217 - the 4th of July weekend

Now that I think about it...the 4th of July is a holiday that last longer than the day itself. Depending on where the 4th lands in the week, we can usually make a long holiday over several days and plan all sorts of activities. In the nineties and the early aughties, I spent most of my 4th of July weekends at the Cornerstone Festival listening to music and camping with 25,000 other people.

So when the 4th lands on a Tuesday, it's easy to take Monday off and have a nice four day weekend.

Here is a real quick run down of our activities:

Friday-

• Leave work at noon. It's my half day. Go home and pack the car full and leave about 2pm.
• Drive south on 71 highway towards Bella Vista, Arkansas. It is about a 2.5-3 hour trip. With kids in the car we stopped once for a bathroom break and ice cream.
• About 5pm, we arrive at my Grandparents house - Great Grandparents to my boys. Ewe has seen them many times and is really comfortable around them. But Els is a little shy at first holding close to mom. He soon warms up and begins to flirt.
• After dinner, we all go swimming at their neighborhood pool just up the street. Grandpa came too. Both boys learned to jump off the side of the pool into the water. Els was fearless. Ewe was a bit more cautious, but soon let his guard down.

Saturday-

• Spent the day at my Grandparents with little excursions.
• We all went to one of our favorite hiking trails, next to a creek with a waterfall that is close to a lake.
• After lunch, Els went down for a nap and I took Ewe out for a little drive where he ended up falling asleep. So, I kept on driving until I found a McDonald's with a playland. He played while I enjoyed a coke.
• We all went swimming again. Ewe let me throw him up in the air so that he lands in the water by himself. Both boys made great strides in the swimming department this weekend. Being able to get comfortable with the head underwater was a major accomplishment.

Sunday-

• We took our time in the morning, packed up, said our good-byes, and left for Branson to go to Silver Dollar City. It is about a 2 hour drive.
• Branson traffic was crazy, as usual. We found our hotel. I went out to get a quick lunch and bring it back. McDonald's is not good on hot, sticky days.
• We got to Silver Dollar City a little after 3pm. - which means we can use our tickets again the next day for free. We stayed until the park closed at 7pm.
• In the car, we called Pizza Hut for carry-out and then ran to a grocery store for a few items. We ate dinner back at our hotel.

Monday-

• Continental breakfast.
• Back to Silver Dollar City for the day.
• We left about 4pm. Went back to our hotel for a short break to nap, refresh.
• Dinner at Olive Garden. The kids will eat breadstick and spaghetti. There is a funny story about our pager. (Later.)
• Back at our hotel. We all go swimming at the pool.

Tuesday-

• Continental breakfast.
• Pack-up and check-out.
• A quick stop at the Tanger Outlet Mall.
• Eat lunch in Springfield.
• Arrive home at 3pm.
• A short little nap for me.
• Ewe and I head over to Leawood Park to watch the fireworks with our family.