Mini trip

Last week, we packed up the van and headed to an indoor water park and hotel. Since this summer was so busy with Mike's work schedule and him taking accelerated courses in school (seven more months!!) we didn't get to do a lot of the family things we had wanted to. Since things have slowed down back to a more normal pace at work, Mike took a couple of days off for us to hang out as a family. For this vacation, going in the fall worked out a lot better then the summer anyways. Since all the kids are back in school and their numbers are down, the hotel was offering fantastic deals; combine that with a 48 hour Internet sale and we ended up with one night in the hotel and two days at the water park for half of what it would be during busier times.

We had went here last year for Little Man's three year old birthday and he loved it. Kiwi, on the other hand, wasn't even walking yet and spent the majority of the time being carried around by Mike and I. This time, however, both kiddos had a blast.

Here they are outside the van. On the second day we had to check out of our room by 11:00, but could stay at the water park as long as we wanted to. We got all ready to go, but we didn't trust Kiwi to walk around in just her swim diaper and swim suit (I didn't feel like finding a staff member and explaining what the wet spot on their hallway or lobby carpet was). Kiwi really wanted to get all ready to go, however, so we put on the swim diaper, put on her suit, and then put a regular diaper on top of it. We got some odd looks, but she was happy and their was no puddles to report so I was happy.

The inside of the water park had a whole section designed for kids about 1-5. It had two little slides, a boat, and jet ski things that had water guns on them. We spent most of our trip last year there and spent most of the first day there this time around.

The second day we ventured onto some other things. Another bonus to going on a Tuesday/Wednesday in October was that the park was dead. We didn't have to stand in line for a thing. They had these two medium slides that Little Man was big enough to go down by himself. After lots and lots of convincing he finally did it and then wouldn't stop. There were two right next to each other so he liked to race both Mike and I. Leading up to the slides was a bunch of water fountains, buckets and other water toys to play in and so one of us parents would stay there with Kiwi while the other climbed to the top with Little Man and did the slides. As soon as he hit the bottom, his little body jumped out of the slide and asked to go again. I lost count of how many times we did the slides, but I think he would have literally done it all day if his mom and dad hadn't started getting tired.

We also did the wave pool which we avoided last year because of the crowds, but this year had no worries because we were four of only a handful of people in it. There a big pool with basketball hoops and a section that had lily pads going across it. There was a rope to hang onto above them and the point was to try to get all the way across without falling into the water. Little Man (with a life jacket on) did these over and over and over. He could only reach the rope by standing on his tip toes while sliding percariously all over the slippery top. He would just laugh when he fell in and want to try again. He actually did make it across a couple of times. One time he was when some other older kids were waiting in line for it (the only line I saw the whole time). I sensed they were a little impatient as they watched this kid half their size take more then twice as long to get across, but I didn't care. I was so proud watching my little guy try so hard and when he turned and smiled at the end with wet hair plastered to his forehead and his blue eyes shining, I thought my heart would burst.

Not for the first time, I don't have any pictures of us in the water. I didn't even bring my camera in to the park part. Try dropping your brand new camera into the ocean once, just once and you'd be forever nervous to take your camera near the water again too.

The only down side of having the resort be so empty was that the buffet where we ate last year was closed. We had promised the kids they would be able to have chicken nuggets and smily fries (a favorite from last year), but luckily there was a McDonalds just down the road. We even got them Happy Meals which we never get for them, so they were in heaven (Little Man has said to me before, "Mom, are Happy Meals only a Grandma thing?" because the only time he gets them is when he's with Grandma). We are not big Mickey D fans, so we found a Quiznos and Mike and I got sandwiches while the kids at the meals.

At night time, they this little "clock tower show" and then a story time. The show consisted of talking animals and trees (look closely at the tree's face) and it was really...not very good (actually it was about the cheesiest thing I've ever seen with a plot that made no sense).

Kiwi during the show. There was this moose head that talked and as soon as it started she said,

"No horse talking"

When I didn't answer (I was preoccupied with trying to figure out the nonsense plot of the show), she became more persistent,

"No horse talking Mommy, no like horse talking," her voice growing louder. Sensing that she was on the verge of a breakdown, I tore my attention from the talking animals who had now been joined by a manikin like thing of a boy who kept coming up out of a stump and then going back down.

As I focused on the task of holding off a full blown meltdown, I realized that she was calling the moose a horse.

"It's not a horse, love, it's a moose."

"Oh" she replied satisfied for about thirty seconds and then came,

"No like moose talking,"

She kept repeating this and telling me she didn't like the animals talking while I kept reassuring her it was okay. At this point, the animals, trees, and a Native American manikin who had come out of a tree were all singing a song about how there was nothing to be scared of in the forest.

Little Man leaned over and in a not so quiet whisper said, "Mommy don't you see? They are singing about not being scared, but Kiwi is scared of THEM!"

Needless to say, the show was not the highlight of our little girl's trip. Every time we went near that tower for the rest of the trip she would want me to hold her and would repeat, "No like animals talking.

The stories which followed the show and were read by a real person were fun. After being promised by both Mike and I that the animals would not be talking any more Kiwi even joined her brother and the other kids on the floor to listen.

There was an arcade where both the kids, especially Little Man, and both parents, especially Mike, enjoyed playing the games. When we first walked in the boys disappeared to play games and I was left to convince Kiwi that there was more entertaining things to do then stand at this machine and identify everything that was in it.

"Ducky Mommy, Ducky!"

"Candy Mommy!"

She found something she liked better then this in ski ball where she just threw the same ball up the ramp over and over because it never made it far enough. Fifty cents and this girl can be entertained for an hour.

Little Man driving a motorcycle.

We started the night by putting the kids in one of the two queen sized beds in the room, but that didn't last. Kiwi was way too excited. At one point she was kept bumping Little Man's head and saying "Noggin" causing peals of laughter to come from both of them, but this was quickly stopped by their mean parents who didn't want either one to end up with a big goose egg on their heads.

Eventually we put her in the porta crib where she continued to stand up and ask for things as the rest of tried to sleep. She's not the best roommate to have. Eventually she went to sleep (although woke up a couple times during the night, but unfortunately that is not uncommon, but that is a whole other post).

The four of us had a lot of fun. It's so nice to get away from all the day to day stuff and to have nothing to worry about except for spending time with each other. The only complaint I would have was that it was way too short.