Great Wolf Lodge

This past weekend I treated the family to a weekend at Great Wolf Lodge.  My Origami Owl business has done really well in the last year so I thought my Christmas gift to Eric and the boys would be a fun family trip.  We drove to Williamsburg, VA on Friday morning.  Lincoln is typically not great in the car for very long but he made it almost the whole way without too much fuss.  We were able to check in early so Lincoln went down for a nap while the big boys went straight to the water park.  Me and Linc joined them a couple hours later.  We played all afternoon.  Lincoln was a little hesitant at first but warmed up pretty quick and was exploring all over.  He was really brave in the water and did not want mommy or daddy to hold his hand.  He took a couple dips but didn't seem to mind.  Hayden was able to do almost everything on his own except a couple larger slides he did with mommy and daddy.  The Lodge had a lot of other fun activities outside of the water so we took advantage of pretty much everything.  I had gotten Hayden a Pup Pass which allowed him to do a craft, play a 4D game, make a stuffed animal, and enjoy some other treats.  I got us a suite with a separate room since Lincoln goes to bed so early.  They had an 8:00 group storytime in the lobby that Hayden enjoyed both nights.  It was a very fun family weekend and we will definitely try to make it an annual trip!  Here are some pics from the weekend...

Where are we mommy?

A little hesitant

This is cool

Hayden was hard to catch on camera.  :)

Fun at the arcade

Craft time - Hayden chose to paint a robot

Storytime

Trying the obstacle course

Me and my cheeseball

Stuffing Oliver the Wolf

Magiquest - this special wand was a game throughout the hallways of the lodge.  A wizard in the trees gave you different items to seek and activate with the wand to complete each quest.

Finally got Hayden to pose for a pic.

One with mommy while the bucket dumps behind us

The boys on the lazy river.

Eric turned and soaked Hayden.  Linc looks ready for it though.  ;)

Drying off to head home!

Discover the Dinosaurs!!

Today we decided to take the boys to a "Discover the Dinosaurs" event at the Maryland State Fairgrounds.  Eric had interviews first thing in the morning at the hospital so he met us there after.  After sitting in a little traffic and waiting in line for tickets Hayden was super excited to see all the dinosaurs on display.  The dinosaur exhibits were pretty cool and you were able to touch some of them.  They had other activities like face painting, inflatables, dino dig, and gem and fossil mining.  It was really busy and the lines were really long but Hayden was patient waiting to do most of them.  Me and Lincoln only stayed about an hour and a half and then headed home for a nap.  Eric stayed with Hayden for a few more hours.  Here are some pics from the day...

Walking through the exhibit

So excited!

Dino heads

Hayden and Daddy...so brave :)

Dino dig

Dino slide

Crazy dino face!

Lincoln's 1st Snow Experience

Told in Pictures....

Everyone else seems excited about what is about to happen...

It sure is bright...and cold

You expect me to walk in this get-up?

I wanna go back inside with mommy!!

Brother to the rescue

I made it one loop around the yard.  Stop your snapping and take me inside.

Happy back inside watching Daddy and Brother play

Christmas Day 2013

Christmas morning was filled with lots of love and fun.  The boys gave us the gift of sleeping in until 7am!  Hayden was up first so we let him get a peak of the tree and all Santa brought.  We let him start with his stocking and he was so excited to show daddy every little thing inside while he was making the coffee...even socks and underwear.  :)  Lincoln was up shortly after.  He was mostly interested in watching Hayden open his gifts so we let Hayden help him when he was done with his own.  The boys had a lot of gifts under the tree from out of town family, Santa, and a few special gifts from mommy and daddy.  Hayden's big gifts of the year were larger lego sets but he was excited about everything.  Daddy picked out a dinosaur and gem dig which was a big hit and mommy chose a construction fort set which has been fun....until Lincoln destroys it.  Watching Hayden open his gifts this year made me so happy and I want to cherish it forever.  It was my favorite Christmas to date with my little family and I feel so blessed.  Here are some pics from the day....

First look

What is all this?

This was the face we got with every gift.  :)

Helping Georgia open her gifts.

Let's ride!

Happy boy!

Christmas day is tiring...I'll just take a nap in my new fort.  :)

Christmas Eve 2013

Christmas Eve is my favorite holiday of the year.  I was super excited this year because it was the first year since we have moved to Maryland that Eric was off and able to spend it with us.  We spent the morning relaxing at home.  After Lincoln's morning nap we headed to see model trains at a nearby firehouse.  We then attended Christmas Eve service at our church and then headed home for dinner.  Hayden was so excited the whole day and truly loved everything about it.  After dinner he was able to open one gift and then we put on The Polar Express while we played before bed.  Lincoln was being extra silly on Christmas Eve and we had so much fun just spending time as a family.  After Linc went to bed we prepped for Santa and had Hayden put out the milk, cookies, and carrots for Santa and the Reindeer.  Here are some pics from the night....

Linc and Hayden at the train garden

The boys are so excited!!

The tree grabber

Crazies

Cuddles with daddy

Very carefully carrying the milk

Cookies, check!

Santa has arrived.  :)