Silver Dollar City Camping

James has been asking to go camping for a week or two, I don't know where he got the idea but he has been insistent. I told Logan how James has been wanting to go camping and he instantly agreed. We decided that we would go as soon as possible. So we started to look up campgrounds in Branson, since its normally warmer in Branson and its close to Silver Dollar City, the other favorite place James loves to go! Next thing I knew we were on the phone with a campground that Silver Dollar City owns, they offered discounts for SDC season pass holders and a shuttle to the park. I had to gather all the camping gear, pack food, clothes, snacks and anything we might need for an over night.

We arrived at the campground early and caught the shuttle to the park. We were able to meet up with Logan's Sister and her son. They were able to stay for a few hours before they had to leave, we were so lucky to go and not have to deal with long lines or crowds. Both boys were able to ride plenty of rides and enjoyed the day out. 

Once we arrived at the campground we assembled the tent and Logan decided that we should use firewood instead of the charcoal briquettes I picked up. I agreed that firewood would be pretty fun and more of the camping experience. While he was gone I realized that the dry ice I used to keep the food cold all day had actually froze our dinner, so i set those out hoping they would defrost a little and be able to cook. Luckily they cooked through and our dinner was delicious! The boys weren't too sure about foil dinners but loved the corn we cooked. After dinner we made s'mores, another camping favorite. We all roasted marshmallows while Boston just ate as many marshmallows as possible.

It was bit chilly at night but we had a few blanket thief's so Logan was really the only one who got cold. James woke up the next morning saying I LOVE CAMPING! We all had a blast and decided we wanted to do it again, but maybe next time we will be better prepared. 

Cider & Doughnuts

I love Festivals! When I was little my family would always head out to all the fun festivals our little town had, so since we have moved to Missouri I have tried to keep up the tradition. We have a few favorites and this weekend was Cider Days! I love apple cider so we all headed out the door after breakfast. We arrived downtown and it was warm and the streets were full of people. Cider Days is one of my favorites because they have lots of activities for littles! James loved the pumpkin rolling, leaf rubbing, visor decorating, and mask making, there were plenty more we just ran out of time to do them all. 

I also love festivals because of the food! I love roasted corn and I just can't seem to match that yummy roasted corn flavor at home, so when I can buy it, I buy it! Unfortunate for me James and Boston also learned they loved roasted corn, but honestly i was pretty proud, who could turn down corn, butter, garlic, salt and some cayenne pepper. It was delicious. Luckily I bribed them with some popsicles so i could snag a couple of bites. We also grabbed some apple cider, because its not Cider Days without some!

Later that day Logan had to head off to work while he was away it was talk like a pirate day another event I just can't pass up. I dressed both boys up, luckily we have a Captian Hook costume so I just had to make one costume up. With both boys dressed and ready we were on our way. James and Boston each received a full dozen doughnuts since they were dressed up! We enjoyed some doughnuts in the store then we dropped off a whole dozen with Logan so they could also enjoy yummy hot doughnuts!   

Boston turns 2

We celebrated Boston's birthday! We tried to keep it simple since Logan would be working most of the day. James had been counting down the days for 3 weeks. Every morning he would wake up and a ask how much longer it was until Boss's birthday and we would count the days on the calendar. The night before the big day, James had informed me that he had not been able to pick out a present for his brother and he really wanted to. So off to the store we went, we watched Boston to see what he liked and asked him what toy he liked. We managed to sneak the toy we picked out into our cart and purchase it without Boston realize what was happening. James loved keeping a "secret" from Boss. When we got home I hid it away in my closet.

On the day of James ran into our room when he woke up and reminded me that today was the day. We all snuck into his room and filled his bed with balloons.  Boss loves to sleep and has a hard time waking up, like his mama ;). Once he tossed out all the balloons he was happy. The boys played with balloons all morning. We played all Boston's favorite games and watched a movie of his choice. Boston loves the outdoors and trains, so we decided to take his trains and train tracks outside to play, he was thrilled!
I made his favorite dinner, chicken strips, mac and cheese with broccoli and cake to follow. Boston had helped me make and decorate the cake earlier, so he was pretty excited when he was able to blow out the candles. After cake James grabbed Boss's present from its hiding spot and then told him what was inside. Luckily Boston had no idea what was going on and continued opening it. We all had a fun day celebrating our favorite little Boss!

I can't believe I have a two year old. He loves to play with James, follow mom and dad everywhere, he enjoys playing on his own but is always grateful when someone wants to play with him. He has the cutest little smile that'll brighten anyones day. We sure do love him!