The shows in Branson, MO

I had a list of shows that I wanted to see and in that list were a few that I knew the kids would LOVE so we took a family vote and went back to see Dixie Stampede again (we had gone in 2009 with Grammy).  I think Kylan's favorite part of the show is that you are served dinner and you (gasp) get to eat with your hands! He loved the soup and even found out that you can purchase it online...smart kid.

  This is a fun show, North vs. South and they have you yelling and hollering plus you eat so it does go by pretty quickly.  My kids loved it and want to go back everytime we go to Branson.

You are not allowed to take pics in the show so these are from the Dixie Stampede website.

Checking out the horses before the show

They take your pic when you first walk in the door and Kevin actually bought them this year...shocker!

These kids are wanted for causing a stampede at Dixie Stampede if found please call me!

  Since it's the very last season for Noah's Ark the Musical we went to see it too.  I was so excited about Noah's Ark and they didn't let me down, it was amazing!!!  The Sight and Sound theater is beautiful and Noah is in it's last season in Branson, their last performance is Oct. 15th, 2011. Joseph is the next performance that will be coming to the Branson theater for the 2012 season and I've heard that it's an amazing show also!

 A pre-show performance

Once the show starts you are not allowed to take pics so this picture was taken from the Sight and Sound website.

Family vacation in Branson

It seems like we have traveled a LOT this summer for dance competitions, to visit friends and family but not  for the four of us to have a break and get away from everything and bond as a family having a fun time together.  Kevin and I both think vacation is an important part of our lives so we try not to skip them if at all possible and believe me we can pinch pennies and take a vacation for super cheap if we need to.

We have a time share in Branson at Palace View and needed to use it this year.  It's a great property if you are looking for a time share.  We knew we wanted to see some shows, mini golf, go carts, shopping at the outlet malls and maybe even go to Silver Dollar City.

We didn't make it to Silver Dollar City due to the heat and Kylan has some issues with amusement parks due to Asperger's (wish we would have known this the 5 times we took him to WDW).  He did surprise us though and rode the go carts by himself even though he was nervous and they were loud (he has hypersensitive hearing).  We had a great time at The Track 3 and enjoyed several nights riding go-karts, water bumper boats and playing games.  Our favorite was the Wild Woody, so much fun!!!

Makenzie is just a lil bit competitive and had to try and beat her Dad on the race track.

I was one soaked momma by the time the kids got done with me!  It did feel nice and cool though.

We also got to play a round of golf...LOL golf for kids.  Mini golf or putt putt depending on where you live.  We have driven by Dinosaur Canyon Golf many times and decided to just stop and play.

I'm going to post about the shows we saw another day!  Have you been to Branson, MO?  It's a fun place to visit and very family friendly!

Korea Camp 2011

It's that time of year again for our Dillon family to get together at Korea camp.  Yes, FAMILY that's how I feel about all of the friends we have made through this wonderful world of adoption.  Without adoption we wouldn't have met Mika and Jim and their kids and they are some of our BEST FRIENDS, we wouldn't have met the Hortons, the Dues, the Schnable's, my friend LJ (she has beautiful kids from China) and the list could go on and on.  Our life would be so different without the Dillon family and I'm so thankful for them.  If you are or know someone wanting to adopt internationally I would HIGHLY recommend Dillon, they are with you every step of the way until you get your precious child and guess what???  They are there for you AFTER the adoption process too, they helped us with classes on appropriate adoption language, cooking classes, Tol Ceremony for the 1st birthday and they offer camps for the different countries your child is adopted from.  Makenzie and Kylan always look forward to camp, they get to see all their friends and for 1 week they look like everyone else at camp.  I know this might sound odd but they really do feel just a little bit different, they know they are Asian and that they are adopted but that doesn't make it any easier on them.  Being the only Asians in our church, homeschool group, dance classes, golf classes, etc. it's hard on them and they get upset and cry because they are so different looking for others around them but camp helps them with these feelings and with what to say if someone teases them.  All I see when I look at Makenzie and Kylan are my children these 2 beautiful, special, AMAZING gifts from God but when the world looks at them they see something different and sometimes it's with a prejudice.  All we can do is raise them up to love the Lord, pray for them, love them with all our hearts and teach them right from wrong.   We've shared their adoption story so many times over the years that I think they could tell it themselves.  Each of them have a different but equally AMAZING story of how God placed them with our family.  Enjoy these pics from their fun week at Korea Camp!  If you will notice the parents have fun too and I don't even have pictures of the dad's on the golf course.

To read about Korea Camp 2010 and see the pics click here or 2007 click here (the kids look so little in 2007). I don't know why I haven't blogged about all the years of camp since it's an important part of our year but this is what I found.