Missouri

I've always been a big fan of my big brother. I always wanted to marry someone just like him. I think I came close, scary as that is turning out to be :) I don't see Jason and his family nearly as often as I'd like, so it was a treat to spend a week with them.
The Riverwalk in Branson. Lots of fun shopping, and a fun water show (like the one at the Bellagio, but to rock music instead). Ty almost fits in with their family!

The first few days we didn't go on any outings because Ty was very sick. Between a fever, vomiting, and the joy of molars, he was pretty miserable. Luckily, Tylenol and Motrin seemed to work like a charm. When we finally left the house we went to the Discovery Center. It's four levels of fun, even better than the AZ Science Center in my opinion. (At least for little kids).

The Giant Chair

Ty loved the giant legos.

Carsyn playing doctor.

Musical protege.

A room just for building things out of sticks.

Throughout the week, I developed yard envy, basement envy, and weather envy. Rachelle's basement doubles as her preschool and two walls are filled with toys and activities that could entertain a child of any age for hours on end. And they did just that. The weather was considerably cooler than AZ and the kids played outside almost every evening. Ty was in heaven with a swing set, a trampoline, a basketball hoop, and the pink gazebo he became obsessed with.

No respecter of toy colors.

Ty is NOT a good sleeper when he is away from home. However, his cute cousins wore him out so much that he actually napped in a crowded, noisy restaurant. A rare moment.

Cali (11) is on the bottom left. She is a bookworm and was an excellent mother hen to Ty all week.
Cayden (9) is on the top left. She is very logical and going on 30. She beat me in Blokus three times (fair and square) before I finally redeemed myself.
Camryn (7) is on the top right. She has the most vivid imagination I have ever known. She posed as a highly trained possum for part of our trip.
Carsyn (4) is the princess on the bottom right. She is very sweet, knows she is cute, and weighs approximately the same as Ty. I heard her muse, "I thought Ty was a baby" when she saw him in full stature.

Here are some of my favorite things from our trip to Missouri:
Watching the kids catch lightening bugs.
Seeing squirrels, chipmunks and bunnies run around the yard (even though they were in my brothers garden).
Watching J shoot his BB gun at the aforementioned creatures with no apparent ability to aim.
Eating my brothers biscuits and gravy. Yummmm.....
Having Carsyn snuggle with me every morning while watching cartoons.
Camryn sneaking "gifts" of stuffed animals and books into Ty's crib while he's napping.
Demanding rematches of children's games with Cayden because she legitimately beats me at them.
Resting on Cali's bed while she tells me about school and plays with her toys.
Shopping and pedicures with Rachelle, that was my personal vacation!
Eating at Lamberts
Good conversation with my big brother.
Good conversation with his wife. He got a good one.
Watching Rachelle make raising 4 girls look like cake.

The only thing I'd change is having Trent come along! He's missed vacation the last two summers because of school. Next time...