Did someone say, "IT'S ROADTRIP TIME?!?"
YASSSS, yes, indeed! We'd been following [most of] all 'da social distancing rules and sheltering-in so hard since mid-March, and I could feel all four of us starting to crack at the beginning of June! Besides me going to and from work [and stopping at the grocery store on the way home from work], Brian and the kids had basically been home all day, every day. The kids are homebodies in general, but heyyyy hi, all of this COVID business is just a recipe for cabin fever to the MAXXX! I knew that we wouldn't be able to safely travel overnight anywhere with any family/friends, but I still really wanted to plan a little roadtrip/long weekend getaway just for the four of us. I surfed the web for a few nights and found this really cool treehouse/cabin park in Branson, and boom! We hit the ground running and put a whole new meaning to the phrase "CABIN FEVER!"
We only had to stop twice on the ride down [once for a potty break and a second time for food + children's Dramamine ...I'm sure by now everyone knows my kids' reactions to long car rides! It was a near miss with Harper, but after a stroll through WalMart and a dose of Dramamine and a hamburger Happy Meal, all was swell for our oldest princess again.]. Upon arrival to the cabin, we self-toured the property and then Scarlett quickly started unpacking her suitcase! #COVIDwho? #heretostay
The hiking trails were a little more challenging for the kids than I thought they'd be, so on the first afternoon we stuck close to the cabin and enjoyed some water events [which did not disappoint!].
The kids were getting hungry around 5:30pm, so we decided to start a campfire and roast the hot dogs and s'mores we brought...
...but apparently Brian's Boy Scout skillz had rusted over the years, because [even after wadding up 1/2 notebook worth of paper that we found in my car + stealing some wood chips and sawdust from the trash can in the middle of a construction mess next door] a fire WOULD NOT start! At 6:45pm, all of us were hangryyyy and we decided it was a totally lost cause. I headed out to the nearest store for charcoal and lighter fluid while the kids stayed home and ate through the snack suitcase..... :|
...and thankfully, that good ole' lighter fluid did the trick! Nearly 2 hours after starting to mess with making a fire, we were roasting hot dogs and marshmallows like pros! :)
Saturday's main events were playing at the playground...
...chugging hot chocolate...
...and hiking the trails! Marching through the Ozark Hills in June heat/humidity was nottttt for the faint of heart. God love Harper for blurting out literally every thought that was silently going through my head:
"It's sooooo hot!"
"Owww, I just tripped over something and hurted my ankle!"
"Are we almost back to the cabin? I'm out of breath!"
"Wooooooo, I'm sweaty!'
"Daddy, can we go to the pool instead?"
Eventually, we made it back to A/C and TV and junk food. I'm thinking these girls are their momma's daughters through and through!
We brought our A-game [armed with charcoal and lighter fluid] to dinner on night #2...
...and roasted some prettttttty perfect marshmallows for s'mores, if I do say so myself!
We packed up and bailed on Sunday morning!
Despite the heat, it really was such a great weekend full of quality family time! Harper is ready to go back, but next time she wants to stay in a treehouse instead of a cabin! :)
