Our Great Wolf Adventure

This week we let the kids miss a little school in the name of fun. We've been wanting to go check out Great Wolf Lodge since it opened and figured we'd better go during the week when it would be less crowded. We were all really impressed with the lodge. It's big, beautiful and has lots of amenities. We didn't even get to much of the stuff that there is to do outside of the water park.

They have pajama story time in the lobby every evening for the younger guests. We missed the story, but we did get to meet this cute wolf. (Fuller and Grayson declined when asked if they wanted to give him a hug.)

I had to include this picture of the stairs, the stairs of doom as I like to think of them. These are the stairs that take you to the start of the "Howlin' Tornado" and the equally terrifying "River Canyon Run". Fuller and Grayson seemed to never get tired of climbing those stairs, although they did say their legs were sore at night.



This is one of those areas where it seems like water is coming at you from all sides. There is a big bucket on top of this tower that fills with 1000 gallons of water and then when it starts to tip you can run under it and get drenched. It really takes your breath away. Grayson said it was "refreshing".

The three amigos. The boys all got along really well, and just had a great time. It was wonderful to watch them have so much fun together.



The kids all spent a lot of time using this cargo netting to cross the lily pads. Grayson and Fuller got pretty competitive about who could do it faster, so Paul had to time them. Grayson was the fastest. I was really sad that I didn't have my camera with me later on when Paul tried it. I can't remember when I've laughed so hard.


Here's the boys coming out of the Tornado tube, laughing and smiling. Their enjoyment of scary things bothers me a little.



This is the wave pool, and let me tell you some of those waves can hit you pretty hard. After Rowan about got plowed over his first time in there I felt much better with him in a life jacket.



Grayson and Rowan loved standing under this water mushroom!



This was such a wonderful little get away, full of great family fun. We weren't all in perfect health, in fact the night before we left we almost canceled since Grayson had a fever. But we're so glad that we forged ahead. It was just what we needed. As we were walking out to leave Rowan started sobbing. He said it was just too hard to leave when he was having so much fun. When we got home the boys started a collection jar so that they can start saving up to go again. We will definitely be going back!

Absolutely Terrifying

We're back from our adventure to Great Wolf Lodge, and I have much to share, once I recover and get my pictures downloaded. But for now I just want to report that I rode the "Howlin' Tornado" and lived to tell about it. Of course I let the boys check it out first to make sure it was safe. Then they had to goad me into it by calling me a chicken and making bock-bock noises at me. This is what it looks like from the outside. That yellow tube on the left is the breathtaking drop you make into the big funnel. I think hearing me yell and seeing my terror was one of Paul's favorite parts of the trip.


Just to give you a little perspective on the scale of this water slide, this is how big it is inside the funnel. (I borrowed these pictures off of their website. My hands were much too firmly clenched onto the raft to have been able to take a picture.)

The boys all loved this ride, even Rowan. He had gone on it with Paul several times before I got up the nerve to try it. Then, I have to say I was a little freaked out at the thought of the boys on it. They're lucky I didn't go on it first, I probably never would have let them try it.

My future Architect

Does this place look familiar to anyone?

Rowan's class has been talking about communities recently, so their homework this weekend was to make a building that you would find in a community (with parental help of course). I suggested some cool buildings that I thought he might want to make, like the fire station, the library, the pool. But he had a definite idea of his favorite building in our community. I guess he was just going with his gut on this one.

He's doing it......he's really doing it!

Getting Rowan to ride his bike without training wheels has been a long process. We took the training wheels off long ago, but he has really fought riding without them. He's pretty much just been acting like he doesn't have a bike. This was really a surprise to us since both Fuller and Grayson were riding without training wheels long before they started kindergarten. This last week Paul really stepped up his efforts to get him out there riding, and I think he's finally got it.





Off course learning to stop without falling is important too.



Success at last!



After years of waiting we're finally going to be able to take family bike rides this summer.

My secret shame

I have a confession to make. I never got rid of my Christmas tree this year. I just dragged it by the side of the house and left it there. Every time I would take the trash out I felt a little ashamed to look at it. So I pulled it further back out of sight. Today Paul and I are doing some serious yard cleaning up and taking the tree(and a bunch of other stuff) to the dump. After I thought most of the neighbors had left for work I dragged the sad dried up tree carcass around to load in the truck. The guy across the street came out and said "You saving that for next year?!" I chuckled a little, and turned red. Then he said "if I give you a couple of bucks can you take mine?" Nice to know I'm not the only slacker on the block. And, at least I got rid of it before Memorial Day.

Market bags

This last weekend I found myself with a little uninterrupted time to be crafty. Paul had taken Rowan and Grayson camping, and Fuller was camped out on the couch in a semi-catatonic state catching up on a weeks worth of ESPN. I decided to dive in and try out a new pattern that I had recently purchased from "Posie gets cozy". If you're interested it's available here. I'm thinking I might use them for end of the year teacher gifts. They were really quick and easy to make.
I think this one might be my favorite.

Although I like the reverse of it too.

I don't know...maybe I'll just keep them.

Summer teaser

After a long, cold, wet Winter and Spring, the recent change in the weather has been bliss. This weekend it felt like Summer. We grilled hot dogs, ate ice cream, and ran through the sprinkler. I'm glad we soaked in some sun while we could, because the gray clouds are starting to roll back in. Ah Summer, why hast thou forsaken us so soon?

Fuller's Outdoor School Report

I'm happy to report that Fuller made it home safe and sound, and loaded down with lots of stinky and wet laundry yesterday. He said it was the "THE BEST WEEK OF HIS LIFE!" He really wanted to stay another week. He said the food was good (except for the Hawaiian meatballs), the field study was interesting, and he had a great time with his friends. I sent him with a disposable camera to document his week for me.

Getting his luggage bagged, tagged and ready to put on the bus.


These are the guys that Fuller was in a cabin with, and their brave counselor. Apparently they had to be threatened with extra chores a little bit at night to get them to go to sleep. Judging by how tired Fuller is I think it was three pretty late nights.


This is the pond where they had pond study and did critter catching. He said they had pond study on the rainiest day they were there, so it wasn't very fun.

They spent lots of time at field study. Fuller talked like it was really interesting, but looks a little tired or something in this picture. I had made a deal with Fuller that I would buy a disposable camera for him to take to camp, but he had to be in at least 3 of the pictures. I guess this was fulfilling that obligation.

He said that during soil study he got to get a mud mask put on. I wish he would have had someone take a picture of that.

There was lots of stinging nettle, but since they were covered in head to toe rain gear most of the time it wasn't really an issue.

As hard as it was for me to have him gone, I'm glad that he got to have this experience. He now has fond memories of Trickle Creek, and his days in Aspen cabin.

Is it Friday yet?

Just asking.

Anxiety, and others contributors to a sleepless night

Fuller left for Outdoor School this morning. It was really difficult for me to let him go. I smiled and talked about how much fun he was going to have, but secretly wished I could just lock him in his room for the week. This will be the longest period that I have ever been out of contact with one of my kids. He's been away from home for longer, but I could still talk to him on the phone. He said he wasn't nervous at all, just excited. However I did get a lot more hugs from him in the last 24 hours than I usually do. I hope he has a wonderful time. I hope we packed everything he'll need. It's raining today, so I think the new rain poncho was a good purchase.

During the night when I wasn't worrying about Fuller leaving, I was thinking about Grayson. He was troubled yesterday. When I picked him up from school yesterday he shared that the father of one of the kids in his class had been killed last week, and that they made cards for him. I think having one of his peers lose a parent was difficult for him to process. I did some poking around online to see if I could find some information about what happened that might help him, but sadly it was a story that doesn't make any sense. It was apparently a drunken dispute between neighbors(who had actually golfed together earlier in the day) that ended in the father of Grayson's classmate being shot and killed. The man accused of doing the shooting is the father of a boy in Fuller's class. He used to come to cub scouts. So sad for both families.

Still looking for that deserted island to move the family to.

Picture of the day

I have absolutely no explanation for this.

Track Season

Fuller had his final track meet of the year this last week. Sixth grade track has been a learning experience for him. It's taken him pretty much all season to figure out which events he really enjoys. I think figuring out that you should focus your training on events that you're good at is a skill that must come later.

In the end his favorite events ended up being the 100 meter sprint, the 1500 and shot put. He began the season thinking that he really wanted to be a hurdler, but ultimately decided that he doesn't like crashing and falling on his face.

I was impressed time and time again at his dedication.

His best times for the season were:
100 meters- 16.84
1500 meters- 6:44.4
100 meter hurdles- 25.14
Shot Put (6lb)- 21.65

Rite of passage

My boy,
now mows my lawn.

Where does he get this stuff?

This morning Rowan requested chips and marshmallows for breakfast.

I said "No".

He said, "well, I don't like your attitude."

I giggled.

He replied, "I mean it. So don't push your luck."

So tired.....must sleep

I went on a field trip to OMSI today with Grayson's class. Spent many hours with a particularly "lively" group of second grade boys, including one who wanders. Came home and did cub scouts. Hope to be asleep by 8:30. Getting much too old for this stuff.