The 4 Middletons: Silver Dollar City

We have some really close friends that we have known for years! Kristi and I were best friends in middle school and the beginning of high school, and her husband Mark was in classes with Nick in high school. Many years later we are both married and have reconnected after college. The past two years we have taken a family trip with one another and its always a ton of fun. Last year the Ferguson's came here to Texas and we went to Great Wolf Lodge (which was amazing, and we highly recommend it!). This year they asked us to go to Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri with them. We love mini vacations and road trips (especially when its with such a great family) so we instantly accepted the invite! It was a 7 hour drive from our house. We left really early Friday morning and was arrived into Branson around 2 that afternoon. The Ferguson's arrived not long after us so we settled into our hotel and caught up with one another for a bit. Then...we talked the husbands into taking us to the outlet mall. :) Kristi was pregnant with their third child and needed to get the new baby some clothes while I wanted new clothes for the boys. After some shopping we went to a great seafood/steak restaurant. It was pricey, but hey, its always okay to spend money on vacations right? We went back to the hotel to let the kids swim in the pool before going to bed. We had a busy day ahead of us!

The next morning we got up early, got ready, ate breakfast at the hotel, then waited for the shuttle bus to take us from our hotel to Silver Dollar City (it was less than a mile from where we stayed). We weren't sure what to expect when we got there and were pleasantly surprised. We had bought our tickets in advance and went right into the park. It is an amusement park/little shops/mini city that is built into the mountains of Branson. If you have ever been to Branson you know that it is ridiculously hilly! The whole thing is covered with trees and is just beautiful. Everyone who works there is dressed in costume to resemble the 1800's. SO COOL. They had every kind of mini shop from glass blowing, to handmade lotions and soaps, to old photography booths, to a blacksmith shop. Once you enter the park all rides are free which is amazing. You just pay for goodies and food. I loved that. So many amusement parks today make you buy stupid tickets and it costs a fortune!!! We got to ride all the rides we wanted all day long. Also, when we bought our tickets it was a "buy one day, get one day free." We didn't think we would have enough to do there for two days, but in all honestly we didn't get half of the things we wanted to done! The rides were great, the food lines were terrible, and the weather was perfect. I got tons of great new pictures with our brand new camera (the Sony A77).

Mark and Kristi's oldest child is Luke, who is 6. He kept asking me to take him on roller coasters. I am a chicken when it come to rides but how could I say no to such a cute kiddo? Nick took Cooper on the rides, and I switched with Mark taking either Luke, or their daughter Kendall who is 4. Since Wyatt was too young for most of the rides Kristi watched him (since she couldn't go on the rides being pregnant). It really worked out quite well for all of us! Cooper determined pretty quickly that he does NOT like roller coasters and Luke kept promising me it wasn't a scary one coming up...I got scared though, (shiver). The little kids LOVED those big swings that go around in the air. Cooper and Kendall wanted to go on it over and over. Luke LOVED the big roller coasters. The Daddies took him over and over and over. We all got crazy sunburns, but it was so worth it! We went out for pizza that night, then a bit of swimming before going to bed to wake up and do it all over again! The next day we bought sunscreen too...

On Sunday we showed up to the park as soon as it opened. The Daddies went RUNNING to the biggest ride there: Wildfire. It...was...insane. There were no lines since it was so early in the day so they rode it at least 5 times in a row! I got some great pictures of them! There was a spot to stand to watch everyone on the ride. So cool! We left Branson about 3 that afternoon. It was a really, REALLY long drive home but we had such a great time! I wonder what next year has in store for the Ferguson/Middleton vacation??? (Quick update: Baby Claire was born on Friday, May 11th!!! Congratulations Ferguson Family!!!)