny and nice.  Not nearly as humid.  It didn't seem to deter the kids from swimming.  The kids also got to go on a pirate ship and climb on a pirate.

 Annie and Gracie ready to go.

 

Gracie drinking her strawberry "daiquiri"

Owen playing in the water at Captain Ron's.

Owen, Gracie, Raegan, and Brooke in front of the pirate ship.  They also went onto it, but I'm not sure that they were supposed to do that.

Climbing on Captain Ron.

Annie, Gracie, and Chad on the boat ride back.

Gracie steering the pirate ship.  I think she's facing the wrong way, though.

Gracie and Grandpa Tom

 

Day 4:  Ha Ha Tonka and more boating

 

On Thursday we spent the morning at Ha-Ha-Tonka State Park and then had a picnic lunch there.  This seems to be a check list item that we do whenever we go down there.  There are so many trails and things to see there.  Gracie and Owen never seem to get tired of going to see the castle.  Of course, Gracie complains that she's hungry about 30 minutes into our hike, but other than that, it's a great time.

Owen and Gracie

Nick, Owen, and Gracie

Nick teaching Owen how to climb down

 

After the morning was spent hiking, we got back on the boat and headed out again to go stay with our friends for the night.  They were renting a house about 12 miles away by water.  Nick got to try wake surfing for the first time and the kids found a platform to jump off of into the water...I guess Nick did too.  That night we also lit a fire and roasted smores.

Nick flipping off of the dock.

Oops...another picture of the castle at Ha-Ha-Tonka

Nick wake surfing... notice he is not holding on to a line.  It was pretty awesome.

Owen caught a little fish with Gracie and Raegan.

 

Days 5, 6, & 7

 

On Friday, we took a boat ride and tried skiing briefly in the morning, but it was really rough and Nick didn't really even want to ski.  We headed back to Indian Pointe by lunch time and spent some of the afternoon resting in the condo.  The kids swam again at the pool later in the afternoon and Nick cooked dinner for everyone before watching fireworks that evening.  I thought Owen would make it to watch the fireworks, but he was tuckered out and didn't want to stay.  He said it was too loud and he was tired, so Nick took him in.

 

Saturday was a pretty mild day, as well.  We had lunch at Wobbly Boots and packed up our stuff before taking a final dip in the pool and heading to Annie and Chad's.  Annie and Chad had a fish fry at their house and we spent our final night there.  Gracie was excited to have a sleepover at Annie's and we got to do another bonfire and more smores!

 

Our last day was spent mostly in the car.  We left in the morning and stopped for a picnic at a park in Kirksville on the way home.  It's crazy how fast the week flew by.  I could've stayed longer, but it was good to be home.

Owen fishing off the end of a dock.

Gracie and me waiting for our food at Wobbly Boots.  She was very good at entertaining herself.