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Precious Moments

The girls and I took a road trip while we were in Branson and drove up to Carthage, MO to the Precious Moments chapel. The girls picked out their first figures. We stopped at Olive Garden and shared a yummy lunch of soup and salad and the whole day became and adventure when we drove through very heavy rain and thunderstorms.

Thankfully we enjoyed taking in all of the sights there and Dawn is on the quest for her favorite figurine that I am afraid has been retired for many years. We did ask the ladies in the gift shop and they said there was once a figure like it but no more info other than that. I loved how the girls were taken in by the beauty of this little place off the beaten path. I love when I can share a passion with my kids.

We were sad that they don't do the light and water show anymore. I had told the girls that it was really cool when Grandma and I were there about nine years ago. There were a lot of figurines to choose from and it took a little while for the girls to pick out their perfect "firsts" for their collection.

KING of Mini Golf!

I think that hands-down Zach's favorite Thanksgiving trip was mini golf! And how great was it that the condo we stayed at had an 18 hole mini golf course to use anytime we wanted to. And I mean ANYTIME!

The weather, for the most part, was mild and we were able to go without many layers. BUT, Thanksgiving day it was COLD! It was a great thing for Zach to get out and play when the condo can get kinda small for a 4 year old who needs to get some energy out! So, on Thanksgiving afternoon when he asked if we could go play mini golf we bundled up and went. It had thunder-stormed the night before and snowed Thanksgiving morning...no longer mild conditions. BUT, we braved the elements and went out to play! We had to skip about half of the holes that day because they were submerged in water!

Zach definitely had his favorite holes before it was over. He still talks about hole 12 that was really hard! He got a few holes in one but he took pride in the fact that in any game we kept score on he "won" with the most points! :)

Thanksgiving Trip

We enjoyed some time away from home in Branson, MO for Thanksgiving. We met Michelle and enjoyed visiting. Matthew had a hard time sleeping in a new place until about the second to the last night. We have found that a three bedroom condo would probably be perfect. That way, Michelle would have a room and the kids would too.

The big screen television was a big hit and the kids thought the mini kitchen in their lock out unit was pretty cool. We enjoyed a lot of time at the condo this time. There was a nice playground for the kids, a basketball court, an indoor pool which was used daily and an 18 hole mini golf course which was also visited daily. That was by far Zachary's favorite thing - I think even more than the pool! The girls enjoyed it too along with Matthew who occasionally got to come along.

A big plus for the mom was the in-unit washer and dryer and free detergent provided! It is so nice not to have to have a "dirty clothes" suitcase!

There was a record set on this trip. No child was taken to an urgent care office. I say no child. I was the one there this time with a nasty sinus infection. After the first couple days of the antibiotic though, I felt much better!

We didn't go to any shows this time at Branson. It was a very laid back trip with a lot of lounging and hanging out together. This was the first trip we have had to have an eight passenger vehicle for transporting everyone together. Since it was about $1000 to rent one for a week, we opted to save money and just pay extra gas to drive both of our vehicles. Our priorities have changed a little after the trip. Next on the list of big purchases...an eight passenger vehicle. We really did miss riding together everywhere!

Reading a Little of God's Word

I think it is neat how I have come upon each of my children at one time or another with my Bible in their lap. I have found each of them paging through very gently while at an age where I would think they would not know to "be careful" with the thin pages. They all have paged slowly feeling the different feel of "Bible paper". I still have Dawn's scribbles from the time she found it with a pen in her hand in the book of Genesis. I love that they seem to know that this is a different kind of book and I pray that they will glean the wisdom in its pages as they grow.

"Groovy" Teeth

Zachary has been a trooper this past couple of months as he has had to have a lot of dental work. Turns out, he has "groovy" teeth and it is easy for things to get caught between them. Zach had 5 cavities on the left side which were taken care of in November and then 2 on the right side that he had filled in December. He had two caps on the left side but thankfully just fillings on the right. We love the pediatric dentist...Dr. Eric ROCKS!

Trunk or Treat

The kids were excited when we told them that we could try decorating our trunk for Trunk or Treat at school. They thought it would be fun if the family dressed up as Mario characters (Zach and Ryan already had their costumes) and were excited when Daddy agreed to be KOOPA! As we drove in and parked we saw most if not all of the trunks decorated with spiders and halloween deocrations. We were feeling a little out of place until we found out that we had won the best trunk and got a $15 gift certificate to Blockbuster for a family movie night! They are already thinking about next year...they have a pretty cool idea already!