Haywood's Happenings: Lake of the Ozarks

Every two years my family takes a summer trip to the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. Its been this way since I think I was in Junior High. Two years ago Brandon and Jax were added to the trip. This year we got to add Maddy to the experience. This was her first long road trip and first trip out of state, so all in all this was her first vacation! My Aunt Peggy and Uncle Dave (my dad's sister) live there on the lake. Its a great place for a low key, but fun summer get away. Our families love spending time together and ... well it would take another post or even blog to explain and tell our family dynamics and stories!
Anyways... It is about a 14 hour drive there that we usually do in two days. This year to cut down on the price of gas and to all be together we took one car and rented a "large SUV." Yes, me, Brandon, Maddy, my mom, my dad, Jamo, and Jax rode together. That's five grown adults, a baby, and a dog in a Dodge Durango. Not gonna lye I was a little nervous when we picked the car up on Thursday afternoon before we left. That is a long trip to be so close and to have Maddy with us. Well, I had nothing to worry about. Maddy did GREAT! She complained the least about the drive there.
Once we arrived the real fun began. The first part of the week is the big party... my cousins Heidi and Jenna were there with their husband and boyfriend. We do a whole lot of hanging out filled with some drinking, eating, and talking... ya know good quality family time! The second half of the week is a little lighter... lots of laying out on the dock and swimming in the lake. My role this year was a little different. In between all of the activity Maddy had to eat, sleep, be changed, and play. Even though I had an extra person to take care of she was... SUPER EASY! Maddy girl went to bed on time every night and then slept till 7:30 or 8:00 every morning. Umm... that is later then what she sleeps at home.   She had a lot of firsts on the trip... first of all it was her first time to meet anyone from my dad's side. She got to meet her Great Aunt Peggy and Uncle Dave... her Caunt Heidi, Caunt Jenna, and Cuncle Michael. Yes, I know my cousins are her 2nd cousins, but not in the world where we live. We all spend so many holidays together and our families our small that they're promoted to aunt and uncle status. Okay so more of her firsts... first time to stay in a hotel, first time to swim in the Lake of the Ozarks, first time to be on a pontoon boat, first time to play with five dogs at one time, she ate her first bananas and first apples while we were gone, first time to be in Oklahoma and Missouri, and first time to be away from home for over a week! I'm sure she had a few more firsts, too! Maddy had a blast! Besides all of these firsts... she got to play in her very own Maddy size pool on the dock, she slept in her float in the lake, she got to see her Loli and Pops every day for a straight week and she got to be held whenever she wanted. I know I'm forgetting something... maybe it will come up in the pics. Here are some or a lot of pictures from the trip... yes now our pictures are consumed with Maddy as well as our life... but we wouldn't want it any other way!
(Photo disclaimer: Not all pictures from our trip our included. There are some really cute pictures on Loli's camera that need to be retrieved and when they are they will be posted! )