Travis on Air Force One

Yes, this is my extremely lucky husband getting a private tour of Air Force One. Obama was scheduled to throw the 1st pitch at the MLB All-Star Game last night here in St. Louis, MO.

Earlier this month Travis had organized a Squandron Commander Course at Scott AFB. One of the pilots of Air Force One had attended. He was grateful to Travis and all the hard work he had done and decided to invite him for a tour. Along with a friend from work, Travis headed down to the game. The whole city was excited about the president coming. This was a once in a lifetime invitation, and I was so glad Travis was invited. He said it was truly AMAZING!
Another AMAZING sight is the view from our porch in Branson. I forgot to post it with the other Branson pictures. I never realized how gorgeous Missouri was. Isn't it absolutely beautiful?

Silver Dollar City

Water Fun at Branson

One of the greatest parts about Branson was the amazing pools at the Big Cedar Ridge Resort that were included with our condo. The condo was AMAZING, but we were allowed to use all the amenities of the Resort free. Most evenings we would take the kids over to the pool area and cool off. It was around 100 degrees every day. YIKES!

I called this picture, "All our little fishes"...because each of us, the parents, had about two children around us. Here you can see Desiree with Scarlett. Uncle Tim throwing Carlie and Eli into the air, Daddy tossing Ellie up, etc.

Mollie loved this one area. It had sprinklers shooting up. She loved stopping the flowing and then letting it go once we got close.

Man, if Travis was a little more tan, wouldn't he be a hunk? I'm extremely attracted, because he is loving all over Ellie.

Mollie did great! The swimming lessons at the YMCA really paid off. She felt more comfortable to let go wearing her life jacket. Before she would cling to me and hated wearing it.

You can see Ellie smiling here. The higher Daddy threw her, the more she loved it. Carlie is swimming in the background. She is a fish and has been practicing her strokes this summer.

Here is a better picture of little Ellie. I love her little fat legs.

This is another great picture of Carlie taking off. Uncle Kev showed her how to glide more in the water and keep her head down.

Here is Gary and Kevin. Gary was playing with his son, Lance. Then Kevin was taking turns with Carlie and Eli throwing them in the air. Ole' Daddy got a pass due to his back problems. I'm sure Kevin regretted throwing them up so high later. They loved him for it, though.

Branson coming and going...

It was so wonderful. This summer the "Elite 8", then "Sweet Sixteen", now...we don't know... decided to do our big reunion in Branson. Our group began as the Elite 8 (The Stevens, The Greicars (MIA for photo), the Pritzs, and the Walters) back in pilot training, almost 10 years ago. Then as we added to our group (aka children), we called ourselves the Sweet Sixteen. Now with the addition of Ellie, Ella, and Lincoln, we aren't sure what to call ourselves...perhaps "Crazy" would be most appropriate. LOL
Back in Wichita Falls it was easy to get together. We were all neighbors and had our weekly Thursday night dinners. Then when the Air Force decided to send us all over the world, we decided to be more intentional about getting together at least once a year. One year we all went on a cruise, then a weekend in AL during SOS, then a weekend in San Antonio, and most recently a week in Branson, MO. Truly these families hold our heartstrings.

I grabbed this quick photo of our family before we departed. It actually was a perfect day, around 80 degrees...having been more in the 100s all week.

This is Eli, Carlie, and Joy saying their last goodbyes. Boy, did they have fun!

Ella decided to be our little stowaway. I would have taken her. She is about two weeks younger than my little Ellie. Katie found out she was pregnant again shortly after our San Antonio trip.

One night the guys insisted all the Mommies go out on the town. We went to Branson Landing and visit the Outlet Mall. It was so wonderful getting to catch up with no little distractions.

It truly was a great trip. The 5 bedroom condo we rented was ideal. It was gorgeous inside and out, located near Lake Table Rock. We are already brainstorming our next trip together...perhaps the beach, Colorado Springs, CO...who knows. More entries to come...