New Year’s Eve and Great Wolves!!

We spent New Year’s Eve at our usual location….Meemaw and Pawpaw’s house!  We had extras this year with my oldest brother, Mike, and his family being in.  Matt and Candy also graced us with their presence this year!!  I really enjoyed New Year’s Eve with all of them.  I wish we could do it every year.  I was just grateful to have my big brother in from Boston for a good time together.  Here are some shots from NYE.

Clay, Mike, Pawpaw, and crazy, uncle Mattie! 

Uncle Mattie and Clara goofin’ around

I cannot tell you how much fun we had takin’ these pics!  We goofed around quite a bit.   Meemaw, Casey, me, and Candy!

After we rang in the new year we headed home for a quick night’s sleep and off we were to Great Wolf Lodge the next morning.  Meemaw and Pawpaw had gotten us Christmas presents to all stay there.  We had a blast.  As an extra special treat Meemaw and Pawpaw got Cullen the Wolf Den Suite for his 10th birthday (was on the 6th)!  Here are some shots of the kids enjoying it.  The wolf den was set up like a mini-log cabin within our room.  There was a set of bunk beds along with a flat screen and video games. 

I tried to get the best shot of the outside that I could but as it was narrow right there I had no room to get farther away.  This was looking inside the little cabin part. 

I think Cullen liked it……they all really did!

   

Here are the kids all geared up for the indoor waterpark.  I got much grief for making them wait out for this pic!  It was worth it though.  I do not have a lot in the waterpark as it is no fun to lug the camera around while trying to play in the water.  We had a BLAST!!!

Here is Pawpaw, Cullen, Clara, and Candy in the wave pool. 

 

I’ll be honest….The waterpark was very chilly the first day.  It was not as enjoyable as usual but the next day was MUCH better!  The water was warmer and the temp inside the building was much better. 

The evening we were there we had bought a game for all the kids called MagiQuest.  It is somewhat of an interactive scavenger hunt throughout the hotel.  It is an 8-story scavenger hunt and I was the only grown up that participated.  I must say that it was the most fun I have had in an extremely long time while completely wearing myself to a complete exhausted state!  =)  AND I would do it all over again in a heartbeat!!  Plan on it the next time we are there.  We played that game for hours until 11 p.m. and they shut it down running up 8 flights of stairs to find our clues and solve our quests.  It was so, so much fun!  The boys had a blast too!  I was worried when the game first began.  At the beginning it was quite confusing and we were tired already from playing in the waterpark.  Cullen and I were to the point of giving up when something said, “let’s just keep trying!”  I am so glad Cullen did not give up.  As Cullen said it was the most fun we have ever had together!  It was a great example of what patience and never giving up will get ya!!

Well….that was our NYE and weekend wrapped up.  We also enjoyed celebrating Cullen’s 10th birthday together with a dinner just the 5 of us.  It was a small birthday but we celebrated it in style eating our Asian food and dining on homemade peanut butter cupcakes with chocolate buttercream!  I cannot believe Cullen is in double digits.  Life just flies by……literally it feels as though it has been a second and my babies are a year older!  Sometimes I wish I could hit pause but I know God has so much planned for us in this life and I am so incredibly blessed to have been given my precious family to share it with!

On a side note…..Candy I am extremely ticked off that I am just now learning about Microsoft Live Writer to do my blog posts.  I think the reason I have not been posting so much is b/c it was so dang hard to post pics and really….the pics are the best part of my blog as my writing skills are rusty and I just don’t take time to try and be witty and inventive with my posts.  So….Candy….big razzberry to you!!!!!  =<….. (can you tell that is a face with a razzberry blowing it at you!)  I am just grateful you finally decided to share your secret to making blogging much easier and a lot more productive!!!