So... Let me tell ya about last week.

It was my intent to write this when I got my pictures developed. Unfortunately, I have learned that if you are going to buy a disposable water camera, you should by Kodak only. My water pics. turned out lousy. I will not be posting them here, after all!

We visited Great Wolf Lodge on Wednesday. Not this past Wednesday... the one before. If you are going to visit Great Wolf Lodge, you should do it on a Wednesday, because the rooms are something like half price! We arrived early and were able to check right in, even though it was supposed to be a few hours until the official check-in time. That was super! Phil's mom and dad came with us and accidentally ended up in a handicapped room with no bath tub. That was my mistake... and a big one at that! They were good sports. We stayed in a "Kid's Cabin" room, because our family is too big to fit in "normal" rooms at this point. The kids thought it was the coolest thing ever!

After Phil dragged all of our luggage up to our room, we got everyone ready to go to the waterpark and called Grandma and Grandpa. Were we ever in for an adventure! Taking four non-swimming little people to a waterpark definitely requires four adults... especially when a three month old is part of the group!

After snapping Seth, Grace, and Caleb into life jackets, we were off! Unfortunately, about 5-10 minutes into our fun, Seth tripped on a slippery set of stairs and landed on his face. This required a trip to the first aid station to track down some ice and fill out an accident report. It resulted in a terribly bruised, fat lip. I felt awfully sorry for him. However, Seth wanted to get right back out there and play, so the injury was minor, in his opinion.

We enjoyed plenty of water fun, including Ian's first trip in a lazy river (and I do mean a very lazy river) and Seth's first solo trip down a really big water slide. Grandma was a huge help holding Ian for several hours and splashing in the baby pool with Caleb. Grace just about ran Grandpa into the ground taking him up the steps to the double tube slide over... and over... and over again. And, Phil and I even got to spend an hour by ourselves in the evening. It had been a long time since I'd been in a hot tub, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I want one of my own... hehehe...

We enjoyed the arcade and came home with plenty of "prizes". We ate at Gitchigomie Grill, inside the lodge. The food was good, but I think I'd walk across the parking lot to Steak-N-Shake if we visit again. We took pics. with the bear in the lobby. We heard the singing moose. And we sat through the great clocktower show from which our children gained insight into new age theology...

Overall, I'd say that Great Wolf Lodge is an excellent experience for families with young children... well... minus the new age theology! Families with teens or groups without little kids might want to try one of the other indoor waterparks, but I have never been to another one in the area, so I really can't make a recommendation.

When we got home, we ate pizza, washed diapers, and packed for another "mini-trip"!

On Saturday morning, we went to my "Paw's" 80th birthday party! It was awesome, because he was completely surprised. We ate at Old Country Buffet, where Phil, Grace, and I ate too much... Seth ate every variety of bread known to man... and Caleb decorated himself with blue frosting from the birthday cake! Caleb also took off running through the restaurant... including through an employee area... but I finally caught him. (As a side note... Since then, Caleb has run through Applebee's, only to be caught by Seth, since Phil was stuck in the middle of a very large booth and I was feeding Ian. He also made a mad dash for the McDs kitchen, and I nearly left him there to work for the afternoon!)

After we ate, the party moved to Paw and Glenda's house, where we had even more snacks, and we watched the slideshow DVD I put together. It must have been a hit, because I need to make five copies of it and get them sent out sometime soon!

The real... ahem... fun was only beginning, though. We went to have some family portraits taken, and let's just say my kids were too tired... and wired... at this point. Caleb bounced off the walls (nearly literally), while Ian screamed, and Seth and Grace nearly pushed Paw off the posing stool. We still got some decent pics. I was, however, beyond tired and crabby by the end of the night. I do not do tired and crabby well. If you are ever in the same general area as I am in when I am tired and crabby, please do not talk to me. It is for your own health and well being that I issue this warning...

We went to Phil's mom and dad's house next, to spend the night. Once we got the kids to sleep, I stayed up and made fun of Christian programming. I am notorious for this. If you like Christian programming, please don't take offense. Remember, I was tired and crabby. I am thinking of sending an application in to the "Christian idol" competition, though... Oh, nevermind. If you weren't there, this makes little sense...

I finally went to bed when it became obvious to me that I was completely incoherant. And with that, I ask you, why do people drink? I mean, I can become completely incoherant just naturally... Maybe it is a gift...

We went to our home church the next morning, which feels more and more like it isn't our home church every time we visit. The new paint in the children's church room is awesome, though...

Later in the day, we packed up, made a final stop to get Gus' breadsticks, and went home.

Monday morning, the scale was not kind. However, I have lost 5 1/2 lbs. since then, so I am OK with that.

This past week, we were insanely busy. Thankfully, both gymnastics and soccer are over now, so we have a bit of a "breather" before we start in again with every activity under the sun. I am especially sick of school (mine... not the kids' so much) in case you haven't noticed in my last few posts. I was going to take a summer class, but I have changed my mind. I need a break!

Well... this was long... and long overdue, but now it is written. And soon it will be posted. And I am just about to cross that tired and crabby line, so I'd better hurry!

Lisa