Great Wolf

The kids were very excited to go back to Great Wolf Lodge, this time with Zoe's homeschool co-op.  (The 2 youngest got to skip school to participate, which they didn't mind one bit.)

Since IKEA is on the way and only about 10 minutes from GWL, we all love to make that a part of the trip.

The kids love seeing all the different room layouts and decorations.

The favorite, though, was the "cafe" set up!

All and all they did a great job, were patient when they needed to be, and even enjoyed taking some pictures at times.

It helped to have a yummy lunch to look forward to for us all.

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We were thankful that our room was ready for us when we got there, so we could change there quickly and head to the water park.

One of Ezra's memories from when he was little was spraying on this jet ski, and he was happy to recreate it!

It was such a different trip, though, from previous years, as this time the girls were old enough to go off together with friends.  (I failed to get a good picture of Zoe with her buddies.)

It took me awhile to adjust to this new dynamic.

But I did get to spend some time with my girl at the end of the night, after her friends had gone out of the park for the night.

And the rest of the family...

Ezra had a blast with his "booby trap" area.

After dinner and showers, I was happy to go with the littles to story hour, where Shiloh was able to participate in the story time.  It was loud and chaotic, and she joined in!

Warming by the fire.

Up next a dance party and the tweens got into the line dancing.

She is growing so fast.

When we got back to the room, we found that the rest of the crew was pretty wiped out.

Whether they liked it or not, it is a must to recreate this picture.

Howe!!!

Even though we slept in a bit, it was a challenge for the girls to get up.

But we did and were ready for the park even before it opened.

The girls were over the pictures.

My little fishy loves the pool

Ezra gained some more confidence in the water.

My boys!

Thankful for this time with them...

He prefers a silly face photo.

Then it was off to IKEA again.  There pickup wasn't working, so we quickly searched around to pick up the other things we needed, enjoyed dinner, and a yummy dessert.

Well deserved for great behavior and encouragement for the ride home.

January Re-starts

January, a time of recovery from the busyness of the past season and a fresh slate of a new year.  It always gives me hope that it will be better, especially after a hard few months battling with Beach's health.  Some glimpses of the highs of the month...

Playdate at the park with friends on a gorgeous afternoon!

 

Just so thankful for this large park that is so close to us that has brought us so much joy over the years!

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The kids all love my parent's dog and will snuggle with her wherever she is at!

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When your try to tease your son and take a picture at the same time...

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Another sunny day and we were off to another park with friends.  We want to soak them up while we can!

How many kids can you fit on one swing?

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Zoe got to go to her sweet friend's gymnastics meet.

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Night at the museum at Zoe's school, and Zoe was off with a friend.  However, the littles still enjoyed it and made a bow and arrow.

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Block fun and Ezra had fun spelling out some things.

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Gazing up at the stairs with new neighbor friends.

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We have been part of the Max Living community for 11 years, and I was able to attend their decade dinner again this year.

We got a beautiful cutting board.

Thankful for these leaders and all the work that they do!

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It's been awhile, several months really, since Beach and I have been able to go on a date.  With his major flare up it was out of the question and then the busy holidays....thankful to make this night happen.  We went to a newer local restaurant, Tavern on 6 and had a great meal together.

Then we spent that night on campus at CIU (an alumni perk), having a time of rest and prayer...

to refocus on the new year.

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100th day of school and my girl that loves all things themed, was excited to get old.

She used colored pencil to create wrinkles on her face.

I would say she did a pretty good job!

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Much of my time this month was consumed with preparing for our party to celebrate our 10 years in business!  This amazing couple did an awesome job with the ballon banner for our decorations.

We had free BBQ for our guest, served by an awesome local company.

That, along with the live music, was well received.

It was so busy that I didn't get a chance to take any pictures once it started, but we were so thankful for our community showing up BIG for the event! And thankful for a local paper running a story on it leading up to the big day!

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While outside, Shiloh surprised me with a drink creation.  She loves creating in all areas, including food!

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I love when we can catch a beautiful sunset from our front porch.

To God be the glory for great things He has done.