When the big day finally arrived, the boys were SO excited. We got to Great Wolf Lodge on Tuesday afternoon and went immediately to the indoor water park. We played all afternoon, then got settled in our room and went to dinner at Ted's Montana Grill. Yum! By dinnertime, Grandma and Grandpa had arrived. We were so thankful to have them there. Vacationing with a 4:3 adult to child ratio is definitely the way to go!
Grandpa and the boys at story time:
On Wednesday, Grandpa and Noel took the boys to play miniature golf and go explore at Cabela's. We had lunch at the much-anticipated T-Rex Cafe. I was worried that Sarah Kate might be scared of the dinos this year, but she was fine. We also discovered a travel tip: if you are a GWL guest, you can do the digging activities at T-Rex Cafe for just 99 cents. Hooray for a bargain! (Ok, let's be honest. Nothing about T-Rex is a bargain, but it sure is fun!)
We spent the afternoon at the water park, and then ate a quick dinner at Culver's. That evening at story time, Will became a little obsessed with Violet the Wolf. The kids scream to wake up Violet from her nap, and she comes out to say hello. (Will wanted nothing to do with actually saying hello to Violet, but Christopher waited in line to see her every night.) Will just had to know where Violet was sleeping. So we asked one of the GWL staff, and she pointed down a hallway and said it was in a room that way. Will wanted to know if he could go in and see Violet's bed. Uh, no. So plans for a stake-out were hatched . . .
On Thursday, we went to the water park for the morning, and dined at Cheeseburger in Paradise for lunch. That afternoon, we went to the Cub Club at GWL, where the kids decorated some over-priced t-shirts. They also had puppets, toys, and a video playing. The boys didn't want to leave! That evening, my parents let Noel and I go on a date while they fed the kids and went to story time. This time, when it was time to wake up Violet, Will went down the hallway so he could see which room she came out of. Mission accomplished!
Friday morning, we went to the water park one last time before check-out. We also had to make one last stop at Cub Club to play with the toys. After lunch at IHOP, we headed for home.
It was fun to see how the kids reacted to the trip differently this year than last year. Christopher was Mr. Independent and wanted to not only ride everything in sight, but to ride it by himself. Will is still pretty cautious and didn't want anything to do with the water slides. He spent most of his time dog-paddling around the pool or floating on the lazy river. Sarah Kate never made it out of the stroller last year, but this year she was toddling around the shallow areas and fountains, having a blast. She was not afraid to get her face wet or have water pour all over her head. I'm so thankful we got to take this trip again!
