Lake of the Ozarks

This is a really long post with lots of pictures. So, here goes.

 We went to Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri for our family vacation this year.  It was a beautiful place to visit.  The kids had a lot of fun.  Lori and Jimmy invited us to go with them, and Cala and Clark came as well.  It was a five hour drive from our house so not too far.  We followed the GPS (Helga as Clark and Cala affectionately call her) and she took us on quite a ride.  We were on very country roads.  We didn't see stores or gas stations for a long time.  I started to worry that we might run out of gas before we found a gas station.  We also ran into two closed roads that we had to go around in the middle of nowhere.  Kade got carsick.  I felt queasy as well going up and down and back and forth all out in the middle of nowhere.  But, we made it in the end.  We found a much better alternate route home.  Not sure why that wasn't the way to get there in the first place.

 We visited Ha Ha Tonka State Park.  Loved the name.  Beautiful place.

 Valerie and Grace were best buds all week.  Grace referred to Valerie as "the girl", Jace was "the boy" and Uncle Jimmy was "that guy".  It didn't matter how many times were corrected her, she still referred to them by those names all week.  Grace spent every minute with her cousins.  They even had slumber parties every night.

 We visited a castle ruin at Ha Ha park.  It was pretty fun to walk around.

 Cala and Clark

 Cute baby

 We did some hiking.

 On our way to see the natural spring.

 I'm not sure if this is the right picture but the boys walked to the balancing rock.  When they got there, Kade was a little disappointed.  He said that they walked all that way to see two rocks.  Not very impressive to him.

 We saw a natural bridge.  I liked that.

 Muscle man.  Kade was disappointed he couldn't keep his stick.

 This is the view where we stayed.  We were right on the water but a tree was in front of our balcony. I forgot to take a picture.  The lake was pretty.  Not like deserty lakes in the west.  Trees went right up to the waterline.

 Pool time was fun.

 The boys always wrestling.  My mom used to say that they were like bear cubs.  They still are.

 We rented a boat two different days.  The first day was a pontoon boat. Nice and smooth.  Didn't get sea sick at all.  Second day was a deck boat.  Little bit faster and not as smooth.  I did okay until Jimmy tried knocking the kids off the tube.  The kids loved it - me not so much.

 We had so much fun and it was so relaxing.  Cala cooked dinner every night and Lori did the dishes.  I was LAZY.  I know the kids loved our vacation.  We had Andy's frozen custard, took old fashioned photos, walked around, enjoyed the pool and basketball court, and just relaxed.

Are you still reading? That was a LONG post.  Someday I will be computer savvy and know how to block my pictures together into cute collages - but not today.

May

 May was super busy.  Besides Grace's birthday, we had scouts, baseball, soccer, and school activities.
I think Jack thought he was funny holding his award upside down.

 They just built a house on the empty lot behind our house.  Then, they started work on the pool.  I have to say I was a little jealous.  I would love a pool when it's in the 90s or 100s and high humidity.  I think it's a fiberglass pool.  They dug the hole then brought in the pool and hoisted it in with a crane.  It was pretty cool to watch.  They swung it over my other back neighbor's yard then partly into our yard before it found its home.  They could have left it in my yard.  I wouldn't have cared.  My boys could have dug the hole!

 Kade and Grace playing in our garden soil.  Good thing the plants weren't in yet.

 For some reason I didn't write the Dare graduation date in my calendar.  The night of graduation, we had just sat down to eat dinner and Josh casually mentions that it is Dare graduation.  I asked him what time and he told me in half an hour.  He then told me it was no big deal if he didn't go.  He didn't care.  I told him it was a school function and he needed to go.  We ate dinner in 5 minutes and were out the door.  We even got there before it started, amazingly.  Tom was out of town so I was on my own.  Megan was a little fussy but we made it.

 I think the swings are Megan's favorite thing at the park.  Perhaps once she starts walking the slides will be more exciting.

I don't know if Josh has enough awards.  

 Way to go, boys.

 Josh earned his tenderfoot and 2nd class at the last court of honor.  He is almost done with his first class as well.

 Jack is working on his eagle project.

Grace's Birthday

Megan has discovered the pantry, the cupboards, the trash...  She is into everything.  She climbed into the pantry the other day.

 Grace is now officially 4.  She loves barbies and little ponies.  She especially loves giving her ponies hair cuts. I keep telling her it won't grow back but that doesn't seem to matter to her.  I find pink pony hair all over the house as she tries to hide her crimes.  She lost scissor privileges but that hasn't stopped her (that is for another post).

 Grace really wanted a princess cake for her birthday.  She got a strawberry ice cream cake for her birthday and I told her I would make her a princess cake for her friend party.

 Grace got a basketball hoop for her birthday.  I think Josh and Kade were more excited about it than she was.