Birthday Weekend
My wife decided we were going to spend the birthday weekend for our soon to be 7 year old daughter E at a Great Wolf Lodge. I had never been before and we made a really long trip to get there. Luckily a lot of family also made it in and we shared a room with some of them. It was going to be a fun weekend for the kids (and a very tiring one for the adults!).
We spent a few days there and it was honestly a pretty great experience. There is a huge indoor waterpark that we got to experience and it was full of crazy slides and a huge wave pool. They kids had a blast and didn’t want to leave the first day. My 1 year old son L was trying to go to the deeper end of the pool and he didn’t realize that would require swimming. We had to keep corralling the kids and finally ended up showering so we could eat an early dinner (and attempt to get some sleep). We also spent (a short) time at the arcade, but more on that later.
The next day, we had a huge family breakfast and the food was surprising good as well. We hung around a long time and also ate too much, but it was to fuel up for the long day. We headed back to the indoor pool and it was a blast. The kids went on almost all the rides and L was trying to skip his nap. E and C also got a little too crazy and went into the really deep part of the wave pool. My wife had to tell them to get back to her in the shallow end. Just because they take swim lessons does not mean they are prepared for the craziness of a wave pool with people being thrown everywhere. I had to tell them the same thing and that was the frustrating point of the trip. E had to take time to eat and regroup since she had some big feelings for a newly minted 7 year old.
L ended up crashing out in the mid afternoon. After regrouping, E got to ride all of the rides and was really excited for the craziest ones on the rafts. My 5 year old son C was also brave and took the 2-person rides with me that shot you through a tunnel on a special tube you could sit on. He would not have done that a year ago, but now the kid likes those kinds of rides (which is great for me!). It was a tiring, but fun day. We went to shower and hang out in the room before dinner. Ended up wandering around and I did not want to spend any time at the arcade, so we went to the gift shop. E got a Build-a-Bear done and recorded her voice in a heart. It was really cute (but expensive). Ended up spending more at the gift shop than the arcade though!
I got the brilliant idea of just asking for an early table before our reservation because everyone was on fumes. We had an early dinner and E was so excited that everyone was there. There was even a birthday ice cream and a fondue dessert spread. Again, the food was surprisingly good and we again ate too much. We got to have an earlier bedtime and the kids slept well after struggling to go to sleep after an extra stimulating day. Same with my wife and I. Lot of experiences and thoughts about the weekend, especially given that E turned 7.
We spent one last morning there and at breakfast together. There were high ambitions to head to the pool, but after breakfast settled in, we all decided to pack up early and start to head out. On the way back to the room, there were events in the atrium, so the kids stopped to do some yoga and run around. It was really cute and even L learned some moves that he has been showing off at home. I also challenged the kids to take the stairs up to our room and they agreed. We raced everyone else and tied the elevator crew (while getting lots of exercise!). I want those little decisions to compound for them over time and also build some toughness, but luckily they also see it as fun!
It was a great and eventful weekend. I’m thankful to be able to spend the time together and to just enjoy a place like that. It’s honestly a special family experience that I want my kids to hold onto as some core memories. What a great birthday for E and I can’t believe she is 7 already. She is sweet, smart, kind, creative, and a great problem solver already. I’m so proud of her and who she is becoming. This is the reward of parenthood (I think!).
