Jones Vacation 2009

After our last experience traveling with Jensen when he was about 18 months we were in NO hurry to take another trip. Since he is 3 now, we decided to give it a try and drive instead of fly so we could stop along the way and do what we want. My cousin Erica lives near Indianapolis, Indiana along with some of my family and when we found out she was getting marrried we decided to drive up to visit plus make it a family vacation. Jeff's mom let us borrow her Honda Pilot (thank goodness since my Jeep is crapping out!) and we left early last Thursday morning. Our first stop was the the McDonald's that goes over the highway near Vinita, OK and Jensen did really well in the car thanks to some toys and games I checked out from Rainbow Fleet. We had a DVD player but didn't need it until we were about an hour away from Indianapolis then we realized the DVD's we brought didn't work because I copied them wrong, oops. We made it in about 13.5hrs and it wasn't bad at all. At all the hotels we stayed at, Jensen thought it was so cool to go up and down the elevator and he was in charge of using the room key card to open the door.

Former world's largest McDonald's in Vinita, OK

Friday morning we got up and took Jensen to the Indianpolis Children's Museum. That place was amazing and we could have spent days there and not see it all! We ate lunch in the food court first then they had hands-on activities with dinosoars, trains, aquariums, mummies, a carousel and a construction site where kids got operate a crane and bobcat to name a few.

Jensen driving the Indy car in Indianpolis

Jensen wanted to ride the carousel but didn't want to get on a horse so he sat on the bench

After the museum we drove an hour and a half to Marion, Indiana where I was born. We moved to OK when I was about 6 months old so I'm really an Okie but I have always wanted to show Jeff where I came from. After checking into the hotel, we met my Dad and Sharon at Hersch and Dee's house for a cookout. Hersch is my dad's best friend and they were sort of like god parent's to us and now they live back in Marion. It was really nice seeing them again and they had never met Jensen before. We also got to see some old friends of ours Beth, Talia and her baby Scott. Not long after we got there though Jensen spiked a fever and fell asleep so we had to cut the visit short. His fever got up to 102.9 and we were really worried we would have to take him to see a doctor and not get to do what we had planned. He was ok by the next day though so I don't know what that was. Me with "Aunt Dee and Uncle Hersch"

On Saturday, I got to visit with my dad and all but one of his siblings at Erica's wedding. I was really impressed at how well Jensen did during the wedding ceremony. It was a very nice wedding and reception with a sit down dinner.

Me with my Dad and sister Carrie

Erica with her mom (my aunt Patty). Jensen said her dress was shiny

Saturday was our day with my Dad's side of the family and Sunday was for my mom's side of the family. It worked out great that Carrie and my mom flew out to my aunt Rosie's house in Tennessee then drove up with my two aunts and two uncles to visit us and other family in Indy. We met them in Marion then drove to the itty bitty tiny town of Van Buren where my mom grew up. We visited 3 graveyards where my grandparents and great-great parents are buried. We also drove by the tiny little house my mom and her 4 siblings were raised in. I have great memories of going there to visit before my Grandma Betty passed away when I was 13. I always loved that the town was so small, my sister and I were able to walk by ourselves to the only 4 way stop in town to buy candy and soda at the store.

My mom and all but one sibling- Uncle Ike, Aunt Sally, Aunt Rosie and Debbie

After visiting Van Buren, we went to dinner at a buffet place with about 30 of my mom's aunts, uncles, cousins etc. Some of them were my Grandma and Grandpa's siblings and I didn't really know many of them but remembered visiting a few when I was younger. Jeff felt like a giant compared to all my mom's short, wide family he he!

We left Marion after that and drove about 5 or 6hrs to St. Louis, MO and checked into our motel. Monday morning we woke up and went to Six Flags and had a blast. We went mainly for Jensen to have a good time especially since I'm pregnant and can't ride anything. It was kind of torure too being there and seeing the great roller coasters and not being able to get on them. It was priceless though to see the grin on Jensen's face as he rode all the kiddie rides. His favorite was a Scooby Do ride called Scary Swamp where you ride through and zap ghosts with a gun. He rode it twice and wanted to ride again but we were frying out the in the heat so we left early.

I wasn't sure he would like the rides but he just beamed with excitement

We left St. Louis after Six Flags and drove about 3-4hrs to Branson, MO. We learned that it's a pretty neat town with lots of stuff to do. We woke up the next day on Tuesday and rode the Ducks-amphibious vehicles that drive you through the mountains then splash into the lake for a boat ride. They even gave us quackers to blow that sound like ducks.

These vehicles were really used by the military at one time

QUACK!!

After eating lunch, we went to a cavern called Talking Rocks. We went through a door and down hundreds of feet of damp stairs through this cave with very large stalactites and stalagmites. It was pretty and amazing that water caused this cave to look this way over time. Jensen loved being down there too and at one point they turned off every light so it was really dark then they had light show set to music. One of the smaller formations as we entered the cave. My camara battery died so that's all I got

We went to an expensive seafood dinner at Landry's then Jeff took Jensen to ride go-carts at this track that looks like a roller coaster. Jensen loved it and is still talking about driving fast with Daddy.

ZOOM ZOOM!

After Branson, the plan was to head home Wednesday morning but I guess Jeff got inspired by seeing my roots and decided he wanted to take a couple hour detour through Poteau, OK where his grandparent's were born. We called Grandma Cassie's sister, Great-Aunt Lebrica and Uncle Doug and met them for lunch then met another great aunt and uncle Curtis and Dorothy at the cemeteries where Jeff's Great-Grandparents are burried. We also went by the little school not far away in Howe, OK to see where Grandma Cassie graduated. We even got to go inside and see her senior class picture on the wall of the high school. I just loved that! Then we went by the tiny falling down barn looking house where they lived as well as two other houses they lived in growing up. Jeff, Aunt Dorothy and Uncle Curtis (Grandmas Cassie's brother), Aunt Lebrica and Uncle Doug (Cassie's Sister).

We had a fabulous trip and even though it was a lot of driving it wasn't bad at all. I love that it was a perfect mixture of family time and adventure and I'm very excited we were both able to get in touch with our roots.