Great Wolf Lodge Survivors - Take 2

Long lines, mind numbing noise, crazy crowds, rowdy munchkins, price gouging, greasy grub, and manic mayhem awaited us once again at Great Wolf Lodge.  GWL is like heaven for kids, but it can feel like torture for the parents. It's one of those things you endure and survive for the sake of the kids you love so much.  We took our daughter there for her 10th birthday, so our son asked to go for his 10th birthday.  We never wanted to go back, and while we've tried to instill in our kids a clear understanding that life isn't fair, we want them to enjoy some sense of fairness during their youth whenever possible, and God is a such a giver of grace, so to GWL we went!

All joking aside, the trip really wasn't all that bad. We allowed our son to bring a friend, and the boy he chose is at least 10 times more hyper than our son. This friend had never been away from his parents for more than twelve hours, but he was generally well-behaved.  Having our tween daughter there to help keep watch over the boys was a tremendous help.

Since our daughter is currently playing two sports simultaneously, school field hockey and AAU basketball, and the boys are playing Pop Warner football, they wanted to join me in the hotel's exercise room.  The gym had no free weights whatsoever, so I had to make do with whatever they had to add weight to squats and lunges.

 

So will the wee athletes-in-training with me ever believe me again when I tell them, "That's a tool, not a toy"?

Ben proved to be quite the gym rat. When my kids were done, he kept lifting and pressing.  He could not get enough, so my kids left him with me while they went on more Magiquest adventures.

The twilight sky was just stunning that evening. I'm so glad we decided to go out to eat instead of eating at the lodge because we would have missed this gorgeous sunset had we stayed inside.

The next day, my daughter, our little Ninja warrior, showed us all up on the lily pad course.

Big Ninja vs. Little Ninja on the lily pad course and Daddy/Daughter wave pool fun

Ninja boys