Spring Break 2016

And another spring break is over!  This spring break was a bit different because the kids and my school calendars were off by a week.  So the kids were off a week before I was, we had a week of overlap, and then they were both back in school and I had a week off.  Due to Ally being in the hospital for two days I have been off work for 2.5 weeks so I am struggling with the thought of being back tomorrow morning!

We definitely filled the time up with activities.  Ally got registered for kindergarten (how did she grow up so fast???)

We had an impromptu overnight in Illinois with the cousins.  The kids had a blast and I enjoyed catching up with my sister.

The first week of the kids being back at school we started Sam in a new soccer league.  We are going from one day a week to three days a week.  It was really nice being off while we got into the swing of things so we could work on homework as soon as he was home and I could have dinner ready to go for an early dinner before practice.  It makes me a little bit jealous of all the stay at home moms out there because I wasn't stressed and rushing and just able to enjoy the time with my kids. 

And as an FYI it was a freezing cold start to soccer!  April should not be this cold!!

Ally is only in preschool on Monday, Wednesday, Friday so one of the days we met Sam for lunch and recess at his school and the other day we ran to meet my sister at the Terre Haute Children's Museum.  It was our first visit but we will definitely be back.

The three days Ally was in school were definitely strange!  I am not ever at the home alone these days and I constantly felt like I was forgetting something major.  I spent the time trying to get our house in order.  It's hard balancing housework in the evening with spending time with the kids and housework can be the thing that we let go.  

Seven weeks to go and then we are out for summer break!!  I can make it!

Great Wolf Lodge - March 2016

This is the kids fourth trip to Great Wolf Lodge and it is a favorite for them.  We have been very fortunate to have this be our third trip with Paul's family and we had one trip last summer with my mom and sister.  This trip was actually brought on by our last visit when we had a crazy storm that knocked the power out at the resort.  It was out for several hours and the hotel comped us a night so that we were able to come back.  I have to say the staff was excellent during the power outage.  They brought around snacks and drinks and the lifeguards started games to keep the kids entertained.  

We left the day after Easter and were at the lodge by 3:00.  I have to say of all our visits this was the most packed it has been for us.  I also can't say I will go back in the winter/spring.  The water was freezing and the kids started to get blue lips after a few hours.  We definitely couldn't make a full day out of it like we can in the summer with the water being warmer.  I think the main issue was it was spring break so everyone was taking a vacation at this time.  Also, with Kings Island closed and the outdoor pool closed for the season less space for people to spread out.  Our first afternoon/evening was fine and so was the second day.  But when we got there at 10 am on Tuesday we left by 12 due to the amount of people!

Check in took forever so we had to keep them entertained.  He was happy o be there but he wanted the pink one!!

And much happier with the pink one!

We were in a bunk room again and the kids love it.  Sam gets sad because he can't sleep in the top bunk.  He still has issues with sleeping and some nights we find him walking without realizing it or will get up in the morning and find him sleeping somewhere else.  That doesn't lead to us really wanting to put him in the top bunk of a bed!

We got multicolor ears this trip for Easter and the kids loved them.  They are super cute and I think these are my favorite pair they have.

Howling like wolves :)

We checked in to our rooms by 4 (it was an incredibly long line!) and relaxed in the room for a bit before doing an early dinner for Cam's birthday.  He turned four the first night there so we celebrated out.  That night we ate at the Lodge and I can't say I would eat there again.  It was $50 dollars for a family of four (with tip and nothing but waters for us to drink) and the food just isn't that great.  That would be my only regret of where we ate.  Afterwards we let Cam open his gifts and then all got changed for a night at the water park.  We stayed until about 9 the first night since we didn't get in the water until 6:30.

Tuesday we were in the waterpark when they opened and it was packed.  It was to the point where it was stressing us out but the kids were still enjoying the time.  We have some photos and you can just see how crowded it is.  I also felt they had really cut back on the lifeguard staff this trip which was disappointing.  In the past I always felt they had great lifeguard coverage.  And while Paul and I are always within a short distance of Sam and Ally it is nice to see so many lifeguards.

Due to the crowds (and really the kiddy area wasn't that bad, it was more the lazy river, wave pool, and lines for the big slides) we took a break for lunch.  It worked out well because Ally needed a rest anyway since she had just gotten out of the hospital two days earlier.

We went to a wings place for lunch just two minutes from the lodge and it was really nice.  They had great food and it was a good break for the kids.  Once back we were back in the pool for two hours before the kids needed a break again due to how cold the water was.  We ordered a pizza from the lodge and ate it in the pool area.  It gave the kids a chance to warm back up before we went back into the pools until a little after 8.  We then took showers and had an ice cream in our pjs.  I have to say the ice cream shop and the pizza place are great options at the lodge.  They aren't crazy expensive (a large pizza was $16 and we had half of it left for our family of 4) and the ice cream isn't that over priced either!

We had until 11 to check out on Wednesday.  Paul took the kids down to the arcade so that I could pack up our things and start to load up the car.  They each had Easter money from my step-mom and they could choose to spend it at the lodge if they wanted or could buy something when home.  I feel that the shop has a ton more options that girl are interested in for a decent price as opposed to boys.  They have really cool stuffed animals that have Great Wolf Lodge on them for a typical price along with lots of cool unique items for girls.  Ally spent her money in the Scoops Salon and picked out her first purse, a mirror/hairbrush combo, and a set of lip glosses.  The boy toys are really lacking.  They have lots of matchbox items but they charge about 200% (not exaggerating) above the price he could get the same item in Target.  We finally settled on a bag of rocks and he could spend the rest later.

A couple of photos before we left

And a final shot of Ally fixing her "make-up" on the drive home

We will definitely be back this summer!

Easter 2016

Happy Easter!  We definitely had a different Easter celebration this year.  On Saturday we were celebrating my side but Ally wasn't released from the hospital until 30 minutes before the get together.  She also had instructions to rest and not be outside.  We allowed her outside for about 10 minutes to hunt for a few eggs (the rest were put inside) and to play with the new scooter from my mom.  But after a quick lunch, visit, and play time she was sent home to bed with Paul and I stayed with Sam.

These scooters are a lot of fun!  They can all be hooked together or used separately.

On Sunday the Easter bunny stopped by our house so we let the kids open their baskets in the morning.  Due to Ally's hospital visit she stayed at home with me while Paul and Sam went to his parents church.

The Easter bunny is pretty practical in our house.  He knew we were taking a trip to great wolf lodge so each child got a new swimsuit, flip flops, sunglasses, and a hat.  Books and card games were included as well with a few small toys in snacks thrown in as well.  I don't think the kids actually believe in the Easter bunny, and we don't play him up but it is fun to do the baskets for them in the morning.  Due to Ally being in the hospital we didn't get to do a lot of Easter activities but we did cram the day full of family time.

Sam in his church outfit.

Ally playing dress up in her new swimsuit while the boys were at church.

Then, because she picked out her Easter dress this year we got her dressed up just for lunch with Paul's side.  We didn't want her to not get to wear her new dress.

Photos quick before lunch at Paul's parents.

A quick Easter egg hunt as well at his parents house before Ally and I headed home and Sam stayed behind with Paul to play for a bit.

After Ally had some rest time and Paul and Sam made it home we went to my moms for dinner (leftovers from Saturday) and to let the kids dye eggs.  It was one of those activities that did not get completed because of Ally's hospital stay so we were glad to get it in!

And finishing the night with one more fashion show of new clothes!

Happy Easter from us!  He is Risen!