big cedar. summer 2014

A couple of weeks ago, we decided to take a last minute trip to Big Cedar Lodge in Branson. Jeb and I went to Big Cedar around this time last summer and absolutely loved it! The kids have only been once, last fall, and we thought it would be a fun little weekend trip for all of us. We didn't plan a big family vacation this summer because of Rush being new and us adjusting to three children. Now Jeb is wanting to take a last minute road trip to the beach, but we'll see! That seems like a lot to take on with a four month old and two wild kiddos! 

My parents and Kassidy went with us to Branson, and it was such a fun, relaxing trip. We stayed in a little one-bedroom cabin that we were able to reserve last minute. It worked, but next year we want to book our trip earlier so we can get one of the big family cabins. We started the weekend with dinner at Top of the Rock. Top of the Rock is the new golf course and restaurants that opened this summer. It's part of Big Cedar and is located on the very top of Table Rock Lake. The view was absolutely stunning! The two restaurants are Arnie's Barn, a Mexican restaurant, and The Osage (also known as Top of the Rock), which is a steakhouse and took the place of the Worman House at Big Cedar. The restaurant had only been open for two weeks and was extremely busy, therefore our 8:45 reservations were last minute and pretty late for the kids. 

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The wedding chapel at Top of the Rock.

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The golf course was just fabulous! Jeb isn't much of a golfer, but he couldn't help but want to play on this amazing course at the top of the lake! 

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The course even has a night-time driving range that is all lit up. It's amazing how they could nestle such an incredible course up in these mountains. 

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She was so energetic after the 5 hour car ride that all she wanted to do was run! Luckily, I got a few cute pictures of her all dressed up in her new Matilda Jane! 

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While we were waiting to be seated, we headed downstairs to the Buffalo Bar to hang out and admire the view. The scenery was gorgeous, and they had out door fire pits, fireplaces, and the guy that used to sing at the Worman House was there as well! 

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Sunset on Table Rock

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Finally got him to pose for a quick pic! 

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Everything about the restaurant was incredible…except the food. It took us almost two hours to get our meal and it wasn't all that great for the price. The Woman House was always so amazing and we were expecting this food to be too, especially since it was the same chef. 

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such a good daddy

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Jeb and his boys

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favorite

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The next morning, we all went to breakfast at Devil's Pool restaurant. They have a delicious buffet, and Reid loves eating there because they make amazing omelets right in front of you. After breakfast we decided to all go check out the "new and improved" putt-putt course. Of course, Reid had a blast and could have stayed here all day. Jeb and Kass had a pretty good time too! The boys made a deal that the person with the highest score had to be the first one to jump into the lake! I think the loser was Uncle Kass!

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Big Cedar is so beautiful, peaceful, and relaxing…it's the perfect place for a weekend family get-a-way! 

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Sis liked putt-putt too…and she insisted on the pink ball, of course! 

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Working on her putting skills

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After putt-putt, we went down to Bent Hook Marina and rented a pontoon boat. The weather was cloudy and it sprinkled a little, but it was still a nice day on the lake. Reid enjoyed jumping off  the boat with Uncle Kass and swimming in the crystal clear water! Jeb was our captain and navigated us around the lake, since he was familiar with the area from last summer. One of our favorite spots was driving the boat to the Missouri/Arkansas border. Reid thought it was super cool that we could be in two states at one time. Papa Kelbo napped the entire boat ride, Nana Karen held baby Rush, and I tried to get a little bit of sun! We also took a tube, and Jeb and Reid rode the tube for a while. After we got back to the marina, mom, dad, the kids, and I went to the Clubhouse to take the kids to the pools and the lazy river. Kass and Jeb stayed behind to do a little paddle boarding. 

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On Sunday, we spent the day at Silver Dollar City. It was super hot and humid, and the lines were a lot longer than usual. We've never been to SDC in the summer, and after this trip, we all agreed that it's a lot more enjoyable in the fall. We like the shows better (especially the Wild West show in the fall that's Reid's favorite), the lines are shorter, it's much cooler, and I love drinking the wassail! 

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We spent the morning riding all of the smaller rides with the kids. Jeb and Kass took Reid and Lil on the kiddie roller coaster, the ships, the flying elephants, and the tea cups. But the shooting boat ride has always been Reid's favorite! This ride was LilliAnn's first ride at 4 months old, and it was also Rush's first ride at 3 months old! 

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It definitely was "hot as a firecracker!"

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Next, we had to ride the American Plunge, or "log ride." Jeb took the kids on this last fall, but I was pregnant and wasn't able to ride. This time the kids talked me into coming along for a "family log ride!"  It was a blast…and it felt great to get a little wet! Reid wanted to ride a big roller coaster, so before we left we decided to ride the Powder Keg. This was the fastest roller coaster at SDC and none of us had ever been on it before. It was definitely fast and super scary, I thought! I still cannot believe Reid rode it and actually had fun! At one point he got pretty scared and Kass started saying, "We're having fun! This is fun, Reid," to try and talk him through it. After it was over, he wanted to ride again! 

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On Monday, mom, dad, and Kass went home and we spent the day relaxing and playing at Big Cedar's "beach" down by the marina. I sat in the shade with baby Rush, while Jeb kept an eye on the big kids who were catching little fish in their nets. 

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That night we headed into Branson for dinner at Branson Landing. We had eaten here the night before with mom and dad at Texas Land and Cattle, but tonight we came back for Mexican. The kids love walking around at the Landing and riding the little train. They also were excited that they got to go to Build-A-Bear! 

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getting so big!

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The next morning we headed home, but not without stopping for lunch at the famous Lambert's Cafe. The kids had eaten here before, but didn't really remember much about it. They thought it was super cool that they throw rolls at you, especially Reid! 

It was nice little last minute summer road trip and we can't wait to got back. Big Cedar is always such a good time. Now to decide about that beach vacation...