Trip to Missouri

Two weeks ago, my mom and I packed the kids in the car and headed to Springfield, Missouri to visit my brother and his family. We hadn't seen them for almost 2 years and since then, we've had the addition of 3 new family members!

Our first day there, they threw a belated birthday party for "Nana."

Hyrum, Hunter, and Michael had a blast racing Hotwheels through a "tunnel" off the couch.

Nana with her three grandbabies: Sarah, Emma, and Justin.

Hyrum and Hunter were soooo sweet with Sarah. They hugged, kissed and coooed with her the entire visit. Hunter was especially affectionate! I guess they get lots of practice on the twins.

On Thursday, we took a trip to the Springfield zoo. It was so nice! It was a beautiful day, and the boys had a blast running from animal to animal. I think we made quite a sight, however, pushing around 4 strollers!

The petting zoo was a big hit!

Little boys and couch cushions. Could there be a better combination?

Friday, we made a trip to the Bass Pro Shops which have their headquarters in Springfield. ATVs and fishing tackle don't normally impress me, but this place is amazing! There are ponds, rivers, and waterfalls all over the store. Stuffed wildlife and huge aquariums are around every corner. There's even a live alligator! I'm definitely going to have to find one of these places in Houston.


The boys loved test-driving the ATVs and boats!




The whole crew: Jeremy and Justin, Megan and Emma, Hunter, Hyrum, Michael, Nana, Jennie and Sarah. (No, the grizzly isn't part of the family.)

The next day, we made a trip to the nature center near their house. It isn't just any nature center --it is a dedicated, protected forest. We trekked through the woods a bit


and saw this deer wading through the river right in front of us. It wasn't a bit afraid!

We also saw a water snake, a heron, wild turkeys, turtles, and, of course, frogs . . .

really big ones.


Fun at the park in the evening.






All six cousins: Hyrum and Justin, Sarah, Michael, Hunter and Emma.

After a fun-filled week, we headed back home. The night before we left, I had a sudden desire to see the Ozark Mountains, which are just south of Springfield. So, we changed our travel plans and took a longer, more scenic route to get home. It was worth it! Not only did we get to see the beautiful mountains, we also avoided the horrible storms and flooding that were going on in Oklahoma (which we didn't know about til after the fact.)