A Great Wolf Adventure!

As our girlies grow up one thing is becoming really clear, we love having experiences.  While getting a host of wrapped gifts under the tree is fun, we are really moving our family out of that and into DOING!  This year we have several "gift experiences" for our girls and the first big one was a trip out to Colorado to see their good buddies Caleb and Elijah and go to Great Wolf Lodge for the first time!

We have heard so many good things about the Lodge and my girls (and I) couldn't wait to see this place that everyone loves!  I was very fortunate to not be in my cast yet so I still had pretty good mobility (even though I probably shouldn't have) to get around in the airport and experience Great Wolf.

We made this a girls trip and Bob headed out to CA for a conference.  I went on crutches and had two of the best little helpers.  We only fought 2 times over who got to sit in the window seat.

The adventure was extra fun because we also got to travel on the Light Rail!  And as you can see, the girls had a blast, and I was left wondering who in the world these hooligans were.  Sorry fellow travellers....I got a lot on my plate, and my kids got energy. 

Aside from a tragic moment when Lily discovered she lost one of her favorite snugglies, the trip was non eventful and fun.  We made it to our friends house and it was as if there was no time lost.  These 4 are amazing friends, and no matter how much time goes by they always seem to pick up right where they left off.

After a night of staying up late, drinking chocolate milk, and eating snacks, we woke up and headed to the BIG event of the weekend.....GREAT WOLF LODGE.

In case you were wondering, it was SO cold, but no one wanted to wear a jacket, and Lily still thought we were in AZ.  Flip flops?

The Lodge is amazing and our room was magic! It was a suite room that had a seperate room for Sarah and I and then a Bunk Bed room where the kids slept.  Not only did they all get their own nook, but it had a TV in it for unlimited cartoons.  So much fun.  We didn't hang here long though because we couldn't wait to go to the pool and the Adventure park!

Sarah visits the GWL so much that we got a smokin' deal on unlimited Adventure Passes so after 3 hours at the pool, we all did bowling, the ropes course, rock climbing, and mini golf.  Well the kids did it all, Sarah and I sat nursing a messed up back and a painful foot.  Man were we the pair.

I got home and realized that I had no pictures of our hours at the pool. I was so busy playing and hobbling around the deck. I just didn't want to miss what I could. So you will just have to believe me. the slides were amazing.  The mat slide was the best.  Lily is the only kid over 50 inches tall (yes, shes 52 inches) so she and I rode the big massive slide with the big drops.  The wave pool was a blast and every inch of the place was built for kids.  So much fun!

I hung down with the big kids for a while that night and they got to attend the "Snowball."  Imagine families and kids all dressed in jammies playing in the foamy snow.  Lily was in heaven. We all got up to the room and stayed up way too late talking and watching movies.  

The next morning when all of us decided to roll out of bed, we headed downstairs for Storytime!  The littles were mesmerized....

The Bigs.....not so much.  Mom, why do we have to do storytime when there is a ropes course, rock climbing, and mini golf to do?  I hear you kid.....they didn't last long.  Thankfully they are old enough to have a long leash so off they went to do their big kid stuff while the littles finished the story.

We had another full day at the water park and then topped off our stay with ice cream and a whole lot of laughter.

I was fortunate to have several photography clients over the next two days.  On Saturday night though, we took all of our crew to the Denver Botanical Gardens at Chatfield.  Every year they have a spectacular light display.  It was such a fun time! (Don't let Evie's face fool you).

We rode a tractor ride out to Santa's workshop where the kids got to color plates and drink hot chocolate.

We just about froze our tushies off, but the lights, colors, and joy was worth it!

The next morning I headed off to another photo session while the kids went to church and then played and played. So many fun memories and so many great experiences.

The girls and I headed home that night with smiles on our faces and joy in our hearts!  

This Christmas gift was a WINNER!