SURPRISE! We woke you up early on a Sunday to go to Great Wolf Lodge! (They actually guessed where we were going before we were even out of the neighborhood, clever kids.)
But first you must do some homework... (well, missed work, since we're letting you play hooky from school for two whole days!)
Welcome to Texas kids! Our first drive to Dallas without terrifying weather...
(He told daddy that this was a meteor and wanted his picture with it)
After a Kindle break, back to homework:
And reading! (The Minecraft series we're borrowing from the Jungs has been a HUGE hit!)
Somehow, we arrived at exactly 1:00pm (the earliest possible check-in time). We were pleasantly surprised to find the lodge well decorated for Halloween!
Sitting at my feet while I attempted to check-in... James was just so excited to be there while Cora fussed about having to wait FIVE MORE MINUTES to get her waterpark pass...
Van parked, obligatory photos with the wolves (and scarecrows), and ready to run inside and get dressed to swim!
(We would later discover that the haunted house in the lobby was the starting point of the nightly trick-or-treat trail around the lodge.)
FINALLY! A forced photo before they scampered off into the waves...
When the room was ready a couple hours later, we took a break from the waterpark and got settled, then resumed our MagiQuest games (begun on our last trip) while daddy ran an errand for room snacks.
More swimming, a break for an early dinner, then a bit of trick-or-treating before closing down the waterpark for the night. Cora thought this mermaid with a candy bowl was hilarious because she kept exclaiming that Cora was a scary panther that would eat her tail. Cora insisted that she would never. Because she loves mermaids. And because Bagheera is a "nice kitty".
We've yet to visit the lodge when this massive fireplace is lit...
After the waterpark closed, it was pajama time and one last hour of MagiQuest before "quiet time", which doesn't start until 11:00pm (fine by us, as our kids are always hopped up on sugar and "hotel" excitement anyway - might as well let them run it out!)
Day two started slow and quiet. The waterpark doesn't open until 9:00am, so there's really no reason to set an alarm or rush around (which is one of the reasons we like this type of vacation so much). We pulled the kids out of bed and force-fed them breakfast, then suited up. They were enthralled by a tiny beetle they found on the way out the door...
Slightly more enthusiastic for a posed photo today (we decided to try and time one with the bucket dump, which happens every 2-3 minutes it seems).
The major bonus of getting to the waterpark at opening is that you basically have it to yourselves. The older kids rush off to the big slides before there are any lines, the toddlers head to the kiddie pool, and James and Cora got almost a full round of waves in the big pool without anyone in their space. Plus, the lack of bodies in the water allows the waves to roll bigger and longer, so they had a lot of fun body surfing!
Showing me his "wolf paddle". Not to be confused with the traditional dog paddle. "Because we're at Great WOLF Lodge mama!"
One last photo before heading out to Howler's Peak (we bought the wristbands yesterday, which are good for your entire stay, so that we could get started as soon as they opened)!
After doing the ropes course last time we visited the lodge, the kids were extremely excited to go again on this trip, so we were the first ones at the door when they opened. Since we'd just been a few months ago, the instructions were short and then the kids were set free. They weren't up there 10 minutes before James was trying the zipline for the first time ever (he was adamantly against it back in June, even though he conquered every other obstacle on the course), and once Cora saw him do it, she gave it a go too. Her first effort came up a little short (she had to swing her legs like a mermaid to shake herself down to the platform), but she quickly learned that she needed a running start to make it all the way across (she's just so lightweight that there isn't enough to pull her without some speed behind it!) We spent over an hour up there, then took a lunch break before heading back to the waterpark (we've decided that our favorite tactic at GWL is to spend 1-2 hours in the waterpark, then 1-2 hours doing something else, to give our eyes a rest from the chlorine and our bellies a rest from the inertia of the waves and slides).
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| (GWL is very near the airport, which is exciting for the kids, since the planes get pretty low over the lodge) |
After our second round of coffee (and a pizza lunch back in our room), we returned to the waterpark for some time in the lazy river, and surprisingly, almost all the big slides! Cora even rode the giant blue slide with me in the heavy round raft. Again and again. Until mama admitted that she couldn't climb those 103 stairs again without a rest...
Time for another out-of-water break: Lazer Frenzy and the Arcade!
We decided to leave the resort and do dinner out for my birthday (normally we don't, because there are multiple really good food options on-site, and I really dislike big city traffic), so we went to a nearby seafood restaurant (and all ate chicken!), then lamented the fact that the nearby brewery was only a tap room (not suitable for kids). Leaving the resort required putting on normal clothes (items that were not swimsuits or pajamas)...
Back in time for round two of trick-or-treating!
Followed by another round in the waterpark (they close earlier on Mondays, unbeknownst to us, so we only had about an hour to play) and another round of MagiQuest.
Normally we walk the stairs all night while we hunt gems and slay dragons, but after walking 7 miles yesterday and 8 today (mostly barefoot across concrete), we took the elevator anytime we had to travel between 3 or more floors... Luckily, mimosas help numb foot pain a little...
The second to last dragon was very difficult to beat. While I sat nearby with my mimosa, Cora would periodically come over and lay her head in my lap, lamenting that daddy couldn't fire the ice arrows fast enough and she was tired. Then James would come over and tell me that it was a "bummer" and "lame" that he couldn't defeat the dragon. Eventually 11:00pm loomed near enough to call it quits and we brightened the kids' moods with promises of popcorn and TV before bed.
Then the next morning (since the waterpark opened an hour later, again, unbeknownst to us, and we thus had plenty of time) they tried again. And again. And again. And again. After an hour, I felt bad for them, so I told them to let mama try (not because I thought I could beat him, but just to give them a break). I must have had the magic touch (or birthday luck!) because I conquered that mean ol' dragon and won the kids their Master Magi pins. Of course, I made them pose with ME wearing the pins first. Which was satisfying, but not so much as Cora telling me I was a "true hero". Made my day!
We spent another hour at Howler's Peak (dual ziplining video included below) and another hour swimming and riding the big slides, then showered off the chlorine and put on dry clothes for the drive home (which was uneventful, thankfully).
This was another great GWL experience and I can't recommend the place enough. Maybe it just happens to fit really well for my crew (Jay LOVES waterslides, James LOVES the wave pool and lazy river and Howler's Peakand MagiQuest, and Cora is just a water baby and loves everything - including being allowed to stay up late, sleep in a bunkbed, and eat popcorn and candy at random times of day or night), but the combination of water activities and non-water activities, and the ease of being able to play and eat for days on end in the comfort of your swimsuit/lounge clothes without having to leave the resort is just really fun and relaxing for us. If you haven't been, give it a shot! We'll be back sooner than later ;-)
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