Columbus Day Weekend (our family vacation)

Nate had Monday, Oct. 14th, off.  So we planned our family vacation around that time.  We headed down to Branson, MO for a Silver Dollar City trip, were able to be with some friends and Nate's mom, aka Grammy.  It was a much needed and really fun vacation!

At SDC, it was their "National Harvest Festival" - up until this trip, I thought World Fest was my favorite festival there (where they bring people from all over...well, the world...to participate in activities representative of their culture) but after this visit, the Harvest Festival may just be my new favorite theme.  There was so much information stuff going on: making sorghum syrup, illustrating how log cabins were made, how to make wooden barrels, etc. 

Using old tools to make rolling pins.

This is essentially the same picture, but you can see the man in the background turning the wheel which then spun the wood so that older gentleman could shape the rolling pin.

Making sorghum syrup

Start of a log cabin

 And of course there was all the other, usual awesomeness to see and do: 

This is Max saying to Elise (acting as Yzma and Kronk) "Yzma! Put your hands in the air!"

Being taught to do dot drawings.

We finally were able to go on the lantern tour of the cave!  It was pretty fun!

 

The kids trying to stand up straight in "Grandfather's Mansion"

Nate, Max and I looking at not-walking-straight selves in the mirror.

Our friends on the "Flooded Mine" ride

Yay! family vacation!  On the train.

The outlaws (trying to rob the train) and train conductor

 

 We left for home on Sunday so that we could have some time at home before getting back into our regular routine. 

Monday, though, we were still on vacation, so we grabbed sandwiches for lunch and got permission to picnic and hike on some friends' land.