Another Great Week in the Ozarks!

Our annual Ozark vacation is always something fun to look forward too! We have so much fun, in fact, that I usually need a week to "recover" when we get home!!! This year, there were 31 people in attendance, from age 7 to 83! We ate, drank, shopped, swam in the pool, swam in the lake, cruised in the boat, tubed behind the boat, played Bingo, played a week-long scavenger hunt, cracked open a "grown-up pinata" one night, then did the same with a "kid pinata" during daylight, had a water balloon toss, hula hoop contests, stayed up late, ate breakfast on the deck with the ducks swimming below and the squirrels begging for food! It was HOT, HOT, HOT, in the 100s, all week, until Friday, when Robert and Ann arrived from Redmond. At that point, suddenly the temps dropped into the 90s...whew!
The last night, Kayli laid down in bed and showing me her bruises, said, "Whew, Mom, my body is beat up from head to toe, I just don't know how much more of this vacation I can take!"

Kayli helps Karen put the boat in the water...

1st full day at the pool. Our group just put the chairs right in the water and stayed put!

Kayli and Hannah were playing Mermaid dolls, when another little girl swam by and just couldn't resist joining in...

Kayli and Hannah went through a lot of water balloons during the group tossing event...

time to start whacking the pinata...

Kayli's cousin, Anna, was 2nd in line to swing the bat. On her first swing, she knocked off one cone. On her 2nd swing, she broke the pinata in half, scattering all the goods! In the end, the cones from the pinata made cool "princess hats"!

hangin' out with Nick...

piggy back from cousin Jake...

pool games with cousin Matt...

the 3 little girls at the campground playground

gymnastics with Jim!

relaxing in the pool hammock-chair with cousin Anna... 

hangin' out in the lake with cousin Matt...

Kayli playing with her cousins Hannah and Anna...

Matt offers to take the girls to the playground...

time for some BINGO...

Kayli won TWO times!!!

"Ok, Mom, I've got my prizes..."

Kayli tubes ALL BY HERSELF!

then takes a turn with cousin Anna...

ohhhh, it was so much fun!

Dinner at Eileen and Gary's cabin. The girls decided to hunt for pretty rocks on the pebble beach...

oh yeah, that's a good one...

Kayli jumps from the high dive platform...

Once Kayli convinced her cousin Hannah to try jumping off the platform, the two had a ball just doing it over and over and over and over!!!

"C'mon, Hannah, let's go..."

Devin and Marty taught the girls how to skip rocks...

Uncle Kevin took the little girls on a sunset boat ride...

beautiful...

Ahhhhh, until next year...

 

Camp "Singing and Dancing"

LOVE this half-day, one week, end with a cute show, Camp! Kayli has fun, Mom gets some mega-errands run, and the grand finale is a little girl that feels like a star! Priceless!

and, naturally, I have to share some video clips of some of the fun...

A sad day in our house

This morning we got up at our leisurely summer pace, came downstairs to eat breakfast, and turned on the t.v. OMG! Did they just say what I think they said? Our cable provider is boycotting the channel that has had top billing, and pretty much the only channel we ever watch in our house! Nick Jr has decided that they want more money and they want cable companies to purchase a package, including a whole bunch of channels, and our cable company is refusing, since it would mean raising rates,and they just ran a huge promotion where they got people like me to sign up for a two year agreement, with the first year being a significant discount! Seriously, Nick Jr. is the only reason we even have a cable service and have had since Kayli turned 3 and began her "acting" career...getting all her material from this channel! So, as I just mentioned...two year agreement...Seriously? Why do these things happen to me? Kayli is just dumbfounded, but trying to look for other options...she immediately said "well, a least we can still get on the computer, and we still have a Nick Jr DVD! We've got the laptop streaming as we speak...but just not the same as the big screen tv! Ohh, I hope we can resolve this...I seriously don't know what we'll do without the Fresh Beats in our house!

Kids Builders Workshop

So, what important fashion accessory does a fashionista wear to a Home Depot Kids Builders Workshop?  An orange "screwdriver bun", to match the apron, of course!

On a scorching day of more temps in the 100s, we didn't even want to be at the pool where we'd have to apply sunscreen every 5 minutes to combat that intense sun. So, we decided it would be fun to take advantage of the Home Depot Kids Builders Workshop instead. As we prepared to leave the house, I combed Kayli's hair and pulled it up into a bun. Then, I turned to get my keys and purse, when she suddenly disappeared into the basement and was back in a flash, holding an orange screwdriver from her play workshop. She had that "proud and pleased-with-herself" look on her face, as she deftly slipped it into her bun and proclaimed "perfect!" Gotta love that girl's thinking!
Loved the workshop too...

"Bob the Builder" presented Kayli with a special completion certificate...

Next, was the "pinning ceremony", as Kayli proudly watched a special pin be placed on her apron...

Voilaa!

the cool truck went straight to the dollhouse...

then, Kayli went straight to the basement with a whole renewed interest in her workbench!

Hours of FREE fun!

Happy 4th of July!

Kayli and I were at M & J's pool for a solid 8 hours!!! I mostly relaxed. Kayli did not get out of the pool, except to occasionally surface to grab a handful of Cheezits, then, jump back in the pool, and later took snippets of time to eat a bunless hotdog and some spoonfuls of pasta salad with droplets of pool water dripping onto the plate, and only adding to the "flavor of the day!"
By the time I pulled her out of the pool, at around 8 p.m., I thought I might see that she had sprouted a mermaid tail!

I think Jake's getting pretty strong, as I watch him flip Kayli...

Now, for a canonball contest...

"Oh yeah, watch this..."

C'mon Jake, let's play dolphin show...

"I think I can make this basket..."

                  Jake's ready to get out, but never fear, more kids have arrived, woohoo...

we got dressed and headed back towards home where we were going to take advantage of the city fireworks display at dark. Kayli wasn't taking any chances on the noise level, as is evidenced by the earmuffs she grabbed on the way to the car...

once we staked out our spot in the grass, Kayli quickly made friends with a little girl nearby and her toddler sister...

while we waited for the fireworks show to begin, the girls climbed into the wagon and played "Connect Four" on my IPAD.

It was driving Kayli crazy that every time she won a round, the little girl, who was 4, would yell "Oh,oh... you won!" Kayli would say "Mom, why does she keep saying "Oh,oh, when I win?" Just cracked me up. Every now and then, the toddler would stagger over and pat-a-cake the IPAD, sending it back to the home screen, and resetting the game. The girls were good sports and would laugh, then gently try to move her. One time, during an attempt to move her, this darling toddler drooled on Kayli, which prompted her to shriek " Eww, slooobber!" which of course prompted the grown-ups to roll with laughter!Suddenly we heard a bang and saw the first flash in the sky..the fireworks show had begun...

The show was beautiful, but the best part was listening to the kids yelling "WOW!" "OO" "AH," and my favorite..."Did you see that mom?"  Yep, I saw! Happy 4th of July!