Branson Thanksgiving!

Once we finally got through the birthday madness at our house, it was time to start getting ready for Thanksgiving.  Normally we just stay around home Thanksgiving weekend but this year we spent the holiday in Branson, Missouri with all my extended family on the Cullimore side.   This trip has been in the works for over a year and would not have been possible without my wonderful grandparents and parents!!!

  

In the mid-90's, my grandpa built and ran an IMAX theater and complex in Branson.  He spent 6+ years creating an amazing business with a fun and wonderful family atmosphere.   I had the opportunity to spend a few summers working there back in high school and college so it has a special place in my heart.  We also spent a few Thanksgiving's back there with all the extended family when we were younger.  It was exciting to be able to take Clay and the kids back and to see people I haven't seen in over 10 years. 

Tuesday

The Tuesday before Thanksgiving, we flew (along with 35 other family members including 5 babies in arms!!!) to Springfield, Missouri.  The flights weren't too bad and the kids did pretty well.  Of course they didn't fall asleep on the drive to Branson despite being exhausted and it being almost midnight by the time we got there.   Unfortunately, Will came down with a bad cold that night so sleep was minimal that night!

Wednesday

We slept as late as the kids would sleep and then went to meet one of my old friends and her family for breakfast.  It was fun to catch up. 

Later that day, we headed out to Silver Dollar City.  An amusement/theme park with an old time feel. The weather was beautiful and not too cold (past times we'd been were SO cold) so it was quite enjoyable.  We went on some of the rides, Addie and Will both went on their first rollercoasters, and of course took a train ride.    

 We also made sure to pay a visit to Santa and got to see all the beautiful Christmas lights.   After eating some dinner and having a yummy funnel cake, the kids were tired so we headed home and relaxed at the hotel.

 Thursday- Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving morning the whole family (50+ of us) went to see The Hughes Brothers morning show. It was a fun show and their family certainly has a lot of talent.   Unfortunately, Will's tired got the best of him and he spent a lot of the show out in the lobby and car but managed to make it through the 2nd half of the show because Grandpa bought him some popcorn at intermission!  

After the show, we had a little free time before Thanksgiving dinner and a family picture so we took the kids to a Go Kart track and rode the go karts!  They have some seriously impressive go kart tracks there and the one we went on was like 3 stories high with a big hill.  Will was all business and very focused but his face was fun to watch as we went down the hill! 

We headed back to the hotel where we did a family picture with everyone in our Cullimore Family sweatshirts in front of the marquee and also in front of the IMAX complex.  

Gumpy and Gummy (my grandparents) had arranged for the restaurant in the complex to provide Thanksgiving dinner for us.  It was very generous and it was fun to enjoy a meal and some time altogether as a family. 

My cousin put together a memory book with old pictures and our memories of Branson and we also had a slideshow of the pictures.   It was a great way to spend Thanksgiving! 

Gumpy, Gummy and their Great Grandchildren

Gumpy, Gummy and their Grandchildren

Gumpy, Gummy and their kids

That night we saw the IMAX movie, Born to be Wild, and poor Will passed out during it!  We then headed back to the hotel to play games before heading to bed. 

Friday

Friday morning, my parents arranged for the family to do a 5K since we weren't at home to do the Cottonwood Heights Beat The Mayor Thanksgiving 5K.  Our kids were still sleeping so I stayed in the hotel with them while those who were up and willing went out and did the 5K.  Some ran and some walked.  Clay came in 1st place and won the Turkey! 

After the race and some breakfast, we headed over to the theater where they did a special showing of the two films that were created just for this theater.   Probably the last time they'll show one of the films so it was even more special that we got to be there and see it one more time. 

Later that afternoon, we went to see a show with live animals called The Miracle of Christmas.  It was quite the production with a GIANT stage.  Since Gumpy had connections, we got to go backstage and really see how big it was. Incredible! 

We rushed off to dinner so that a few of my siblings and parents could go see another evening show and we took the kids back to the hotel to swim!  They had a blast and it was just what they needed that night. 

Saturday

There was nothing planned for Saturday so we took it easy that morning.  Clay and the kids went to get donuts and we started to get things packed up.  We finally decided to head out to a local indoor waterpark to let the kids play.  It was a perfect way to spend a few hours and they had a great time. 

We went back to the restaurant in the theater to have lunch (delicious sweet potato fries, fried green tomatoes and green beans...mmmm) and then took the kids to see Arthur Christmas at the movie theater.  Will totally passed out about 5 minutes into the movie and slept through the whole thing! We were all exhausted! 

Saturday night we took some pictures in the lobby before we headed out to our last show, Dixie Stampede.  This was a really fun show for everyone- the kids loved all the horses and action and the adults enjoyed the food and drinks (oh, and the show too)!

Sunday

Unfortunately, Sunday morning our fun had to come to an end! We got up and checked out, had breakfast at the restaurant, then headed out for our flights home.  We again had 35+ people on our flights so that made it a little more fun (for us anyway- felt a little bad for the non-family passengers)!  The kids did great- Will slept for a good two hours on our second flight and I got a lot of reading in!  

It was such a fun trip for us!  We were so happy to spend some time with our extended family but also with Clayton, Brandi and Lexi since we hadn't seen them in a few months. 

Thank you Mom and Dad and Gumpy and Gummy for all that you did to make this trip possible.  It was such a great experience and so wonderful to be together with everyone.