Spring Break Fun: Branson, Day 2

Hey Friends! Happy Wednesday! I'm recapping our Spring Break fun on the blog this week!

To see our Stay-Cation click here.

And for our first day at Silver Dollar City, go here. 

Last Friday morning we slept in, and hit up the condo clubhouse for brunch. We ate pancakes bigger than our heads and yummy omelets. 

And then we headed outside to explore the playground and pool area at the condo. I know we'll be making good use of these areas this summer when we visit Branson again! 

The girls loved the tire swing!

They all requested that they have braids in their hair. They were somewhat obsessed with braids last week. 

There was a big playground set, shuffleboard, basketball- the girls had so much to do!

After the girls played for a bit, we got back in the car for the short drive to Silver Dollar City. It was cool and there was a chance of rain, so we decided to explore the cave at the park, ride the train, and then maybe hit up a few of our favorite rides. 

Four out of our five ready to go in to the cave! Addy was hanging out on my back. 

We were warned several times about the cave tour and that it was a brisk and challenging hike, but we were up for the challenge. Our tour was to be one mile long and last about an hour. We had to walk down 500 steps to get in to the cave. When we first walked in, you were standing on a tower, looking down into the cathedral room. 

And when we finally made it to the bottom- we looked back up at the opening. Legend has it that the cave was stumbled upon by Native Americans hunting a bear, and that the bear accidentally fell through the opening at the top. 

Our pictures didn't turn out too great in the cave. My flash was too bright for the girls eyes! So, in all of their pictures their eyes are either half open or completely closed. 

The girls were pretty terrified at first, but once we got them down the 500 steps they did great! 

After seeing the cathedral room, we followed a little tunnel in to the "shoe room" It literally looks like a big shoe impression on the ceiling of the cave. When the cave was first discovered, they thought it was marble, but alas, the cave was only filled with bat guano. Do you know what guano? It's poop. We were literally standing in a room that had been filled with a ton of poop. 

But the girls didn't seem to mind. 

We had to climb lots of stairs, walk through tiny openings, it was pretty treacherous-  but probably because I had an extra 25 lbs of Addy on my back! 

Once we were finally out of the cave, we were hustled on to a little train car that would pull us out to the top. The girls were frightened at first and I had to tell them that it would be totally fine! Although, I was thinking that if the break system failed, we would be rushing downhill and right in to a rock wall. 

But, we made it out safe and sound! Addy was less than thrilled- remember those low ceilings? I bumped her head on one. #whoops

By the time we got out of the cave, it was raining. I had promised the girls a "Lucky" dog, so we bought their dogs, and went to get on the train. Unfortunately, we had just missed a train, so we had some time to kill. Dippin Dots while we waited was the perfect snack! 

Except, it was raining and freezing, and my girls were in shorts!

So, we waited for the next train, freezing just a tad, and after the train ride, we called it a day. The girls had really wanted to ride a few more rides, but we have season passes, so we'll be back a ton this year! 

We made it back to the condo, and Adalyn and I took a little nap. I woke up and Addy was still sleeping, DJ was watching basketball, so the girls and I headed back to another little park on the property. 

And they tire-swinged their little hearts out. 

We met our friends for dinner at Shoguns, and Addy Pearl was less than thrilled! 

And I have the best video of Megan freaking out when the table was set on fire! Poor thing was terrified! 

After dinner we headed to an indoor putt-putt place. 

Which was quiet an adventure when our two year old didn't understand that you're suppose to putt the ball in to the hole. We would help her putt her ball down, and then she'd run down to the other end, pick it up and put it in the hole! And then she'd pick up all of our balls and put them in the hole too. 

Needless to say, putt putt was a bit of a challenge with our girls! 

And then we hit up Steak & Shake for milkshakes!

Addy drew her daddy's hand. She's obsessed with drawing hands right now! 

Megan had a  birthday cake milkshake. 

And Gretchen had mint chocolate chip!

And then we had lots of giggles and tickles before bed! 

Megan asked me to lay down with her and she ended up falling asleep on top of me! She was worn out!

Saturday morning we decided to head home as soon as we woke up! We had a little surprise waiting on the girls that we had to get home for!!!!

Spring Break Fun!

We're on to recapping Day 3 & 4 of our Spring Break! To see our first two days, click here. 

Our Wednesday was a low-key day. We spent our first two days having so much visiting some new places in Tulsa, so on Wednesday we slept in and did some house cleaning, laundry, and packing. 

We scrubbed the girls down after dinner and they requested wavy hair for the next day, so I gave each girl lots of braids after their bath. 

And then we got up super early on Thursday morning for a little Branson getaway! 

We arrived at the park around noon for an afternoon of crazy fun!

We always have to stop at the sign to snap a picture before heading in to the park. 

The girls found the big treehouse first, and after Addy and I went through it once she was done, so she and I headed over to the carousel. Her new favorite after our recent trip to the mall. After she and I went around once, Megan joined us and we sat in a little carriage. 

And then Addy wanted to ride on a bear, so we went around again. 

Three times around on the carousel we met up with our friends, The Donalds. 

Gretchen and Connor have been great friends since kindergarten, and they were so excited to see each other. We stopped for a ride in the flooded mine before finding more rides. 

We rode frogs, 

and butterflies, 

and teacups. 

And then we made our way to the other side of the park to ride Fire in the Hole. 

And practiced some poses. 

Even Adalyn was tall enough to ride Fire in the Hole! Megan nor Addy were big fans of Fire in the Hole, but they rode it none the less! 

And then we made our way to Fireman's Landing, the little kiddie part of the park. 

All of the kids went up the ladder. 

And we played in the ball pit, and stayed until the park closed. 

We were all starving by that point so we made our way to a local pizza place, which was so yummy, and then finally called it a night. 

Stay-Cation

Last week was our Spring Break, and man, it was fabulous! We spent every day together as a family and made some great memories! We weren't rushed, we didn't have hectic, scheduled plans, and we went with the flow. It was just what we needed to jump-start our Spring and help us count down the rest of the school year!

Monday morning we hit up the mall, which is a treat for the girls! I never take them to the mall and I much prefer shopping online, but DJ was off, and I knew that we could handle the girls between the two of us. We had a quick stop at the Apple Store, went to Gap, and then the girls begged for a carousel ride. 

Addy was so excited!

I had to ride with Adalyn since she wasn't big enough, and DJ rode with Megan. 

After lunch and a quick errand, we took the girls to a park. 

I wanted to find a park that we hadn't been to before and this one was perfect for the girls. Our plan the first few days of Spring Break was to explore our city a little bit more, so we were excited when we found this park in mid-town. 

The little girls on the see-saw. 

And their daddy on the other end!

DJ and I took some time to just sit and relax while the girls played. 

The weather last Monday was gorgeous. It was in the 80s and just fabulous! So once we got home from the park, we let the girls play outside. 

Meggie of course ran inside and changed her clothes. 

Tuesday morning we decided we would visit a local museum with the girls. 

The Gilcrease museum is a historical attraction here in Tulsa and we hadn't had the opportunity to visit before they have an amazing collection of art, carvings, and Native American pieces. 

Thankfully, they had a kids play area too, and the girls loved exploring. 

Meggie checking out her height. 

And Addy had to as well!

And then the girls had a puppet show. 

Gobble, Gobble! 

We explored the grounds a little before we left. 

The flowers haven't bloomed yet, but the girls loved the fountains. Addy wanted to throw money in- every time she sees a fountain she wants to toss in a coin. 

Gretchen decided the garden was pretty enough that she wanted to have her wedding at Gilcrease. 

This view was perfect for seeing downtown Tulsa. 

I love these girls. 

After our museum tour, we headed for lunch at Dilly Dinner. They have the perfect outdoor eating space in downtown, complete with play houses for the kids. 

I went to snap this picture and Addy stuck her tongue out at just the right moment!

And Megan had been begging to go to the "swinging park" so once we got home, Addy went down for a nap and I took the big girls to our neighborhood park so Megan could swing her little heart out. 

Our first two days of our stay-cation were the best.