Jimanie's Crickets: Birthday

Great Wolf Lodge Birthday Adventure!

How about a "real life" post from this momma who is about a year behind on Blog Chronicles? THESE are all the exciting details you miss out on with me not having notes from our past trips ;).

Lola surprised the boys with a birthday box including two adorable wolves, (who we named "Howlie" and "Wolfie") and a gift certificate to the Great Wolf Lodge for their birthday!
Upon starting to plan our trip, we realized this place is PRICEY, and coincidentally Sassy & Pops had sent the boys some birthday adventure money too. So we combined funds and made a two day trip! We've been counting down and SOOO excited!

Howling boys!

We picked the boys up after lunch on Wednesday to head out. Stopped at Cruisin Coffee for mom's special Cool Coffee Cream treat, and a smoothie for the boys to split. Down the road we go!
Stopped about two hours later for some snacks... made our own "trail mix" of pop corn, fruit snacks, and veggie straws. Only made it about another hour down the road before Jackson THREW UP EVERYWHERE. Cleaned the best we could, and finished the trip, making it to the Lodge right around 5/6 pm.

As soon as we got there, Mason had to go potty so bad that he apparently peed right on top of the closed toilet seat, and flooded the bathroom floor and his tennis shoes. I didn't realize this when he told me "he got some pee on the toilet seat" and I replied, "no problem just clean it up with toilet paper". Well, I should have taken a picture of the bundles of wet soppy toilet paper that I happened upon, ha!

We had time for about 1-2 hours of water fun that evening before story time and a late dinner.

More Howling Boys (dad included!)

Jackson crashed as soon as we got back to the room, but Mason's belly was bothering him quite a bit. He screamed and cried a lot of the night (he was also deliriously tired, but having seen what all came out of Jackson's stomach earlier in the day, I knew the stomach complaints were justified as well!). Everyone was awake by 5-something, watching YouTube in the room until about 7. Then we started our day with cleaning the car seat, washing all the laundry from the night before (where I literally melted Mason's tennis shoes by putting them in the dryer), and even stripping Mason's bed that he "had a leak" in while playing on the phone <rolling eyes>.

Mason was excited to buy a wand and try out MagiQuest (an interactive scavenger hunt throughout the hotel with multiple short "quests"). So after a family breakfast, Mason and I quested while Daddy and Jackson went swimming.

Then we joined the boys at the pool for a bit! I wish I had a water proof camera to catch more of these boys sheer joy, happiness, and excitement playing in the water. It's something they haven't gotten many opportunities to do in the PNW, but we are all loving it!

About 11:00, Jackson started getting really snuggly on me in the pool. He said he wanted to try "the wand thing" so we decided to go dry off and have a snack... which turned into this!

Mason and Jim swam for longer, then came up and did some Questing, and then brought pizza lunch to the room. Jackson slept for about 2 hours, and as I suspected (since we weren't expecting a nap and hadn't put on a pull up), woke up having a pee accident (on the couch). Both boys rested in with videos for a bit longer, and by this point momma (still recovering from tonsillectomy) was finally fading into a nap.
Jim took both boys out on some Questing and I got a little more rest (thanks Daddy!) and woke up ready for some ice cream!

Jackson got a chocolate covered twinkie (the employees thought it was funny we had to explain to them what a twinkie was: next generation), and Mason got chocolate ice cream.

Daddy got cookies and cream ice cream, and I had Java chip. There was lots of sweet sharing! Jackson is my coffee buddy, he liked my ice cream the best.

Then back into some swimsuits for more water time!

Another snack break for momma to chill her throat (yum, medicinal!) and some Doritos for my buddy.
All this to say, maybe a few too many special treats on this trip. Mason was back in a belly ache by dinner time, and threw up all over himself and the couch (this poor couch bed)! Back to the laundry for me.
"Fortunately" we hadn't had room cleaning service yet for the day (since we napped through the middle) so we were able to order clean sheets and towels. But we had to leave the room while they polished it up for us, so we did a little Family Questing.

Mason stopped in the bathroom to throw up one more time as we were leaving the room, and then he and I hung out in a bathroom for a few minutes while waiting for our room to be finished :-/. But he fell right to sleep as soon as I laid him in bed around 8:30.

Unfortunately he did get up (or at least roll over) 2-3 more times throughout the night to let out a little extra goodness.

Poor Jim was up until about 11 or so chasing Jackson around the room and into bed. I think it was right after Jackson crashed that I had to run Mason to the bathroom, ha!

Everyone just rested this morning. Mas was up a little before 6, but we all stayed in bed with phones and YouTube til 7, and went downstairs for a little breakfast.

We attempted a little more Questing, but Mason wanted to rest and Jackson wanted to be carried. So we rested until 9:30 and then got in another 1-2 hours in the water before heading out!

One final stop for some penny squishing, and then we said our goodbyes to this fun but chaotic trip!

Mason is feeling better, and we even stopped at the outlets on the way home and got him new tennis shoes and crocs!

This is all just a fun little instant chronicle to peak into our lives and remember all of the intricate messy, but often fabulous in the right mindset, details for one little excursion with our 3- and 5- year old Cotton Tops!

The 3 & 5 Ninja Birthday Party!

Iiiiiiiiiiiit's Birthday Party Day!!
The boys had a joint ninja party at the bounce house.

Jim's idea for the #'s on the cake,

turned out great!

The Ninja birthday boys!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!

We added the nerf gun fight this year, Eek!

We were a little overwhelmed (admittedly, embarrassed) by the number of presents we took home!

February 2017

One funny note:

Mason: "daddy, you're like a babysitter who's in our family"
hahaha!

February Adventures:

Mason requested I take his picture while he was hanging at the Children's Museum

Sweet Snuggles

Mason at a "big kids only" birthday party for a 6 year old friend
I thought it was funny that he was the only one that sat in the chair on his knees ;)

Happy Jack

Mas drew a picture of his room at school. It's pretty accurate! Even the two different "Mason" signs on his walls.

Playdate at Heidi and Owen's, making whipped cream!

Playing princess <3

Watching the Super Bowl / Playing at Church

Snow Day at school - they had modified care where they combined the classrooms. The teachers repeatedly asked the boys not to sit next to each other... but they couldn't help it 😍

After a 1/2 day of school, we played in the snow

And followed it up with some hot chocolate!

On ANOTHER snow day, we "camped out" with popcorn, hot chocolate, and a movie

Jim was out for a little Navy Work

The boys love to see everything about his trips when he is gone

Jim's guys with Gary Sinise (LT Dan from Forrest Gump) who flew onto the boat in a growler.

Happy 3rd Birthday to Jackson!
A little morning celebration at the Donut House
He ate the frosting/sprinkles off of his donut and then stole my cinnamon twist

This is what you get when you ask a 3 year old to smile

And then a lunch-time Birthday Party at Chuck E Cheese with Eleanor and Mae!

This boy LOVES Chuck E Cheese!

And that night we had MORE birthday cake and singing with Heidi and Owen over to play and celebrate!

It was a great and exhausting day!

Ninjago brothers

This sweet little Valentine made "molten lava love" for everyone!
(Another great KidStir!)

Late night viewing of Lego Batman at the drive in theater

SERIOUS duplo building with Daddy!

Shopping for birthday party decorations

Then Daddy had some solo time with the boys
aka "Dudes Day!"

Including the trampoline park

3 year old in time out
(he was trying to push a kid off the jump platform)

I'd say he tuckered them out!

Looks like there was also some grocery shopping for the essentials

NinjaGO!
Jim learned how to make them ninja masks out of t-shirts ;)

Thanking Chad for their new ninja costumes!

Dinner with Dad

Dinner picnic!

The activities continued

Meanwhile, I was in San Antonio interviewing at
The University of the Incarnate Word!

When I got back, I had another mom's night out chocolate outing!
YUM!!

More Children's Museum fun

Jackson spent 90 minutes of nap banging on his door to come out, and finally fell asleep (apparently on the floor) 15 minutes before we needed to leave to get Mason from school!