And now back to our regularly scheduled program...

It's been a rough weekend on so many levels. But at the same time, I've really been blessed by the overwhelming support and kindness I've received from my family and friends. I can't thank you all enough! I can, however, finally offer up this post about our Branson trip last weekend. :)

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Branson - was - awesome. :) We had a super-fabulous time! Lot's of playing and eating and shopping...all with my favorite people!
Jeremy and I arrived Saturday afternoon around 3:00. The area we stayed in was GORGEOUS!! Beautiful rolling hills covered with masses of trees; we really felt like we were in the middle of nowhere, but were actually just minutes from "the strip." The townhome was perfect, too. We each had our own bedroom with private bath. The place was fully equipped with everything we needed, including dishes, pots and pans and a toaster. There was even a washer and dryer so we could do laundry. Sa-weet!! :)

This was an area by a playground near the townhomes. Isn't it gorgeous?

Probably the best part of this trip was Livvie's growing fondness for Jeremy. She's ALWAYS been shy around him because, out of everyone in the family, she sees him the least. Well she really took to him this weekend and they became good li'l buddies. Again, the townhome was great because we could all be together, even after everyone was in their jammies and winding down for the evening. One night, Jeremy and Livvie had disappeared and we couldn't find them. We'd looked in all of the bedrooms and they weren't anywhere! Eventually they emerged from our bedroom. They were both grinning ear-to-ear and Jeremy told us, "We were in our fort!" He had stripped ALL of the bedding off of our bed and hung them up in the closet to make a little tent, plus all of our pillows were in there lining the walls "so she wouldn't bump her head." It was the cutest thing and I'm SO mad at myself that I didn't get any pictures of it.

Earlier that same evening Jeremy had been watching the Bears game in our room. Livvie was in there with him, wrestling around on the bed. They took a break to come eat dinner, but afterwards Livvie knew exactly how to get Jeremy away from the table and back to playing. "Jer-me, go watch football?" Of course he JUMPED on that chance! *haha*

Here's the two of them stopping to smell the flowers. Aren't they cute?

We spent most of our days at outlet malls and shopping centers and everyone went home with SOMETHING. :) I got a new wallet from the Fossil outlet, and a cute daisy ring...and lot's of cute Christmas ornaments at the Kringles Christmas store. Lauren, Rich and both of the kiddos did great finding shoes. Jack was so cute in his. They're his first pair and he kept clunking his feet together trying to figure out what those big heavy things were doing on there.

We visited a few parks while we were there to give Livvie a chance to stretch her legs and work off her energy. I think the rest of us left more tired than she did!!

And of course, there was a visit to Lambert's as I predicted there would be. We convinced Mom and Dad to come with us and we all made complete pigs of ourselves. It was DELICIOUS as always! The people are always SO friendly and personable. One older gentleman came around with a pot of the "pass-arounds" (which are basically freebie side dishes! Yum!) and asked if we'd like any. It was macaroni and tomatoes (I'm not a fan) so I declined by saying, "No, there's just no room on my plate!" Well he reached over, took the bowl of green beans OFF my plate and proceeded to blop some of this casserole into the spot they had been taking! It was hilarious, we all just died laughing. You could tell he was just an ornery sort of guy. I'm sure he's a fun Grandpa to some lucky kids.

Picture time!! I won't post all of them but here are a few more favorites:

Jeremy was excited that Jackson was in full Bears colors and had to prove it by showing the hat matched. :)

Being Auntie Sarah and Uncled Jeremy to these precious kiddos is just too fun!!

And my FAVORITE picture of the weekend is.....

Is she cute or WHAT? (Mom deserves credit for this picture as well as many others I've used here. Thanks Mom! You're an excellent family photographer. *hehe*)

Branson, here we come!

I am very excited about our family vacation to Branson this weekend! Mom, Dad, Lauren, Rich and the munchkins have headed out today and Jeremy and I will be meeting them there tomorrow. We've reserved a fully furnished town home with three bedrooms and a kitchen so we can be together the whole time!



This is the first vacation we've all taken together since Livvie and Jack have come along. With Liv's food allergies, it's almost impossible for her to eat out. So this is the perfect way for them to experience a getaway but still be able to fix meals at home to ensure her safety.


The agenda is pretty much up in the air. The only place I have on my "MUST VISIT" list is Lamberts. We will be too close not to take advantage of the complete pig-out session they offer. :) They're known for their "throwed rolls," but I don't really care for bread, so I'm in it for the all-you-can-eat helpings of fried potatoes, fried okra and black-eyed peas. Mmm Mmm Mmm!

We're setting out first thing in the morning when Jeremy gets off work, so you can be sure I'll be driving. I'm actually looking forward to it, because that means I get to choose the music! *hehe* I have a limited number of playlists on my iPOD that he can tolerate...and his music choices don't float my musical boat either. (He likes country and Phil Collins. *rolls eyes*) When HE'S driving, it's crucial that we listen to music he knows and enjoys, otherwise we run the risk of him becoming drowsy. Well, tomorrow the goal will be to help him sleep, so I've got my broadway musical soundtracks cued and ready to go! ;) Oh, and my new music I found through Genius! That will be perfect. He'll sleep the whole way there! *haha*

We'll be back late Tuesday night. I'm sure I'll have lot's of fun photos and stories to share by next weekend! :)