Branson Trip-Tuesday

We decided Tuesday was the day for Silver Dollar City. I planned to go in the morning, then take Kaelyn back to the house for her nap after lunch and return in the afternoon. Once we got there and saw how far the parking was from the park and how far deep into the park we were going to be around that time, I changed my mind. I decided we'd stay and hope for the best. Kaelyn used to sleep in her stroller at the zoo for her morning nap really well so with any luck... :)

We didn't have that luck and she was awake all day but she did surprisingly well. It was tough at first because we were in a new place and she wanted me to carry her. In order to set the precident for the day, I told her she had to walk or ride in her stroller. She did not appreciate this idea. Poor thing. After a few crying fits she got the idea. I didn't want to START the day carrying her in this huge amusement park or I knew I would never make it!

We went to a kids area first that had a big slide and some rope courses that were good for jumping and climbing. Kaelyn LOVED it there and didn't really want to leave when we moved on. In fact, she kept looking for it after we left! We went back a couple of times as we went past. My sister's kids and their dad as well as my dad rode a boat ride that had water squirters. The riders could squirt other boats and people watching could squirt the riders. They got pretty wet.

We had lunch at a small cafe that had a big wagon you could sit in. We didn't, but it was still neat. :) Kaelyn started her lunch much earlier so she wasn't all that hungry when the rest of us ate. After that, I was kind of hoping she'd drift off in her stroller. My dad, sister, her husband and kids and I went on the log ride. We all got pretty wet! It was only a 20 minute wait which wasn't too bad for that hot of a day. There was only one big hill and drop, which is where we got the most wet, of course.

When we got off that ride, Kaelyn was still wide awake and enjoying watching the boats come down the hill. We explored a few other places including watching the giant swing ride over and over. No one rode it, but Kaelyn liked watching that too. My niece Nicole really liked a rope ride where two people sit in a seat and hoist themselves up a rope and then drop. She went on that with almost everyone in our group! So she was an expert.

My niece and dad got involved in a water balloon toss and won the first round. They had some pretty close calls when the balloon would hit the ground and bounce instead of break or when they would catch just a small corner of it and it would stretch out. Their reward for the win was to get placed in the next game instead of being out. Not much of a prize. And their balloon popped that time after a bad throw.

Then we went on a raging river type ride. It was impossible to see how long the line was, but it took almost 45 minutes to get through it. For a ride that lasted maybe 90 seconds, maybe not all that worth it, but it was fun! Kaelyn was STILL awake when we got done with that. That time Sean had found a splash park area that she had fun in.

The group wanted to catch the circus show and we headed over to that theater. Kaelyn was obviously tired so I carried her and she was almost asleep when we got there. But, in a circus, with drumming people and bright lights, it's not really an easy place to fall asleep. She watched for awhile and seemed fine and then started acting scared and crying. I figured she was just tired so I took her out and we walked awhile while she cuddled and rested. She was almost asleep again when the darn train went by and tooted its horn, scaring and jolting her awake! At that point I gave up. I changed her diaper and she laid on the blanket on the ground for awhile resting. Then she wanted to ride in the stroller again so I let her eat her body weight in fish crackers and walked her around until the circus let out.

By that time we were all pretty tired. We visited another little kids area and then headed back to the house to eat. Most of us ate our leftovers from the throwed roll place. I was surprised that Kaelyn got a second wind and was running around like a crazy person. I had trouble pinning her down long enough to get her pajamas on that night, but once I did, she went to bed nicely and slept well overnight. Actually, she slept 12 hours and I didn't really hear too much from her.

I learned that she doesn't WANT to ride the carousel. Which is kind of nice. :) She's always been fascinated with them and LOVES sitting and watching. But at Silver Dollar City, since it was no extra charge or anything and since she likes to ride any horse she can find, I thought she might like going ON it. Well, we got into the ring and she would NOT let me put her on any of those horses! So we just walked around it and went on our merry way. Now I know! She just likes to watch! Fine by me! Probably would have made me dizzy anyways!

We plan to go back to Silver Dollar City on Thursday with our two day pass to see and do more. We only did the one show and there's a dog show my niece wants to see. We'll see if Kaelyn likes that one better than the circus. Probably will depend on the time of day we see it!