...because I don't think I can spell anything in the daze I'm currently in, forcing me to backspace every couple seconds.
My in-laws took all four of their children and their respective families (10 adults, 4 children and 2 infants) away to the Great Wolf Lodge near us (ours is 3 hours from our house--apparently it's a chain) for Christmas this year.
Our rides up and back down were exciting. On the way up my husband and I witnessed a hit-and-run for the first time in either of our lives. A red pickup truck rear-ended an SUV and then took off, speeding and weaving around stop-and-go traffic. It was shocking to see and I just hope the person in the SUV was okay! And we didn't get a license number (weren't close enough), but we're hoping another witness did, or at least someone who he drove like a maniac around later. On the way home we got to drive through blizzard conditions while following someone who has driven road rallies in the snow! We had a very hard time catching up. Hubby and I were driving the other 4-wheel drive vehicle (besides my FIL's), so we brought up the rear. Our nerves were not reassured by watching the tail ends of the 2-wheel drive vehicles slide all over the place! The worst part of the drive back down was a pickup truck who sent a wave of snow over our car... essentially blinding us for a good 10 seconds on icy, snow-covered roads, nearly sending us either into the back of my brother-in-law's car or down a very tall, very steep hill. Whee!
Anyway, we got there Friday night and came home Sunday afternoon. You know you have great in-laws when you can spend an entire weekend together and not kill each other, or even really get miffed. In fact we had another Christmas party the night we got home with the same people and we were still laughing and joking. I do love my in-laws, and feel really blessed to be able to say that.
I'll apologize for no pictures. I spent the entire weekend there with all three kids at an indoor water park and did not take a single picture. I know. Bad mom! I'm in the process of asking a couple sisters-in-law for copies of the ones they took but have not gotten there yet. So maybe I'll post some later.
The kids LOVED the water park. Truly, so did I, and that's most of the reason I didn't get any pictures. I was on the rides! We had a great weekend, only slightly tampered by the fact that none of us got any sleep.
The littles were surprisingly brave! I have not yet been able to get them to slide down a slide into the pool, or even jump off the side of any pool into my arms, and they were fearlessly sliding down long water slides and hopping into the front half of inner tubes to go through dark tunnels on the tube slides. It was so much fun. I hope they decide to keep taking us there. It was an amazingly fun time. I'd go back next weekend.
So it was a fantastic start to our holiday. I think it was a great idea to create memories rather than trying to figure out so many gifts, and I'd love to see the tradition continue. Though not the part with the accidents or the blizzard.
