Before Christmas we took all the kids to Great Wolf Lodge. They had been asking to go to an indoor waterpark every since we went to a different one in 2008. Several of the kids weren't here then and I really wanted to them to get to experience it. We are also aware that once our 5 Bulgarian Blessings arrive home it will be a LONG time before we are able to attempt anything major like that. We found a great deal during their "Homeschool Days" and told the kids it could be an early Christmas present.
I have to admit that I was a little worried. Water is a scary thing when you have such a large family. Also we have 5 on the autism spectrum and for some reason those in particular seem to be drawn to water. We had to get two suites in order for them to allow us to stay because of our family size. That meant that we weren't even all together when we were in our rooms. I planned, packed (oh what a job!), and made sure the kids realized the rules and precautions.
The whole trip went WONDERFULLY! I was so pleasantly surprised. God really worked it all out. The scariest part was probably Julianne and Cody using the steps in my suite as "physical therapy". :) (I have to say that they sure have conquered that goal and I can move on!)
The water was a big hit. They loved the wave pool that was so calm until the wolf howled! There was a water roller coaster that I went on with Dayton and Jose that made me scream and I'm pretty sure did a sinus rinse on me. It was a lot of fun, but it was wild! The youngest 5 loved the smaller water slides too.
One of the highlights for me and the younger kids was that the Lobby was all decorated for Christmas. At night all the younger kids go down in their pajamas and listen to a story that comes alive with all the characters. Then they sing a song about "snow" and fake snow starts to fall in the lobby. After things calm down from that the mascot comes out and a bedtime story is read. Our second night there was cool, because a reindeer came out to story time instead though. It was so very much fun and so magical for the kids.
There were other great things to enjoy as well. The pizza was so great on night one that we couldn't wait until night two so we could order it again. The suites had nice sitting areas and we were able to watch movies that you could order (my room was the party room and I let them stay up and watch movies until about 1 am, but it was vacation!) On our 2nd day there we decided to really make it special. We took a break from the water park for lunch and let them all eat JUNK. Oh yes, we are NUTS! We went to the shop that had all the sweets and got cookies, chocolate dipped pretzels, fudge, smores, and hot cocoas! They all sat and ate it in bathing suits in a place decorated for Christmas! Julianne especially is a big fan of chocolate and Zeeky is also known as the "Cookie Monster" around here, so they were in heaven! Later in the day, we went and did crafts in a special room there for craft time. A few of the older boys went to the arcade instead.
I have to say that it is now probably our favorite place we've gone (well besides that in Georgia we get to see awesome friends!). We made great memories. Everything we needed was under one roof. There was great excitement for everyone!
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