Great Wolf Lodge.

Finally, two years after seeing the commercial on TV and wanting to go, we were able to go! My kids were pretty terrified of water but I started making them take showers and ignored their cries! I forced them under water (hugged and kissed them when I brought them up!) and then put them in swim lessons. We went to the spray ground nearly every week this summer until they loved water in their face! It. Worked.

The first night we ate at the Rainforest Cafe at Grapevine Mills.

We then rushed home and got our costumes on for spooky story time and a costume contest in which Liam won!

The kids got to meet Wiley the Wolf

and of course we enjoyed the water park. I thought I was going to die the first day as I felt I was trapped inside a chlorine container. Seriously...is that healthy? Anyway, this is the kiddie area. See the yellow slide and then the blue swervy slide in the background? Each day took convicing/forcing/bribing/threatening Zane to go down...but it worked! He mastered the yellow one the first day and the blue one the second!

Floating down the lazy river!

Avery found a friend she followed around a lot. This place was so empty we could let the kids go off on their own (if they told us where they were going). There are lifeguards every 10 feet.

Wave pool!

Avery was so brave (well she didn't have a choice really!) and went down all the big slides she was big enough for!

Our balcony. We needed .8 seconds of quiet one day so we made the kids stay on the balcony!!

On the third day...Zane mastered THIS slide! So proud buddy! Sure I may have said he wouldn't get icecream, I'd take away all his candy, and he wouldn't get to go trick or treating...but that's not really the point right? HE LOVED IT!

I had to do the same with Avery on the first day in preparation for the big slides! It worked and she loved it too!

The last day I threw a life jacket on Zane and tossed him into the lazy river by himself with Avery! haha. He didn't even have a chance to say no, but only because I knew he'd love it. I was right!

Good trip. Time to go home...

I think these kids are pretty cute even though there is not even a piece of hair that looks like me...

The whole clan. Jason and Amy are no fun at all.....

I'm torn on wanting to try it in the summer time to check out the outdoor park. I'm afraid that means many more people and a higher probability of losing a child?

Happy 80th!

This past Saturday we went to my Dad's dad's 80th birthday. My sisters and I got him a lovely Razorbacks snuggie and comfy matching socks! He looks SUPER excited!The whole clan. Grandma and Grandpa. 3 of their 6 children, 6 of their 15 grandchildren, and all 3 great grandchildren...plus husbands and wives! They have been a great Christian example.

My sweet little Zane...I had the kids make a card. He drew Frankenstein and a birthday cake, wrote happy birthday, and signed his name. He then excitedly ran to his room saying, "Ok, I'm going to go get him a toy. Daddy, you go get him a shirt!" He then came back with several different toys, many being his favorite ones. He decided on a sling shot. We had an extra one and he thought grandpa would like to shoot rocks outside. Here is Grandpa giving Zane a hug telling him thank you for the gift he brought!!

Sunday was our church's trunk or treat and fall festival. Zane is a $2 transformer I bought last year after Halloween! Good thing he thought it was "Awwwwwwesome!" I thought Avery was going to be a YMCA soccer player for a minute, but then remembered Brittany got her a Fancy Nancy dress-up set for her birthday...thus saving the day!

I hate how my camera can easily get switched to the wrong setting without knowing...

Our preacher and his wife!

Zane is obsessed with Frankenstein right now, so he thought this costume was pretty cool. I personally thought it looked like Einstein giving birth to Frankenstein...little disturbing!

I finally realized the camera was on the wrong setting and fixed it. The following pictures are a little brighter and clearer!!

They made out pretty well!

Fall Break!!

Britt took the kids to paint pumpkins Thursday morning. Zane wanted the very biggest pumpkin. It probably weighed more than him... I think I could cry...
This is more the norm...

Tur-Bus October artwork. Zane said his drawing was a scary jack-o-lantern monster!

Morgan got to spend the night with us, which made Avery jump for joy! You have to look very closely...but if you do...you may see our playroom is a tad messy...

Avery LOVES having you for a cousin, Morgan. Stay sweet always :)

Randomness from the past month

Z-man has been running his mouth a lot lately. There are some cute things such as...

Z: "Hey mommy, is this so surprising?!"

Me: What?

Z: "Look"....(shows me a scratch on his elbow that he got from the school playground!)

It was so cute the way he asked if it was so surprising!

But then there has been a lot of...
Z: "I wish I don't have a mommy or a daddy" (after saying no to something!)

and...

Z: "You never let me do anything"

Me: "Oh, ok. Well since I don't let you do anything, when we get home you will just go straight to your bed.

Z: "We haven't even eaten yet...."

Me: "I don't let you eat. I don't let you play outside. I don't let you watch cartoons. I don't let you play on the computer....remember I don't let you do anything. So...I guess you will just sit on your bed all day and do nothing."

Z: "OK. I changed my mind...you let me do things..."

HAHA

We got enjoy yummy sno cones at Avery's school. Avery's school had a coloring contest which she entered in. I probably should have read the fine print. I have no idea when they decide the winner.
I came into my room one day and noticed this little masterpiece Avery made. I see one of the big gold beads rolled away, but I was impressed it's actually wearable! I think I will string it up and give it to her!

I missed out on putting enormously oversized flowers on Avery's head, so that was about the first thing I did with my newest little Tur-Bus addition. Speaking of, I'm really feeling like a tour bus this year. I drop off kids at 9 and 9:30 and then pick up kids at 11, 11:30, 2:30, and 4!

Avery went to a birthday party at dynamo gymnastics and it was pretty fun. However, I was VERY sad they said adults were not allowed to tumble on the floor or get on the equipment. I kind of thought I was going to be able to fulfill my dream of being able to do gymnastics again...maybe one day...

I think I'm in cleaning/organizing mode today. Hopefully progress will be made. Especially since we don't have to get in and out of the car 100 times.

Is it OK to drink Emergen-c everyday? Because I have been. Is there such thing as too much vitamin C!?!

Out.

What's worse?

The fact that I was NOT exaggerating when I spoke of cat hairballs in the last post.....or the fact that they are STILL there after I took this picture? I'm a little scared of them and they are out of the way, so I don't have to tackle them quite yet...Here is what my kitchen looked like before all the boxes, junk, taco bell cups, sonic cups, on cue cups, and lowe's bags...The seller didn't need the table or bar stools anymore, so we got them! They did an awesome job updating this room. The only critique I have, is that it is all very tan, brown, and depressing, but the storage and bar area make me smile!

Here is what moving day looked like...

Ryan did not want his picture taken. I wonder if it was because he thought it may end up on my blog?

Here is my Grandma (mom's mom). She came with my mom and helped clean the kitchen! She specifically told me "that picture better not end up on facebook." I will respect her wishes...

Brant pretty much just did this all day long... ;)

Enjoying pizza after calling it a day Wed. at around 6:30pm. Wes was exhausted. We had another load Thursday morning along with 2 trailer loads on Friday...Have I mentioned I am NOT doing this again?! We very much appreciated all the help we had. I can't imagine moving to a place where we didn't know anyone and had no help. We are very blessed and love our church friends.

It's now been 13 days since moving in. I think the mess just keeps getting bigger? At least the playground is done! Hopefully it will be a great entertainer for several years...Thanks to Robert Carpenter and his buddies who did a great job putting it together!

Hopefully by the end of November, I will be able to post pictures of the kids rooms.

Well...

We are moved in, but nowhere near "settled in." Tomorrow it will have been a week. Please tell me it's normal to have only opened about 1/10 of the boxes with most rooms still looking like this...and that it is completely understandable for there to still be junk and trash everywhere...

If you got everything done in three days, I don't want to hear about it!

Oh, and just fyi. When a house is listed as an "As is" home, it means "I've never been dusted, had my air filters changed, never had my vents cleaned, and have never been swept, thus cat hairballs are everywhere." I love the house though! They made great updates before they sadly had to sell quickly before it went into foreclosure.

Hopefully this new little babysitter (that should be ready in a couple of days) will help us get unpacked a little quicker...