Since Jared's birthday & his very first Father's Day fell on the same day this year, we decided to make it a long weekend & book a little mini vacation! Jared took Friday & Monday off & we headed down to Lake of the Ozarks! We stayed at Tan-Tar-A Resort in Osage Beach, & enjoyed our first vacation as a family.
Friday-
We left at 10:00 a.m. on the dot. We had plans to leave earlier, but Jett slept in until 8:30 (which meant that WE got to sleep in until 8:30 & who is going to argue with that?!?!). The trip took about 3.5 hours (including a stop to nurse, diaper change & quick potty break). Jett did great in the car- he slept most of the way, & was ready to get out of his carseat once we made it into Osage Beach around 1:30 p.m..
First stop- lunch. We found a BBQ place called Bandana's- it was pretty good BBQ- not Oklahoma Joe's but we still enjoyed it :)
Next we checked in at the resort. Our room was nice- plenty of space, & at a pretty central location so that we could easily walk to all of the restaurants & pools. We got settled into the room, changed into our bathing suits, & off to the pool we went! We were soooo excited to see Jett in the pool for the first time, but he wasn't too amused. I think the water was really relaxing to him, because he went right to sleep in Daddy's arms. It turned out nice because it was a chance for Jared & I to just relax in the pool & enjoy eachother's company. Moments where we get to just hang out, without tending to the baby, housework, yardwork, & just everyday life don't happen too often, & we cherished this little time with eachother.
After the pool, we decided to go to Wal-Mart to find a pool floatie for Jett & get some snacks & soda for the room. We had dinner at a Mexican place (can't remember the name) & then headed back to the resort to get Jett ready for bed. Jett got to take his bath in the big boy bath tub (with Daddy), had his bottle, & was off to dreamland. I was so proud of little Jett man- he just rolled with the punches all day. Even though he had spent 3 hours in the car, didn't have his own bed, his routine, or familiar surroundings, he did so well. It also made J & I realize what a great team we are, & that getting away is easier than we both thought it would be. Overall, it was a great day!
Saturday:
Jett had realized at this point that we were on vacation, & decided to sleep in until 9a.m.!!! Niiiiiiiice!!! It was a gloomy day- PERFECT for sleeping in :)
Once we got up, Jared put Jett in the bjorn & they went off on an adventure walk while I stayed back at the room to get ready. I got to take a long shower with no interruptions (ahhhhhh... the small things)! The boys came back & got ready for the day & we decided that since the sun was refusing to shine, that we would spend the day shopping (Osage Beach has a great Outlet Mall). First we had some lunch at The Pasta House & then we literally shopped til we dropped. We spent the ENTIRE day at the Outlet Mall, & all 3 of us got some great stuff! Jett hated being in the stroller, so he spent the majority of the day in our arms. Needless to say, by the end of the day, we were exhausted. We got back to the resort & ordered a pizza from the one of the restaurants on the resort & kicked back & took it easy. Jett hit the sack, & we were right behind him! It was a long, but fun day!
Sunday (Jared's birthday & first Father's Day):
This was a special day! My hubby's birthday & very first Father's Day! We started the day off with presents & cards to celebrate a very wonderful man! A man I am so blessed to call my husband, & so thankful to the Lord that this is who He chose for me to spend the rest of my life with. There isn't another person in the world that could ever be more right or perfectly fit for me, & I love him so very, very much. He is a man that loves the Lord, & loves his family, & Jett is one lucky little guy to have him as a father & example in his life. It is my hope that our son grows up to be just like his "DaddyBoy"! It was so special being able to celebrate someone who means so much to us, & being able to celebrate his new role in life as a "father"!
So after we loved on "DaddyBoy" for awhile & showered him with gifts- we had breakfast at the Bear Creek Lodge (the main restaurant at the resort). It was quite delish!
It was a bright, sun-shiney day, so we got into our bathing suits, loaded up with sun screen & we were off to spend the day at the pool! We went to a different pool on the resort this time. It was way more active! Lots of families with children of all ages were here, so we fit right in! First we tried the little splash pool, & while it was adorable & had the perfect amount of shade, I just don't think Jett was old enough to really enjoy it. He wasn't into it, so we put him in his new floatie, & headed to the bigger pool. Wouldn't ya know it...he kicked back & went sound asleep (this kid is toooo funny)!
Jared & I just let him sleep in his little shaded floatie while we relaxed in the pool, & as we were just hanging out, I looked behind Jared to see 4 little curly heads I would know from anywhere walking by!!! It was my Jolles boys (the boys I nannied for almost 7 years)!!! What a coincidence! We got to spend a little time with them at the pool which was such a nice little touch on the day!
We had a pool-side lunch, spent the rest of the day soaking up the sun, & then headed back to the room to get ready for dinner. We decided on a fun little steak place for dinner, & wow, what a dinner it was!!! We both ate way too much, but still had to top it off with some frozen custard from Andy's! It was such a special day! We had so much fun with eachother & with friends! I hope it was a birthday/Father's Day that Jared will always remember.
Monday:
Our last day :(
We checked out of the resort & wanted to make the most of our last few hours, so we decided to check out a cute little shopping area I had spotted on our way into Osage Beach. Our first stop in the shopping area- the old fashioned candy store (first thing first, right?!). We each chose a bag of candy & then walked around the quaint little shops- some of the shops had new stuff, some had old stuff, some had sweet stuff- it was just a fun little area. I found the cutest little apron at the antique shop, & was pretty excited about my find! We also found a hidden little gem of a restaurant on our outing. It was called Bahama Bistro- ooooooh so yummy! We had the BEST soup & sandwiches ever!
Now it was time to head home...well almost. Since our lake cabin is only about 45 min from Osage Beach (& on the way home) Jared wanted to show me the latest progress he & my dad had made on the cabin. So we made a quick stop to check it out. Wow!!! It is really coming together! They have done such a great job on it, & I cannot wait until we are finally spending our summers in it!
That was the last stop on our little vacation, & it was time to hit the road. Jett slept, & we spent the time reflecting & talking about how much fun we had had. On the drive home, Jared asked, "What was your favorite part of the trip?" I couldn't answer...it was all so much fun. So I asked him the same question. His reply- "That it was just the three of us." Yep, that would have to be my answer too. I love our little family. I love the stage we are at in our life & I am trying to take in & cherish every single moment!
It really was a wonderful time. It was special in so many different ways- special because it was Jared's first Father's Day, special because it was our first family vacation, special because Jared & I got to reconnect as a couple & laugh like we haven't laughed in a long time! It meant a lot to us, & I don't think we will ever forget it! Here are a few pictures!
