Great Wolf Lodge

Stella and Marni (and mom and dad) have found their new favorite winter place to visit.

Last Friday we headed out to Great Wolf Lodge for a weekend of wet and wild fun. It only took me about a half hour to chip the car out of its icy casing. A nasty snow, sleet, hail and rain storm had passed through the day before and really did a number on the car. Only one door would open and the other four were frozen shut. Finally, I hacked away enough ice to open the other doors. I quickly shoved in our bags, and then our children, and we were off!

The trip was fast and we got to the lodge at around 1:00. But our room wasn't ready and we decided to do some shopping and lunching while we waited. I got a nice pair of Merril boots and the nearby outlet center. Then, off to Friendly's for lunch.

We finally checked in at 4:00.

The room was fantastic. Two separate bedrooms. A living room, kitchen, two bathrooms, and a gas fireplace. The kids were loving it. After we decided who was going where, we changed into our bathing suits and headed for our first water park adventure.

We were greeted at the entrance to the water park by a blast of hot and humid air. The building was gigantic and filled to the brim with every imaginable type of water gizmo. Water was squirting everywhere. The ladies and I did a recon mission to scope out what our options were. It was decided to go for the wave pool first (which eventually became known as "the beach").

Stella and Marni immediately started playing in the warm water and very realistic waves. Next stop was the kid pool where it never gets more than about 2 feet deep. Stella decided to try out some of the small water slides and did great. Marni tried once or twice, but eventually chickened out. We then took a leisurely float down Crooked Creek.

Dinner was some yummy pizza from the in-hotel Pizza Hut Express. We ate in front of the fireplace and then changed into PJs (the kids that is). First stop was a visit to see Santa Claus in the lobby. As expected, they wouldn't actually sit on his lap, but agreed to stand near enough to him for a photo op. Every night at 8:00 is story time in the lobby in front of an enourmous animatronic stage. The show lasted about 15 minutes and was surprisingly well done. Then, as an added attraction for the winter, the animated characters sang holiday songs as "snow" fell from the rafters. Well done.

Day two included a morning and afternoon trip to the water park separated with lunch, naps, and some fun in the snow. Lisa also managed to fit in a trip to the gym and the spa. My high point of the day was my first ride down a big, scary water slide. We escaped the lodge for dinner at Red Robin. Then... Hanukkah gifts.

Our final day included, of course, one more trip to the water park. And this trip included my first ride down the super-big water slides (on a raft). Lisa and I each took turns trying to outdo each other with the scarier rides.

A trip to the outlet mall rounded out the perfect weekend. The girls slept all the way home. We're already planning the trip back there next winter.

Class of 2021

Marni and Stella dance to Tom

The girls have long known about Tom Jones.

They know we played his song at our wedding ceremony. They know we danced to his song at the reception. I sing them two Tom Jones songs almost every night. But they hadn't really ever seen Tom perform before.

So the other night I threw on a DVD of Tom's 1970's tv show. While Stella danced on and off, Marni danced steadily through both "It's Not Unusual" and "What's New Pussycat".

Later they threw their panties and diapers at the tv set.

Thanksgiving 2008

This was our 5th Thanksgiving with Stella and our 3rd with Marni. And this year we celebrated in Natick.

Traffic up to Natick on Thursday morning was reasonable. Audrey, Harold, Karen, Glenn, the dogs, and Glenn's sister Kathy and family joined us later in the afternoon. At 5:30 we all headed to The Sherborn Inn for a delicious turkey day dinner. We even had our own room, so the girls could roam free without disturbing others.

Friday we headed to Audrey and Harold's hotel to make use of their pool. The girls had a blast and made quite an impression on the other guests as they walked through the lobby in their swimming attire. Later that day Audrey and Lisa went on a shopping spree at the Natick Collection.

On Saturday I broke out the Lincoln Logs from my youth. An instant hit with the kids. I also brought out the toy soldier stuff which was a bit dirty and a lot less interesting to the girls. A little later we went outside so Stella and Marni could run through the giant pile of leaves that Papa Art left for them in the backyard. Much fun. That night Lisa and I headed off to the Natick Collection and Metro 9 for "date night" and the girls enjoyed "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" with Nana and Papa.

We headed home Sunday morning. We tried to miss the traffic, but ended up sitting in it most of the way home. It also snowed, hailed, and rained most of the way.

All-in-all a very relaxing and fun visit (even though Marni tumbled down the stairs a couple of times).

Makeup Time