A few weeks ago, our family joined my sister's family and our mom on a week-long trip to Osage Beach. Our Aunt Diane and Uncle Emilio (our mom's sister) were generous in giving us their time share points, which allowed us to stay for an entire week in a penthouse suite at the resort. It was something we have never done before and probably could never afford to do again. This place was amazing and accommodated all nine people easily.
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| The view from the dock... gorgeous! |
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| Just outside our door |
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| Enjoying the balcony! |
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| Enjoying the view! |
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| Enjoying each other! |
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| Gracie loves Natalie! |
Ryan and I had our own king bedroom with an attached bath and balcony. Steph and John shared a king with Natalie and had a bathroom just outside their door. Gracie and Kia bunked together in a sweet bedroom with 2 twins, while Kyle and Grandma shared a king bed downstairs, with their own bathroom and balcony. There were 2 living areas, a large kitchen, and dining table large enough for all of us. The kids were able to burn off tons of energy between running the steps, chasing balls through the family room, or pacing back and forth on one of the balconies. It was heavenly! Each bedroom was equipped with its own TV, so Kyle was in seventh heaven as he rotated between bedrooms to watch his DVDs.
We were right on the water, with a gorgeous view and a 2 minute walk down to the dock. The drive to the main strip was about 4 minutes and to get to most of the attractions took us less than 20 minutes. It was so perfect, so fun!
We went during the off-season, but there was still plenty to do. The first full day of the trip was forecasted to be the warmest day of the week, so we swam in the resort pool. The water was a bit chilly, but no one really cared. There was a large hot tub/heated pool to warm up in when we finished.
The next day, we drove to Ha Ha Tonka State Park to hike and see the castle ruins. It was a gorgeous fall day and the kids had a fantastic time in nature. They all get along so well, so we adults were able to enjoy the sights as well.
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| This purple flower was the highlight of her hike. |
When we returned from Ha Ha Tonka, everyone took naps (well, everyone who is smart... not sure what John and my mom were thinking?! --- that's what vacations are for!) Seriously, Ryan and I were very deliberate in making sure we got an afternoon nap every afternoon. Ahhh... the life! After dinner, we went to the resort game room, which included a ping pong table, pool table, workout facility, and plenty of room for the kids to play. We bought balls at Walmart and the girls spent a few hours chasing them around and hiding from "the tickle monster" and just enjoying a fresh new place to romp around. Kyle learned how to play ping pong for the first time, and while the more intense players, Ryan and John, took a break, Kyle and I challenged each other to a few games. He and I are more on the same skill level!
On Saturday we noticed that a local town was having their air show, so we decided to check it out. It turned out to be a fun way to spend a few hours. There were several small planes doing different acrobatic stunts, along with free candy and overpriced hot dogs and burgers... can't go wrong! Gracie is still talking about the air show and all the airplanes she saw.
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| He was mesmerized! |
Anyone who has been to Osage Beach knows about Miner Mikes, I'm sure. I'd always seen the tourist trap, but never stopped in. I think everyone thought we would be fake mining for gold or something inside, but really it's just an arcade and play place for kids. We spent the entire afternoon there one day while the kids climbed through tunnels and ball pits... the adults were allowed to play, too. So each of us took our turn, as well. Downstairs was a play area for younger kids with a few mini rides, games, and bumper cars. Again, they let the adults play too, so we all jumped in!
My sister, mom, and I also wanted to visit the outlet malls while we were there. We've all been to Osage Beach before, with the sole intention of spending an entire paycheck at the outlet malls... so we had to go for old times' sake. Although the only one with enough free cash to spend an entire paycheck was my mom... and she did! Good for her! Steph and I got some good deals on kids' clothes and I picked up a few gifts. I'll admit that I miss the days of no mortgage payment and just being able to shop without a care. Ahhh... the life! But I wouldn't trade it for what I've got now, either.
Sunday night Grandma and Natalie stayed back for a nap (should've taken one everyday like me!) while the rest of us went to the indoor water park at Tan-Tar-A. Turns out we only had 2 hours to play before they closed early on Sunday, but it was was perfect anyway. We had the entire place to ourselves. The guys went down the big water slides over and over again, while the little girls went down the little ones. We lounged around the lazy river multiple times and swam around in the big pools. It was so, so fun! We all agree that we want to visit an indoor water park here in KC sometime this winter. We had an absolute blast!
The rest of our time was spent shopping, eating, watching football or 24, and lounging around. For me, having a few extra adults around was so nice! One morning, Ryan and I woke up to the smell of coffee and bacon cooking. John had started breakfast early Now, neither of us drink coffee, but the smell in the morning is awesome and add bacon to that... it was a nice treat... coupled with the fact that we didn't have to cook it. SWEET! My sister and I divided up bathing duties with the kids... she gave a few more baths than I did, but still, neither one of us was 'on bath duty' every night. We all shared the load of cooking and cleaning up after meals, so everyone got their chance to sit with his/her feet up every now and then. It was wonderful. Simply, wonderful!
I owe Aunt Diane and Uncle Emilio a big thank you for this trip. All the family memories we created in Osage Beach are completely priceless. To hear Gracie reminisce about "the hotel" and "minnie macks" (that's Miner Mike's) is so endearing. We were driving to the lake to go camping last weekend and she said, "Let's just go to our hotel instead." She quite enjoyed the freedom of that giant place and spending day in and day out with her cousins was the supreme happiness to her. So thank you, thank you, thank you. It was our first vacation (outside of camping) as a family and we will remember it always.
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| One last look at the water before we head home. |
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| Heading toward the car to drive home... sad girl. |
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| Everyone buckled in for the ride... including baby! |
To those of you who read through this post and sifted your way through all the pictures, my apologies. I know looking through someone else's family vacation photos can be boring... but I just had to post them... for us!
