Great Wolf Lodge - Part 3 - The Water Park

Of course, the main attaction of the Great Wolf Lodge is the water park.  The kids just could not wait to get in there. They started off small...exploring close to the homebase we set up with all our stuff.

Abi exploring and waiting for the big bucket to dump!

I thought I had gotten a picture of the big bucket, but I can't find it. Anyway, it would fill up and then dump one big gushing spray...Abi loved it!

Jonny going down the little slides.

The ONLY picture of Ethan in the water.
Yep. After this, he WOULD NOT do it again.
Though I swear that is a smile on his face...the aftermath of being dropped in the water did him in.

Nate on the little slide.

After the first night, the kids began venturing out a bit more and they tried the moving logs and the lazy river.

I had to get in with Jonny and help him cross since the water was above his head.

I kept asking the kids if they wanted to try the BIG slides, but they were too scared to go by themselves.  SO...Mommy climbed the three stories of stairs to the BIG slides!  Of course, you won't see any pictures of that, so you'll just have to take my word for it...but the kids will vouch for me!

Abi coming down the big yellow slide on her own.

Ethan playing by the slide exit - he wouldn't even let us put his swim suit on anymore!

Abi coming down the big BLUE slide.

Nathan never went down the slides by himself, but he did go down with Abi. Unfortunately, I never got any of the pictures.  Jonny could only go down with me.

However, they did have two medium slides that came off the fort.  Jonny spent the majority of his time on these and to be honest, I NEVER saw him go down the right way! :0)

Nate on the medium yellow.

Abi on the medium yellow.

Jonny on the medium yellow.

See...he loved coming down backward!

I can't tell you how many times since we left that we have been asked when we are going back. Jonny said he wanted to LIVE at the Great Wolf Lodge.

Copyright © 2013 All Rights Reserved MMFarmlife - Melanie Schlatter

Great Wolf Lodge - Part 2 - Activities

If I showed you all the pictures we took of this vacation, we'd be here for years...lol!  Therefore, I'm trying very hard to hit the highlights.  Below you'll see the various activities we did in-lodge.  We did so many things, that I'm saving the waterpark pictures for a post all to themselves.

The first thing we did was tour around the lodge.  Now, they offer a 'wild life walk' in the mornings that do the same thing, but here are a few of the pictures.

The Clock Tower
They read a story every night here, and the clock 'comes to life' too.
We found the clock tower story is the same,
but they have a different Great Wolf Lodge friend & different bedtime story each night.

The kids loved all the stuffed animals.

This was a green hall that went along with the Quest game.
We didn't do the game, but it was still fun to watch other people and see the various effects.

Here the kids are petting the wolf during the 'Wild Life Walk'

Nate warming up by the fire before bed!

They taught the kids how do fold an origami wolf by the great fireplace.

The next few activities we did were part of Jonny's birthday package.  We got each of the kids an activity package that went along with Jonny's birthday one.  Each of the kids got a stuffed animal, t-shirt, and tattoo. Jonny got a button, cake, and a few other things like a Great Wolf Lodge Scrapbook.

Jonny putting his wishing star inside his stuffed animal.
The kids got to pick their animal and then help stuff it themselves.

These tattoos were really cool.
They glittered and lasted well past a week, even after the waterpark.

Below are the pictures of the animated clock show:

And Wiley, the wolf at the bedtime story:

Ethan did NOT like Wiley!

The kids also got to meet Violet the next night!

Then there is the arcade.  Jonny got some extra coins to spend here, but the Farmer was also gracious and bought each of the kids their own cup of coins to earn treasures!

The kids have asked several times since we got back when we get to go again.  The loved it!



Copyright © 2013 All Rights Reserved MMFarmlife - Melanie Schlatter

Great Wolf Lodge - Part 1 - The Accomodations

Great Wolf Lodge, Kansas City - A Family Trip

What an amazing vacation.  This was like nothing we had ever done before and we LOVED it!  Thank you to Gma & Gpa Schlatter for helping us get there!

One of the most difficult things about farming is finding a time when you can get away from it without alot of extra work. And it just so happens that one of the best times is during the winter. Sure, you might have cows to feed and water, but compared to the work load of the summer, winter is generally a good time.

So, when we got gift certificates to the Great Wolf Lodge for Christmas, we jumped on our chance to go in January.  And since Jonny's birthday is also in January, we decided to combine the two.

We left on Sunday after the morning church service, and arrived later afternoon in Kansas City.  Here are some pictures of our room:

Since we got a Birthday package for Jonny,
we arrived to this wonderful greeting on our door.
Jonny was very excited.
(it also helped us remember where our room was in the long hall...hehehehe)

A very nice fireplace to warm up to after visiting the waterpark.

We got a log cabin room with this section for the kids.
They loved having their own little area.

A closer look: a bunk bed and then a cot on the other side. 

They even had their own tv.

 We found the rooms very spacious and we enjoyed our stay very much.

Here are the kids peeking up over the top of the cabin wall.

 We really liked their restaurant as well.  It was very fun and had lots of things to keep the kids occupied while waiting for their food:

Tree fort with animals.

Opossum hanging from the tree.

 

They tent tables too...with these really cool lights.

Because we were such a large party,
we got to sit under the tree house!

Stay tuned for Part 2 - Activities

Copyright © 2013 All Rights Reserved MMFarmlife - Melanie Schlatter

L.I.G.H.T. Homeschool Skating Party

Fun oh Fun!

The Homeschool group had a skating party and the kids were ecstatic about going!  They had never been roller skating before and had been asking the Farmer to take them for some time.  And surprising enough...it didn't take them long at all to get going.  Abi took right off (she has a pair of old skates that she uses in the building on occasion .  Nathan was pretty cautious at first but soon was going full force and Jonny needed more time to warm up to the idea and wouldn't really go too far without someone very close by!

It was a bit challenging to get the lighting, motion, and timing right on my photos, but at least I got a few in which you can at least identify the people...lol!  Here are a few of the shots I got:

Jonny holding on for dear life!

Abi Skating with friend Lydia.

Nate skating around the sides.

The Farmer helping...yes...he was on skates too!

My Proof...see...he is wearing SKATES!

Abi trying to help Nathan.

Getting a bit more daring!

The Farmer taking E for a trip around the rink...
they tried to get him to ride the scooter but he wouldn't....
and the Farmer didn't think he should try the skates though they had his size!

Jonny venturing on his own.

A near collision.

Ms. Faith was there and she often took Jonny or one of the kids with her.
Have we mentioned that we LOVE MS. FAITH!!!!

Abi and the Farmer during a couples skate.
(sorry about the spots...I don't know what got on my lens)

Another time around with Ms. Faith.

We all had a great time.  As you can imagine, I didn't skate, but I walked with Jonny around the rink several times and mostly kept Ethan occupied while the Farmer skated.  It was good to see friends we hadn't seen in a while and just to have some family fun!

Copyright © 2013 All Rights Reserved MMFarmlife - Melanie Schlatter