Great Wolf Lodge

There is an indoor water park/hotel, Great Wolf Lodge, just 45 minutes from us.  We've been wanting to go for years but felt like the kids weren't old/tall enough, I was always pregnant or had a newborn and it just wouldn't work.   After going to Busch Gardens this summer we felt like it might be time to try Great Wolf Lodge and when I got a Groupon for it - we had to go!  Yesterday the kids got the day off (their school is our polling place) so after we voted he loaded up the car and headed to Williamsburg! We checked in, put on our bathing suits and hit the water park.  It was amazing and just perfect for our family.  They had a kiddie pool with baby slides that even Celeste could go on.  She loved the water and the slides!  It was the perfect depth for her.  She even go to the point where she would run and jump in (it was only 18 inches deep).  She had a ball.  Lilah is fearless and not too picky so she had fun doing whatever.  She liked everything - she was able to go on the next level up all by herself and she did!  She would say "Mom I'm going on the slides". She climbed up the large 'play house' and went through the obstacles and spraying water, got in line, and came down the huge slides - all by herself.  She had a lot of fun playing in the wave pool as well and was usually pretty good about wearing a life jacket in that pool.  Madeline claims her favorite was the family hot tub, but she spent most of her time (by choice) in the wave pool.  I'm so glad she has had swimming lessons.  She spent a lot of time either jumping waves, diving into them or riding them on a tube. They had some really fun tube slides that she could do on her own, she liked going on them with Anna Elise and Calvin and being one of the big kids.  Calvin and Anna Elise's favorite slide was the Howlin' Tornado.  It was not my favorite ride.  It dropped you straight down (as in your stomach falls out and you feel like you are on a roller coaster but don't have the safety or added reassurance of a seat belt!) into a type of funnel that is lying on it's side.  You swirl around in there for a bit and then continue on the slide.  It was intense and the older 2 kids did it over and over - with Mom, with Dad, with each other, Calvin even went with strangers.  There were other slides and pools as well.  The kids loved their little 'cabin' in our hotel room.  Nobody got much sleep, but that's too be expected.  We could've stayed all day today, but Celeste hit the end of her rope so we headed home this afternoon.  We all had a great time.  We got a great deal.  I think as the kids get older and more independent it makes vacations a lot more fun and little bit easier!  We'll definitely be going back sometime.