Great Wolf Lodge Vacation - Recap One

We returned Monday afternoon from our mini-vacation to The Great Wolf Lodge. It was a nice relaxing getaway from our real world. As I mentioned in my previous post, Kyle wasn't very excited about the water park. As the vacation continued, he became more and more comfortable...partly because we made him do things he didn't necessarily want to do. We took him down the tube slides several times and also put him down the toddler slides. He always would fuss going up to the slide, but once he was on the slide he would light up with a big smile. He seemed very content lounging on the inter tube with Mommy and Daddy on the lazy river. This was probably our favorite activity in the water park...floating around and around without a care in the world.

After spending several hours in the morning and early afternoon at the water park we would head back for some quiet, down time. Kyle rarely napped, but did spend time in the "Wolf Den" resting up for his next adventure...usually dinner, water park activities, story time, a dance party in the lobby, playing chase with his new friends outside or shopping at the nearby outdoor mall.

Unfortunately, we didn't take too many pictures because it was difficult to take pictures in the water or the camera was on the other end of the water park. I hope you enjoy the pictures that we did manage to take.

Kyle...The Bellboy Kyle's nesting place

Kyle is ready to leave the room

and have some fun Kyle in the Great Wolf Lodge Water park

Kyle exploring the outdoor pool

Kyle a little hesitant going down the toddler slide

This is actually A LOT of fun!

Kyle playing chase with his new friends...the ducks!

Summer Fun - Spence Style

Wow, has it really been over a week since I have posted on the blog....well, besides the home tour posts! We have been busy, attempting to keep Kyle on the go and entertained. Since I'm extremely far behind with updates I'm going to highlight several adventures from the past couple of weeks. Our days have been filled with many "Fun In The Sun", outdoor activities, but isn't that what summertime is all about?

*Kyle and I headed to the neighborhood pool last week. It was the perfect time and we were the only people in the "baby" pool. It was a fun time for both of us to enjoy the sunshine and a nice summer morning. We are planning many more trips to the pool during the summer months...hopefully next time with Daddy, so Kyle can "swim" in the larger, family pool.

*Kyle was recently invited to a third birthday party for one of his little friends. Kyle had a great time...eating pizza, eating yummy birthday cake, attempting to break open a Lighting McQueen pinata, and playing with plenty of cool toys! Since it was a warm morning there was a slip and slide for the children to enjoy. Unfortunately, Kyle wasn't interested in the slip and slide...he really likes pools, but has a hard time warming up to sprinklers.

*This past Saturday afternoon, we went to the Children's Garden at the Missouri Botanical Gardens. Pretty flowers and landscaping isn't very entertaining for little ones, but the Children's area didn't disappoint. There are many activities to keep children entertained ...from a playground area with climbing/slides, sprinkler/fountain area, musical area, general store for pretend shopping, and much more. The Botanical Gardens is an extremely popular local destination for photo sessions and weddings. We will certainly bring Kyle back for more fun in the gardens, however, it may have to wait several months until the temperatures are a little cooler.

*Sunday, on Father's Day, we spent more time in the record hot temperatures. We went with another family to a local park for a Father's Day picnic. The day was hot, but enjoyable...enjoying good food, friends, and best of all watching Kyle run and explore.

These are just a few of the things we have been doing, with much more on the agenda to keep Kyle entertained and out of trouble! Hopefully, I will return before too long with more frequent posts and updates!

Day Four - The Water Park at The Great Wolf Lodge

Sunday, July 6th was our last full day to spend at the Great Wolf Lodge so we spent the day at the waterpark. Since we arrived last Thursday, Kyle really warmed up to everything and felt very comfortable...maybe a little too comfortable! We spent the entire morning, afternoon, and evening playing in the water. I wish we would have counted how many times we went down the tube slides...it was at least 20, if not more. John and I took took turns riding with Kyle so we were able to get a few pictures coming out of the tube. Kyle loved it and knew when the end was coming...he would cover his eyes anticipating getting splashed.

I mentioned in an earlier post about Kyle's new dancing skills. Below are a couple of pictures of Kyle dancing with the musical entertainment...actually it was just one man playing Carribbean music. I need to get out the camcorder and record his dance moves because it's hard to see in the still pictures.

Showing off!!

Below are the pictures of the 1,000 gallon bucket. It dumps the water every 5 minutes. The first picture, John is under the water although you can't see him. As much as Kyle enjoys the water...he would have hated this, so he didn't experience it. Maybe next time! There is a warning bell before the water is about to pour. Everytime Kyle heard the bell he would say "Wheeeeee"...it was so cute!

We did take a break to let Kyle eat lunch and attempt to put him down for a nap. That plan didn't work out well...he wouldn't go to sleep, so we went straight back to the waterpark. We knew he didn't want to leave since we were all dressed to head back to our room and Kyle decided to take a detour back into the water. (As seen in the picture below) A few hours later, we did leave to get ready for dinner. We decided to eat dinner close by the lodge. We put Kyle in the car and he was fast asleep within about one minute. We was exhausted at dinner and we were going to put him to bed by his usual bedtime and not take him back to the waterpark. Well, we decided to rest for a short while after dinner and we did go back for some more water fun. We kept telling Kyle...one more slide ride. After a while, I don't think he was believing any of it. It was a blast!!

One last picture. I took a picture of the lazy river. None of us are in the actual picture, but I wanted to show where we spent quite a bit of time. It was so relaxing floating along with Kyle sitting on top of me.

Our trip was so much fun...we will definitely go back to The Great Wolf Lodge. Kyle will have even more fun when he is older. Kyle was excellent on the trip and he was such a trooper even though he was off his normal schedule and a little sleep deprived.

I hope everyone had as much fun as we did during the holiday weekend!

Day Two - The Great Wolf Lodge

Happy 4th of July, once again! As I'm typing this post, I'm sitting on our patio watching a beautiful fireworks display. Can you hear me saying...Ooohhh!!!! Aaahhhh?!?

We had another great day here at The Great Wolf Lodge. Typically, John and I aren't big breakfast eaters, but on vacation it is a must! We started the day eating breakfast at one of the restaurants in the lodge. Strange thing is, breakfast seems to be Kyle's favorite meal of the day!

Since, we spent our time at the indoor waterpark yesterday, we decided to spend the morning at the outdoor water facility. It was a beautiful day in Kansas City...actually at times it was a little chilly. The pool was awesome with a very shallow area which was perfect for Kyle. He loved floating around in his water boat and this gave John and me an opportunity to relax in the water as well. This was true, until the pool police told us that his boat was an unapproved flotation device and he had to wear a flotation vest.

This afternoon, we went to explore an outdoor mall located just down the road from the lodge. We did a little bit of shopping and we all scored a little something. We stopped and ate dinner at a restaurant called The Yard House....really good food and atmosphere. After dinner, we came back to the room so John and Kyle could prepare once again to head to the waterpark. I chose to relax and read a book by the pool. About an hour later, I was jealous, so I had to join in the fun. We spent another couple of hours in the pools, slides, etc. Fun, Fun, Fun!!

Believe it or not, Kyle managed all of these activities with no nap. He really did well, but is out like a light tonight to rest up for tomorrow's adventures.

I didn't take many pictures today, but not to worry, I do have a few to share!

Kyle was decked out in his patriotic attire for the day!

Having fun in his boat until we were busted by the pool police!

Now, this is the life!!!

Day One - The Great Wolf Lodge

WELCOME TO THE GREAT WOLF LODGE

Our first day at the lodge was a lot of fun. Of course, the main attraction is the tremendous indoor waterpark, so we got settled in our room and then headed to the waterpark. There is so much to do...from a toddler area with many types of sprinklers and also a few slides. We weren't able to go down the slides with Kyle, but we did put him down a couple of times, but he really didn't enjoy it very much! We also rode on the lazy river...we sat in intertubes and floated down the river. I could have stayed there all afternoon because it was so relaxing. The three of us also went on a huge water slide which Kyle enjoyed somewhat. John and I took turns riding the slides by ourself as well. One really cool thing is a giant bucket which dumps 1,000 gallons of water every five minutes. We plan to spend much more time at the waterpark over the next few day as well, but will also venture out and about in the area.

In the following pictures, Kyle is having fun exploring all the fun water activities.

Tonight for dinner we ate at the Camp Critter Bar and Grill. The food was really good and Kyle even had the opportunity to meet Wiley the Wolf. Kyle liked Wiley and even gave him a High 5! He was nice enough to pose for a family picture!

Our room, The KidKamp, has a little room with bunk beds. We thought this may be a good opportunity to introduce the "Big Boy Bed" to Kyle. We brought along a bed rail so he won't fall out of the bed. He did wonderful tonight and fell asleep pretty quick. He was completely exhausted, so we shall see how the transtition from the crib to the bed works at home. We do have his pack n play with us in case our plan doesn't work out, but so far so good!

Splashing Good Time

Last night we decided at the last minute to pack up and head to the pool before bath and bedtime. It was the perfect time because it wasn't very crowded. We mainly just let Kyle splash around in the baby/toddler pool. He just enjoys playing with his boat and balls in the water. I was so excited to take Kyle in the family pool to try his new water vest. Unfortunately, it didn't work out as I had hoped. I think it's a little too big and he isn't supported properly while in the water. I need to go on the hunt for another flotation device that will work for him. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

It's a good thing Kyle isn't afraid of the water since he has been spending a ton of time in the water recently. Are you getting tired of seeing pictures of Kyle in his swim trunks in the water? I can't guarantee it will be the last time either...sorry!

Kyle modeling his swim vest...probably for the last time. Say...CHEESE!

Taking a time out for a family photo.

Fun In The Sun

This morning we ventured out to the pool. We met a friend at a local aquatic center for Tot Time. Quite a few centers around town have a specific time for the younger children to enjoy the water. It took Kyle a few minutes to warm up to things, but once he did, he had a blast! He really enjoyed walking and splashing in the pool. They also have a spray park playground which is really cute, but Kyle much preferred being in the water.

Last summer Kyle and I went to a tot time, but this year is much more enjoyable. It's so fun to revisit different activities each year to watch Kyle enjoy himself since he has a little more freedom and I'm not constantly on top of him. This is contributed to a few things...Kyle is older, more confident, which in turn makes Mommy more relaxed. I'm still not one of the moms that can sit on the side of the pool relaxing, reading a book, but at least I don't feel like I have to hold Kyle's hand the entire time. Each year things get easier and easier. Don't get me wrong, we definitely still have our daily challenges, but in general it's easier. I'm enjoying Kyle's toddler years much more than I did the infant/baby stage. Kyle's first

year was so stressful...anything is more enjoyable. For all you mommies out there...do you prefer the infant/baby stage better or the toddler stage?

I attempted to take some pictures, but being near the water doesn't lend itself to such a great photo shoot, but I was able to get a couple of pictures.

Beating The Heat

Kyle is getting fully prepared for the arrival of the summer heat. We haven't made it to the pool at the clubhouse yet, but Kyle doesn't seem to mind. According to him, his little toddler pool is working just fine. Kyle had the best time splashing, dumping the water out of the pool, and of course attempting to drink the pool water over the weekend.

Within the past couple of months Kyle has learned to drink from an open cup, which is an exciting "milestone". He doesn't always do this in a very "dry" manner, but the important part is he has learned how! On the negative side to this, anything that remotely looks like a cup, he wants to take a drink. He had such a ball filling his bucket with water and drinking from the bucket. He wouldn't take no for an answer and kept drinking. I guess you have to take the good with the bad and this doesn't seem to be an exception.

We had some family time this weeknd and it was so much fun. These days, just hanging around the house brings so much fun for the four (Chloe included) of us. It's just fun to watch Kyle laughing and enjoying himself. It really warms our hearts to see Kyle so happy.

Kyle had to take a break from his pool to be his silly little self. Daddy had gone inside for a moment and Kyle was waiting at the door for him to come back and this is what he was up to. I'm glad he had the camera handy in order to capture these priceless pictures of our Goofy Little Munchkin.

Pool Time

Wow, I can't believe it's almost Memorial Day weekend. The swimming pools at the clubhouse in our neighborhood are opening on Saturday. I need to take an inventory to see what we need in order to head to the pool this summer. One item I will definitely need to purchase is a flotation device for Kyle. I really liked the one we used last year, but he is now too big for it. What type of flotation device is best for a two and a half year old? If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Thanks.

We headed to the pool a few times last year with Kyle and he really enjoyed himself. I'm curious to see what his reaction will be this year since he is a little older. In the next year or two I would like Kyle to take swimming lessons at the local YMCA. This will most likely be a father/son experience since I'm not a very good swimmer.

I'm sure as the summer progresses I will have pictures to share of Kyle at the pool. To tide everyone over I'm including a couple from last summer.

Summer 2007