Branson Vacation - Part 2

On the 4th, we took the Branson Scenic Railway tour on a REAL train. Jonathan was ecstatic! It was a 40-mile trip through the Ozark foothills and at the turn-around point we were in NW Arkansas. We went through tunnels and over trestles and had a little lunch on the train. We were able to walk through the train and each car had a different style of seating.

Hannah and Andrew checking out the scenery.

These pictures are out of order, but I'm too lazy to fix it. This was taken at the end of the ride. It was about an hour too long for Hannah and she was ready to do something else!

Andrew trying on Daddy's sunglasses to kill time.

Sorry the picture is dark, but this was our excited train boy!

Andrew wanted to take some pictures. This was right after we got on the train and before the a/c kicked in to cool us all off!

Our view of the inside of one of the two tunnels we went through.

Going over a trestle - you can see the engine as we rounded the curve.

This was the view at the turn-around point. Our tour guide said this was his favorite spot in the fall and I'm sure it is quite breath-taking when the leaves are changing colors.

Family photos with our train engine

This may or may not have been the boys' favorite part of vacation - excessive screen time.

The train station was honoring military members and veterans on the Fourth and so Keith and I received half-price tickets! Mom and Dad offered to watch the kiddos in the afternoon so Keith and I could check out the outlets. We shopped fast and hard and came home with some great bargains. We laughed that we couldn't remember the last time that we had gone shopping together without children. It was such a treat!

On Thursday, our last day in town, Grandma and Grandpa thought we needed to take in a Branson show. So we went to see Grand Country's Amazing Pets. I was not very excited about the show, but it was great for the kids, and they loved the magic show and the dog and cat tricks. Since we've been home, Andrew said he now believes in magic. We asked him why, and he said, "Magic is the only way they could've gotten those cats to do those tricks!"

In the afternoon, the boys went swimming again and Hannah and I took a LONG nap. She and I were up half the night. Poor girl started a fever and didn't sleep well. It wasn't until we got home that I figured out what was wrong with her - Hand, Foot and Mouth virus. So fun. NOT. Adam started it the same day she did and so we are assuming we picked it up at the family reunion. Jonathan started the virus a couple days later and then Keith got it a week later. Such a horrible virus. Blisters on the palms of their hands and bottoms of their feet and sores in their mouth, all of which appear after two days of high fever. Fortunately, Andrew and I didn't get it. I'm pretty sure Andrew had it when we lived in ND, and I must've had some version of it somewhere along the way.

We were still reeling from the effects of sickness over a week later, and I vowed we would never go on another vacation ever again. Check back next summer. I'm sure I will have forgotten the torture of sick children on vacation.