The Magic of Great Wolf Lodge

It's been 2 cold weeks since we left the 84 degrees year round temperatures of the Magical Great Wolf Lodge. I knew it was time to get on top of the blog when I had already gotten a flyer for booking our next stay. It may be quite a while before we grace them with our presence again but it's not goodbye just see you later.

This year we had a little Christmas in January. We celebrated Christmas by spending a fun filled weekend at GWL with my parents. My kids need no toys. They prefer to play with sharpies and Tupperware. We decided a while back to forgo Christmas presents in lieu of a trip together(or two) so back in September we took a little vaca to Atlanta and really had a great time. In January, we reconvened for a trip to Charlotte and GWL. I knew it was the perfect place to take the boys in the dead of winter, I didn't know we'd be in the midst of a snow/ice storm! We drove the 2 hours to Charlotte amidst sparkling trees covered in a glaze of ice and fields blindingly white with snow.

Oddly, the first thing on Jackson's agenda was to play Magiqest. All he wanted was a wand from his Nana and to play this game. It can be described as a virtual type treasure hunt using a wand to make things talk/light up/react. It turns out to be more of a parent drags you up and down the stairs to find the things the wand says to. Maybe we have a few more years and learning to read before he really gets into it. Either way, the wand was great entertainment as he and Lincoln went around pointing (banging) it on everything.

Then it was on to the FUN! I mean what could possibly be more fun than having 1,000 gallons of water dumped on your head in front of a wet and wild treehouse? The indoor waterpark boasts a year round 84 degree temp and 8 fast and furious slides of fun!

The really brave ones (Jason and Jackson) will lay down in the wake of the dumping bucket for maximum effect!

These were the racing chutes and in my opinion the most fun. 4 people take off at the same time and race down the slides to see your time recorded at the bottom. I never beat Jason's time of 8 seconds. I claimed it was because he weighs more.

Oh, my little fish. Thank Goodness Nana bought us this puddle jumper back in July. Not only was it invaluable at the post pools (it's USCG approved) but it was a life saver in the park. He's not fond of the life jacket style. It inhibits his short arm span. He was safely independent with this priceless preserver.

Man, I love a pool with zero entry! The wave pool was a hit with everyone.

He really does love his Nana. When he wants to. Afterall, she's the one who facilitated this trip to aquatic heaven!

Jason and Jackson. Pete and Repeat. Wet and wetter. Can you imagine watching yourself grow up all over again? Jason is experiencing that right now!

Mama's baby. That boy never wants to grow up! "Mama HOLD."

Now he loves his Nana. She took him on the soaking treehouse.

Hold on to your camera, Nana, Jackson will shoot you.

Seriously, I was asked if I was his SISTER in the kiddie pool. These pigtail braids must be awfully deceiving. As if my post baby hips x2 wasn't proof! Either way, it made me feel youthful.

Proof of the SNOW on the ground as we sat around warmly inside the waterpark.

This was another highlight for Jackson(er, Jason). These boys CAN NOT pass up an arcade and this one had 2 claw machines, Jason's favorite! He won Jackson a bouncy ball and was the night's hero for it. Jackson choose a whoopee cushion as his ticket prize. BOYS!
Happy with his LOOT!

See, I told you Nana gives him everything he wants. Naked AND Ice Cream. At least he's willing to share.

Every night at 8pm, there is a bedtime story read in the lobby of the lodge. These animatronics at the clock tower help tell the song and dance story and the children come dressed in their PJ's to listen. The even make it SNOW inside on top of the kids. It's a cute tradition to see all the kids drinking hot chocolate in their PJ's.

We won't even discuss how many strangers we had to ask to make this photo with mom's fancy camera. You can see Jason and his little clones are thrilled with the outtakes.

The Charlotte Raceway was about a mile from GWL and Mom and Dad took the boys there on the way home. They got to get in a bus and drive around the track somewhere around 75 miles an hour. The boys really liked curving around the sharp corners of the track.

Isn't it funny how the seats are designed to look like there are people sitting in them.
These are PawPaw's biggest buddies.

It was by far the most memorable of Christmas gifts for all of us. I think we will be choosing a "Christmas trip" more often. The Great Wolf Lodge is such a charming place to visit. If you've never been, book your trip TODAY!