The Great Wolf Lodge.....

Shawn had this last week off of work.  It also happened to be my birthday.  I suggested (strongly) that what I wanted for my birthday was to take the kids to the Great Wolf Lodge.  Wish granted.  For those of you unfamiliar, this place is a hotel with an indoor water park.  It's large.  Loud.  And a lot of fun. 

This is what part of the inside looks like.  There is a lot more to this place.  The older 3 kids were tall enough for all the rides to ride alone.  I caught up with each one sporadically throughout the time spent here.  Landon, however, was only tall enough to ride the large rides with an adult.  Me.  Serious bonding with the boy.  Presley?  She wasn't so much of a fan.  Shawn took over charge of her.  She lasted only an hour the first night.  The next day he spent time exploring the area outside of the hotel with her while the rest of us swam.  It worked out nicely because by the time noon rolled around he was able to bring us back lunch.  Which we enjoyed in the comfort of our hotel room.  Then Shawn and Presley napped while we all went back to the water park.  At about 4:30 the boys were done swimming.  So.  I went back up and got Presley.  Her, Kennedy, and I hung out for another hour.  That also happened to be the only time I brought my camera out at the park.  Too much fun to worry about pictures.

Sadly, I think Presley enjoyed pressing the elevator buttons more than she enjoyed the water.  She's her daddy's girl.

 She started to warm up a little.  If I'd let her splash me.  That always makes her enjoy herself.  At the expense of the mother.

 Water splashing in her face wasn't so much her friend.  Unless she was causing the splash. 

Kennedy always manages to make everything more fun for Presley.  I love watching them together.

In the evening at 8 pm they host a story time around the fireplace in the lobby.  We got all the kids cuddled up in pajamas and headed down.  To the lamest story time.  Ever.  Landon said to me "why did you make me walk all the way down here for this?!"  Yep.  Lame.  I was tempted to just pretend I was with the lodge and get up and tell my own story.  It would have been more entertaining. 

 Ethan was a pretty good sport.

So was Kennedy.

Jack was even willing to take a picture with the token mascot.
 Next to story time was an ice cream shop.  Photo ops and ice cream?  Nice.

 We took our sweets back to our room to indulge in privacy.  (or to contain Presley) 

 Jack and his cone.  (notice he's actually wearing a shirt?  Crazy.)

 Landon is thrilled with his choice, Ethan drunk with excitement. 

 Kennedy opted for a crystal sugar sucker instead of ice cream.

 Shawn chose strawberry in a bowl.  Which he had to share with Presley.

 Friday we checked out of the hotel and went to breakfast at IHOP.  Our families favorite breakfast destination.  Near the hotel is an amazing set of outlet malls.  And fountains for kids and dads entertainment.

Once the fun of flipping pennies in the fountain wore off, and the boys had pretty much drenched themselves, we started our journey home.  The joy of vacationing only an hour away is that it's such a short trip back home.  What a great little get-a-way.  Came at the perfect time.  Thanks babe for allowing me to celebrate my birthday how I wanted.

Let the Season Begin!......

Rock the Parkway 2011.  I love love love this race.  They host a half marathon, 10k, and a 5k.  It's a fabulous course.  Last year was the first year of this particular race.  So.  Of course we had to attend this year.  It's tradition.  After the half marathon I did in October I jokingly told my girls I'd see them in the spring.  They thought I was joking.   I wasn't.  I'm a fair weather runner.  I don't do ice.  Or below 20 degrees.  That's when I choose to bond with my treadmill in the comfort of my basement.  Which I did.  So.  Some of these girls trained all winter and did the half at this race.  I chose the 10k.  Because it's a great season opener for us out of seasoners.  And I LOVE a 10k race.  Not too long, but not too short either.  If this was the story of the three bears, this is the one Goldilocks would choose.  Because it's the perfect distance.  
Five of us took advantage of the weekend and drove up the night before and stayed in a hotel.  Of course we shopped a bit and ate also.  Why not? 

Me, Jayme, and Michelle pre-race.  Michelle was one of the girls to do the half.  She only actually chose to do the half the night before.  But she was ready.  Mentally and physically.  She was also the one that coordinated the matching orange t-shirts for all the running group from our hometown to wear so we could spot each other on the course.  Genius.  And made it much easier to cheer friends on.

Jayme, Julie, Michelle, Me, Sarah.  In the hotel lobby on the way to the race.  The temperature was 47 degrees.  We all have our perfect running temperature, hence the differing apparel being sported.

This is actually the first race I started and ran entirely alone.  I wasn't the only one in the group running the 10k, but the girls that match my pace ran the half.  The first mile was a little lonely.  Once I got in my groove I began to enjoy the experience.  I finished in a happy place.

Back: Michelle, Julie, Sarah, Christine.  Front:  Jayme, me, Jennie.  What's the best part of enjoying a race with friends?  Lunch after!  PF Changs was the venue chosen for this event.  Glorious.  It's good to be back into the season.  I know that for true runners there isn't really a "season".  Take it for what it is.  I'm debating on doing another half in the fall.  Training sometimes becomes burdensome and takes some of the fun out of running.  I kind of want this summer to be the summer of the "fun" exercise.  Run when I feel like it.  Swim when I feel like it.  Bike when I feel like it.  Without the pressure of having to run 11 miles this Saturday or I won't be able to do the half in a few weeks.  But.  I'm a sucker for running with these girls.  They make my summer fun.  Chances are if they are training for a half, I'll end up doing one just to spend time with the girls I love.  Welcome back running outdoors.  I've actually missed you. 

Miss Bee Polite Tea Party.....

For the last month Landon's preschool has been focusing on manners and being polite.  The culmination of this unit is the "Miss Bee Polite" tea party done fancy Nancy style.  We dressed in our Sunday best and our preschooler greeted us at the door, performed a few songs, and then served us tea party type food. 

The first performance the kids did well.  The performance after the food was hi-lar-i-ous.  One boy complained that his tie was choking him.  My friends daughter mooned us all as she tried to pull up her tights that were falling down.  Landon picked up the rug he was supposed to be standing on and made it into a trumpet.  Adorable.  And totally expected for this age group.  Mrs. Carroll has a lot of patience to teach these little bee's to be polite!

Trampolines And Preschoolers....

Xtreme gymnastics (located 30 minutes west of us) has preschool Fridays where it's open gym for the under age 5 category. Perfect for my two little jumping beans. We gathered a few friends and headed over a couple of weeks ago. We loved it.

There were regular trampolines built into the ground. They seemed more bouncy than your run of the mill trampoline. (which my paranoid husband refuses to let us purchase....)

There were giant foam pits where you could either jump in from a trampoline, or launch yourself off a giant foam block. Both were frequently used.

Of course a snack break needed to occur to re-energize.

This was a cool slide they had running to the ground from the main floor. Presley wasn't tall enough to climb back out so I spent a lot of my time lifting her from below.

I'm glad I discovered this place. My couches needed this jumping outlet.

Just Dip It.....

Tonight for our fun family dessert Kennedy decided we should do a re-make of the ganache we used last week to top her cupcakes. Only this time dip whatever the heck we felt like. Ganache=easy and tasty. It also equals happy faces.

Strawberries and pretzels were the favorite tonight.

The strawberries went fast. Especially with our little fruit mongers.

Monger #1:

Monger #2:

Landon even quit dipping after a bit and just started eating the strawberries alone. "I just want to be healthy mom". (Yeah. Until tomorrow's valentine party.)

The beautiful baker herself:

Ethan (who is a wierd texture kind of kid) even got in on the dipping action. Of course only pretzels. Strawberries are a fruit. The kind of food group he avoids entirely.

Jack. Jack. The chocolate king. Without a shirt and still managed to get chocolate on his clothes. Uncanny.

We were even able to entice Shawn away from Scrabble blast on his iphone long enough to endulge in a chocolate dipped banana. Nothing better than a carb dipped in a carb!

I think it's safe to say that ganache dipping was a success.

Let's hope bathtime is just as successful.

The Fever....

Today I took Kennedy to see the new Justin Bieber movie "Never Say Never". One could assume that Kennedy was on her hands and knees begging her old mother to take her to see the hip star in all his glory. But. One would be wrong in this case. When I saw that it was in theaters I asked her if she'd go see it with me. Her response? "Mom. No way. I'm not a Bieber fan." Slam. I somehow convinced her, and we went. Now. Before all these crazy rumors start about me being infatuated with a 16 year old pop star, it's just not the case. Frankly I think the boy needs a haircut. And to pull up his pants. (Wow. I am old.) The movie for me wasn't about the music. (Though I admit that I do enjoy some of his tunes) It was the coming of age story. The boy-next-door-trying-to-use-his-gift-to-achieve-his-dream story. It amazes me that someone so young can achieve all that he has achieved in his short life span. He was raised by a single young mom, and his grandparents. When he gets a short break from tour he's expected to clean his room before he can go out with his friends. He's a kid. Who likes to eat McDonald's, play video games, annoy adults around him by boyish behavior, and just being a kid. Only. He's expected to live in an adult world making more money than most adults. And behaving like an adult in certain business ventures. That's a lot of pressure for a kid. But he's doing it. And doing it well. The movie made me think of my own kids. What their talents are. What kind of people I'd like them to grow up to be. Justin Bieber's Dad came to one of his concerts and cried like a baby back stage. I know those tears. Experienced them. Tears of pride. Pride that your kid is shining for others the way you see them shine always. This movie made me feel like I need to support my kids in whatever crazy adventure they are trying to pursue. Rubik's cubes, baking, karate, coloring, whatever. I just want my kids to feel like I know they are capable of amazing things. So they won't be selling out Madison Square Garden when they are 16. That's most likely not their destiny. Being the best little people in my world? That they can achieve.

Blizzarding......

Blizzard of the century happening. Right now. Outside my warm and cozy house. The kids were released from school early yesterday as it started to rain ice. It didn't start to snow until the wee hours of this morning. And it's been going strong ever since. And blowing. Ridiculous amounts. Shawn went in to work around 6:30 am to do an epidural, but he returned around 8 and his been home since. I've just been enjoying doing absolutely nothing. Wait. I did shower. Then I put back on my pajamas. Glorious. For some odd reason at 2:00 Shawn decided he better see if he could pull the Denali out of the garage. He does have to work tomorrow. Early. I guess it was his little test. I had just finished page 3 of a book I've been trying to start for a few days when my cell phone rang. It was Shawn. And he was stuck. "Could you come push the front of the Denali to get me moving?" (I vividly remember doing this exact same thing when we were brand new marrieds to our Toyota corolla. But not because of the snow. Just because that is how we got it to start.) I donned my boots, hat, and coat and headed out to the garage. Only he had just got it maneuvered enough that he was able to pull it back in. We decided if we shoveled a bit it might help the situation. Remember. It's a blizzard outside. Whatever. Because we lack a snow shovel I trudged through the 4 foot drifts to our neighbors the Heaths to borrow one. Lucky day. Chad Heath has a new snow blower. I took the shovels and he followed behind with his new toy. Pretty soon Jack and Kennedy were dressed and outside wanting to help.

Chad blowing the snow. We owe him. BIG time.

My front door. My wreath is dusted with the white stuff. Kind of pretty. If you are looking from the inside with your blanket and hot chocolate.

Shawn was following the blown paths with a shovel just to keep it clear. Underneath the snow is our very own private ice skating rink. Treacherous.

Kennedy was shoveling her own little spot. Chad aimed his blower just right and she fell over. Hilarious. She loved every minute of it. Crazy girl.

My frozen man. While I'm typing this he is still out there trying to keep the driveway clear. "It is like shoveling snow in a blizzard".

I've got my own little Jack Frost. Minus the teeth.

It's supposed to keep snowing and blowing until tomorrow morning. School has already been cancelled. My guess is they are out the rest of the week. As I was standing in the garage, taking turns with the kids and the snow shovel, I came to the conclusion that all along my lines of thinking have been correct. I've often said "Doing laundry in this house is like shoveling snow in a blizzard!" Or "Doing (insert whatever) is like shoveling snow in a blizzard." Today confirmed that statement for me. Shawn just walked in the door. As the door shut I looked out the window and the driveway is once again covered. Much like when I exit the kitchen admiring the cleanliness only to return to a cluttered counter and a sink full of dishes. After only 5 minutes. Painful. And all that clean laundry in the laundry room waiting to be folded? I have just as much in my kids bedrooms waiting to be washed. My life is like shoveling snow in a blizzard. Depressing? Sometimes. Discouraging? Sometimes. But. There are those few moments when you sit down with your hot chocolate and warm blanket despite the blizzard of life. It makes all the shoveling worth it. (Now I have to go see what damage was done to the kitchen while I took the time to blog this event. Lovely.)