Family Get-Away

I will be honest, the idea for this little “trip” was born out of a bit of a pity-party. It started as something of a consolation prize. RRL and I have been planning for YEARS to take a big trip for our 10th anniversary. We planned and dreamed and saved pretty much from the time we were married…and were ready to GO next summer. With one little tiny change to those plans…CTL, our sweet number 4, due just a couple of months before we were to depart. The trip was not one really conducive to taking a newborn and not one that could be moved to another time of year…but it is one that can wait until another year. I’ll admit, we were a little sad about pushing that dream out a little further. Not that we wished for it INSTEAD of our baby boy, just that it was a sacrifice…one of many we willingly make for our children.

SO, instead of pouting, we decided to celebrate what was keeping us home…our FAMILY. And we used some of our saved money to take a little mini-vacation (in town) with our three favorite blonds. It ended up being absolutely perfect! By the end it DEFINITELY felt more like a VACATION full of much-needed family togetherness than any sort of “consolation prize”. It really was a highlight of the whole year for all five of us, one we really needed. And once again, it was a celebration of the fact that His plans far exceed all of our plans and dreams.

We went at a perfect time of year (before the holiday craziness) and were able to go during the week so there were very few people at a normally very crowded hotel. Thanks to the indoor waterpark, the hotel activities for children and bringing much of our own food with us, we barely had to leave the hotel at ALL. And as a result truly enjoyed nearly 3 days of uninterrupted family time.

We did not do a fantastic job capturing all the fun in photos…mostly because we were too busy enjoying it. But here are some highlights…

I’m pretty sure our kids would have been thrilled to just stay in the room and play in their “wolf den” complete with bunk beds and their own TV. They thought this little area of their own was SO cool.

But we did venture out, there was fun to be had…

like an elevator to ride!

And the kids club to play in, complete with BINGO! , a computer just for kids and Lou’s personal favorite…a place for her to “read” stories to her “class”!

The kids’ club actually provided activities throughout the hotel, like coloring pictures

making oragmi wolves

And STORYTIME in our pajamas each night!

One of the best parts of storytime was that Lou finally found an over-sized character that she wasn’t afraid of! We think it was the bow that convinced her.

A highlight of our little get-away was the evening that Lt D and his fiance joined us for dinner and storytime. SUCH a treat since they were visiting from far away.

Most of our days, though, were spent in the WATER!

The boys, especially, LOVED the waterpark and played and played for hours.

KJ was absolutely fearless. The “lazy river” was anything but lazy when trying to chase him through it and he would run head first into the waves in the wave pool as if daring them to knock him over. I hardly have any pictures of him in the water because he was always goin’ and doin’. He did not stop.

Cbug definitely enjoyed all the water and the slides, but was stuck somewhere between wanting to be cautious, perfectly content to just float around on his back AND trying to keep up with big brother, so wanting to be BIG.

Lou, as the only princess in the whole waterpark who insisted on wearing a bow, was perfectly happy in 1 foot or less of water at.all.times. Occasionally, she would work up the nerve to reach her hand out and touch one of the fountains (that came up to her belly), but quite preferred to play her imaginary games of princess and frog in shallow water. She loved it, though, and could have cared less if anyone at all played with her and really preferred that no one splash in her presence. Oh, what a princess.

These pictures on the slide very much capture their three personalities in the waterpark. You can barely see KJ because he believed the bigger the splash the better. Cbug is really enjoying it, but in a more cautious way. And Lou, the one time her Daddy and I PUT her on the kiddie slide, pouted all the way down.