Voices, Violins, Cowboys, Paddlewheels, and Pontoons

The last three days have been non-stop for the Davis family. We've experienced lots of new things and had so much fun! 

Tuesday we went to see a vocal band called "The Cat's Pajamas."  There wasn't a musical instrument in sight.  Everything was done with voices!  Later that night we sailed on the Branson Belle Paddlewheel boat where we had dinner and watched another great show.  Meeting the captain of the boat was a highlight as he introduced himself as a Christian and shared many experiences similar to ours.

That night we enjoyed one of the nicest condos we've ever stayed in.  I guess Allyson decided she needed to fancy herself up, too!  She helped herself to mom's mascara.  Thankfully she didn't get to the waterproof!  This kind was pretty easy to wipe off, although we did have to go inside her nose and mouth. 

Wednesday Mommy and Nicole went to a show while Allyson (and Daddy) napped.  Or that was the plan but Allyson figured out how to get out of the lodge's crib and he found her jumping on the bed when she was supposed to be sleeping.  Meanwhile, Nicole and mom were enjoying The Duttons...finalists from "America's Got Talent".  They play violins, fiddles, banjos, bass, anything with strings.  And it's all family...lots and lots of family.  Very fun!

That evening we all went to The Circle B Chuck Wagon Supper Show.  It's pays homage to the cowboy through music. Nicole was "deputized" along with the other kids to help track down the "Cornbread Bandit".  She didn't end up sticking around, though.  She made friends with the owner's little girl and they went in the back and watched a movie together.

We ended the night with Bill Medley from the Righteous Brothers.  Wow, this was definitely a favorite show!  We heard "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" and "Unchained Melody" and others from the man himself.  His daughter was also an amazing singer.  Our favorite part was the second half when they "unplugged" with the band and we got to hear the old war stories of Bill's time with Elvis, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, and more.  It was great!  Of course, now we're close friends with Bill:

We stayed Wednesday night in a four-bedroom house on Indian Point right on Tablerock Lake.  The owners took us to lunch the next day on a floating restaurant and then let us take a pontoon boat for the rest of the day.  This is the part where Nicole went nuts.  She got to go tubing for the first time and kept saying it was the most fun she'd ever had.  Here's a little video clip of her in action. 

 

Allyson wasn't as impressed with the whole lake experience.  She wanted nothing to do with the inner tube although she did go for a swim.  And, like our Allyson, didn't hesitate a bit when told she could jump off the boat.  For the most part she stayed in Dad's lap while he drove.  And she dozed a little in between her favorite pasttime... taking ice out of the ice chest and throwing it, piece by piece, into the water. 

Nicole's love affair with tubing ended on the last run of the day.  Dad was driving and Nicole and I were riding together.  We hit a huge wake and both of us flipped off the tube.  I swam to her as fast as I could but there was no way around it.  We were both a little traumatized (her body hit my head as she flew off).  We talked her into getting back on and going on a slow ride back to the dock with mom.  But only time will tell if she'll ever have that same enthusiasm again.

Of course, our outdoor excursion wouldn't be complete without a little break for fishing.  The locals here use canned corn for bait (I'm not kidding).  And, eventually, they did go for it.  Everyone caught a fish.  Britt threw his back before getting a picture but here is Nicole's...and mine... who hadn't quite finished his corn.

We're all exhausted but, if we had to describe the last few days, we'd probably quote a Bill Medley song: "I've Had the Time of My Life."

Moe-Nicole

We went to see Moe Bandy's show last night. Britt and I were cracking up at Allyson who had been very fussy due to lack of sleep. But the minute Moe's music started she started clapping her hands and raising them in the air and really enjoying the concert! After the show Nicole said "Moe Bandy is my favorite show". We waited until everyone else left and then I asked him to sing her a little song. He ran to get his guitar and sat down on the steps next to her. She got suddenly shy but it was still pretty cool.

 

Color Me... All Over

Today I spent most of the afternoon on the phone with HP (via India) trying to fix a problem with our computer.  I let the kids watch videos, color, anything that would pacify them while I was dealing with the computer.  I should have known letting them use markers unattended was going too far.
(Oh, and the braided pigtails on Nicole was attached to an earlier dress-up episode where she wanted to be Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz.  Best I could do, folks. The kid's hair is just not that long.)

Pompeii

Lately Nicole has been almost obsessed with volcanoes and the story of Pompeii.  (I think she may have heard something about it in preschool.)  Everywhere we go, Nicole asks if there's a volcano there. We have checked books out of the library, watched videos on the internet, and tried to learn all we can about the subject. 

So I began thinking about the Brady Bunch episode where Bobby makes that volcano (the one that blows up on Alice).  And I decided Nicole and I would build our own volcano.  Of course, we used a plastic cup and playdough...and we ran out of the right colors...and it melted right away.  But Nicole thought it was great.  Here's the big eruption:

Swimming

We spent some time the other night at a friend's new house. They bought this place with lots of land, house with 4,000+ square feet and a wooden bridge over a creek that leads to a pool... for $165,000. Crazy. We enjoyed the pool and Nicole had her first experience diving off a diving board! (With her floatie safely around her.) Okay, so none of us (except the kids) are going to win any beauty contests but Britt in the swim mask ... left me speechless. One of the funniest pictures I've seen in a while. :)

VBS

Nicole, Allyson, and I were involved in VBS all week. (I volunteered in crafts...obviously they didn't know me when the assignments were made.) After each day we spent time with Nicole's good friend, Holland, and her little sister, Darcy. Tonight was the performance. Here's just a portion. Nicole doesn't seem too interested in the performance. I think it's because she spent the entire afternoon at Holland's house. I picked her up in time for the two of us to run to a favorite store and have a quick dinner together. Daddy and Allyson met us there. I love this picture of the two of them getting ready to watch the show.

Family bike ride

Nicole asked for "family time" last night so went on a walk/bike ride. It was such a nice evening. We love our neighborhood.