gwl

thursday morning dawned brightly and beautifully; the roads were being plowed, breakfast was being served complete with danishes, biscuits and gravy, and fresh fruit, and the air freshners were being hocked from the public restrooms located in the days inn. (brad ensured we got our money's worth in stolen goods). after another dip in the pool, we loaded the veen and started towards traverse city. as we were ahead of schedule for the first time ever in our lives, we stopped for some lunch at... MCDONALDS! oh, angus burger bliss. then we also stopped at kohls to meet some basic needs:

brad lost weight enough to own only one pair of jeans that currently fit. he has worn said jeans to every single chiropractor appointment and was starting to feel embarrassed. so we bought some on sale at kohls. he looks amazing.

because baby ayla is the most adorable, beautiful, and best baby ever, i did not notice she had leaked through her diaper until i had her in the sling at kohls. so i was soaked in cute baby ayla pee, but pee nonetheless. so i quick found a TIGHT black hoodie, and hello kitty tshirt. i am not a good shoppper. especially under pressure, but hey, i was not covered in pee.

and then, we entered the final destination of waterpark adventure 2011, great wolf lodge.

bradley worked his magic yet again, and we were granted our room 3 hours early. we quickly donned our suits and headed for the fun. maxer proceeded to run from ride to ride, braving the scariest slides and independently exploring every nook and cranny of that place.

bear, with lots of encouragement, went down the mini slides time after time.

aylaroo sat sweetly in her stroller, or strapped to my side in the sling with narry a fuss.

when the habers arrived, the fun only intensified.

we breaked for pizza, then slid and splashed some more. eventually, the kids tired and we could pack our room full of sleeping beauties once again only to play hard again in the morning.

what a blessing it was to have this opportunity to bond as a family. i fell in love with my delightful husband and excellent children even more, and i loved them about as much as is possible before this trip. every morning since our return, the boys ask if we can go bye bye to the waterpark again. someday kids!