Great Wolf Lodge Extra Fun

After all the fun we had up to this point, it is hard to believe there is more.... but there is much more! We were able to do SO many fun things! Great Wolf Lodge really is a place for all ages and full of all types of fun things!

Blake REALLY loved the arcade. What boy doesn't?! We were able to play lots of fun games and earn lots of tickets. Blake went crazy when we had game time! Haha.

They even had face painting! Blake wanted to be a wolf just like Wiley! And of course, howling is a requirement here at the lodge!

After all the fun we have had, even the most energetic wolf cubs have to rest a little... but it is very short lived. And during that breif period, Mommy had to soak up on some patio book relaxation!

Finally, Great Wolf Lodge has a Build-a-Bear type place where you can build your own Great Wolf Lodge stuffed animal. I will give you a guess which one Blake wanted to make..... Yep, Wiley the Wolf!!! He had so much fun helping to "pump" the pedal for stuffing to make Wiley. Then we dressed him in a super cool outfit. Now Wiley is living the high life in Blake's room!

As you can tell, we had the BEST time on our Summer Vacation to Great Wolf Lodge. I am so grateful we made this vacation happen and we were able to have so many great experiences together. I have a feeling we will go back in a few years when Blake can enjoy the more advanced activities that the Lodge has to offer! Now we are back home and ready to enjoy more local Summer adventures!

Great Wolf Lodge Story Time

Each night at Great Wolf Lodge there is a little thing called story time. They do a short music/play at the main clock tower. Then a person along with a Great Wolf Lodge character come out to read everyone a bed time story!! Really cute. Finally, the kids get to hug the Great Wolf Lodge character goodnight and everyone starts heading to bed. It was so sweet and family oriented.

Blake loved the story and the play, but he mostly just loved hanging out with the characters! He got to see 3 while we were there!

Violet had a special treat... She brought us milk and cookies to our suite the first night we were there! Blake was so surprised!

We also got to see Brinley the Bear! He did a "Wolf Walk" with us!

And finally... Blake got to meet his FAVORITE character, Wiley the Wolf!!! This was a huge highlight of the trip  for Blake!

And there was STILL more to do... check out the next entry to see all of our extra fun.

Great Wold Lodge Swimming

One of the biggest perks about Great Wolf Lodge is the Water Park. The best part is that it is all indoors! That means we didn't have to worry about weather, heat, sunscreen, or anything else! It was ah-mazing!

Blake still isn't the most confident in water, so we really enjoyed the kid pool area and the wave pool. The wave pool was awesome because every 15 minutes it would create waves like an ocean. Blake loved jumping over the waves. There were also jets that would shoot water up and Blake loved playing in those! Thankfully he wasn't into the crazy slides and all of that....but I am sure we will be in a few years!

Even though this was the "main attraction" to Great Wolf Lodge, this was by far not the only thing we found to do here... (next entry!)

Great Wolf Lodge

I am so excited to write this post.... I have been patient about this trip for months! YAY!

This summer I wanted to take Blake somewhere very special... so we went to Great Wolf Lodge!!! Just the two of us! And it was by far the best vacation. I can't describe how much fun we had...but I will try.

First of all, there is something so special, as a parent, to see the excitement in your child's eyes as they experience new things and new places. Blake had a glow in his eyes the whole trip as he tried so many new things. Traveling and vacationing with Blake is our tradition in the making. It is so important for me to have these moments with him... to make memories and build this special bond. I hope and pray that these are trips he will remember forever!

This trip will take a couple of entries to cover, so just keep reading!

Here is a little about the lodge...
It looked so awesome with everything themed around the forest!

Blake loved our suite. It was designed to look like a kid camp. It was a normal hotel suite but it had this kid cabin extra room. Blake had bunk beds, a tv, and even windows in his little cabin. He was spoiled and loved playing and sleeping in there! I enjoyed my nice queen bed and our comfy sofa. :) We also had the luxury of our private balcony and mini kitchen area!

And that's just the lodge specifics... just wait for the details about the fun... (next entry...)

Rotary 5K

Rita is my ever so fantastic running/work out buddy! She does good to put up with a stubborn work out buddy like me! HAHA!

Each year we do a 5K or a 10K and this year we signed up for a 5K in Wake Forest that benefits the Rotary Club! We set the goal to finish in 42 minutes and we actually finished in 40 minutes - and dodged cars at the same time. Haha! It wasn't the safest road course. Looking forward to our next one together!

(PS- never in my life did I think that I would run in anything. This is my 2nd 5K and I have also done one 10K in the past two years. Pat on the back!)

Pullen Park with Cousins

It is always a fun time when you go to Pullen Park but it's even MORE fun when you go with your cousins!!! Childhood can be so magical sometimes!

This was a rare week in which all the kiddos were in town at the same time and we got to enjoy some adventures together! They loved Pullen Park!

Easy Living

It's Summer and the living is easy!!

Summer Bucket List

Every Summer, I like to make a little Summer bucket list -- things that I hope Blake and I can do over our 10 weeks together. Each year it gets bigger and better and I am SO EXCITED!!! Here are some things for this summer...

• YMCA Adventures - Playhouse, pool, and fitness classes
• Explore Museums - Life and Science, Marbles, History, etc
• Hillridge Farms - our class spot!
• Great Wolf Lodge - our big vacation
• Tball
• Continue PreK Education - ABC Mouse, Tuesday &Thursday PreK
• RDU Airport Flight deck
• Lake/Ocean Fun ( I would still love to go paddleboarding...)
• Taylor & Jordan's Wedding
• Playdates with Friends
• Take advantage of reading - both Blake and myself
• And more... :)

Again, I am the luckiest mom because I get to stay at home with my little one for 10 weeks during the Summer.  I can't wait to conquer each of these things with Blake. It's all about spending quality time with my little buddy. :)

It's Summer

It's SUMMER BREAK!!!! Every year I am more and more grateful that I get a 10 week summer break. Teacher perks! This is a beautiful time for me to really spend time with Blake and just relax. We get to spend quality time together that so many parents don't get with their children. I am lucky!

We kicked off our Summer with an afternoon at the pool! My friend Jodi has a pool at her place and she was kind enough to let us play there. I was a little curious how Blake would react with the pool. Last year he wasn't really a fan of the water. This year, however, was totally different! Somewhere in the year he turned into a little fish! I was so proud of him! He was fearless and was ready to swim all over that pool. That just made me so happy. At one moment, he was swimming and we started laughing about something. I wish I could freeze that moment - we were laughing together, the sun was shining, we were spending time together, and there was no stress! Seriously, what more could I ask for!?!?! Bring on our summer break!!!