Our Lil Wolf Pack

The best kind of vacation is one planned at the last minute.  We took the kids on a trip to Cincinnati this week.  Fortunately, Paul had the week off work so their family was able to join us.  Our mission:  the Great Wolf Lodge in Mason, OH.  We took our kids there a few years ago, and they STILL talk about it.  It was time for another visit there.

We arrived in Cincinnati on Monday around lunchtime.  Since fast food wasn't on any of the adult palates, we ate at the illustrious Cheesecake Factory.  The trick here is to get a small meal and then INDULGE on the cheesecake dessert.  I believe our girls loved it as much as we did.  AND, we took some leftover food to GWL with us.  The cheesecake, however, didn't make it because it was completely devoured.

WE MADE IT!

We LOVE this place!

We requested our rooms to be on the ground floor and as close together as possible.  We got the Kid Kabin and the Mags got Kid Kamp.  I think the rooms are decorated super cute.  I love all the little details especially the kids sleeping area.  It was perfect for our three.

Here is a picture of the Kid Kamp

Let's have some FUN!

Karson rode the water coaster multiple times.  It's really fun, and the lines were super short during our stay.  The kids also enjoyed the Triple Twist, the family raft ride and Coyote Canyon (which is similar to a toilet bowl slide).

Look, we can flop like frogs on the lily pads.

Shooting hoops!

Creating fun memories in the Cub Club!

Bedtime stories in the lobby 

(and some story reading in our room)!

Chill-laxing in the Kabin!

KINGS ISLAND park is about 1/2 mile from GWL so we took an afternoon trip there on Tuesday.

Here are a few rides the kids enjoyed.

Isaac and I rode the Surf Dog two times in a row.  I was afraid it would make me sick because it spins around as it goes up a ramp to the right and left, gaining momentum with each hill.  It kind of resembles the Pirate Ship rides but is spinning.  To my surprise,  I really didn't get nauseous at all.  It was a fun ride.

 And here is the roller coaster I've wanted to ride since the last time we visited--The Diamondback.  It was UH-mazing, but riding it once was PLENTY for me.

We love Planet Snoopy!

Our last day was Wednesday.  Our kids were completely wiped out from the Kings Island trip and slept  until 9:00 a.m.  I can't think of the last time they slept this LATE.  We planned to stay at GWL until 2 p.m. but wiped out earlier than that.  The trip was Monday-Wednesday and was cram-packed.  I think the kids were just WORN out (and so were we).  Paul and Shannon took off around 1 p.m. because they wanted to get back home and celebrate the twin's and Daniel's (their brother-in-law) birthdays with family.

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**Sidenote:  We celebrated Evan and Elizabeth's 8th birthday on Saturday.  We had a splash-tastic at their pool. 

  Daniel, the balloon guy, also came and made lots of neat creations for the kids.

Party Crew and what a crew it is!

Opening up presents is the best!

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We weren't ready for our vacation to be over when we left GWL so we decided to get a bite to eat and head to Newport, Kentucky (which is on the way home).  I've heard a lot about the aquarium and how fun that area is so we wanted to check it out.  We decided to end our trip at Newport on the Levee.

 Newport on the Levee is a neat little area right on the Ohio River.  There is a boardwalk, shops, restaurants, etc.  We took the kids to see a movie at AMC.  Karson and Isaac wanted to see the new Ice Age and Miles wanted to see The Amazing Spiderman so Matt and I SPLIT up so everyone could enjoy what they wanted.  Afterwards, we headed over to Barnes and Noble and then to Brothers Bar and Grille to eat.  We finished the trip with a treat from Coldstone and headed home.

We have spent the rest of the week recovering from the trip, but we look forward to visiting the Cincinnati area again soon!

Up Around the Bend

We FINALLY made a trip to Beech Bend this summer.  It's hard to believe that we spent almost our entire summer here last year and haven't even been ONCE this season.  Part of the reason we haven't gone is simply because we didn't renew our season passes this year.  With Paul and Shannon's new pool addition, we've spent lots of hot summer days enjoying time over at their house.  BUT, we certainly wanted to make at least ONE trip to one of our favorite local places this summer.  My BFF Larie hooked us up with a couple of free tickets to the park so off we went on Monday.  The kids were so excited about going!

Miles riding on the four-wheelers.  He logs about three times on this ride while Karson and Isaac do the Tornado and Flying Bobs multiple times.  He's not "down" with the bigger rides just yet.

He also managed to sneak away with Dad for a bit and get in a round of mini-golf.

 I love how the lady behind Karson and Isaac is bracing herself on the Flying Bobs, and Isaac is flashing a number 1 and holding on with 1 hand.  After the Bobs, I tried to convince my crew to ride the Sea Dragon with me.  No luck.  We made our way over to the Kentucky Rumbler which was unfortunately shut-down.  We'd had some bad storms the day before we went, and lightening had struck it--they were working on it.  Booooo!  Karson was really bummed about that.  Me, not so much.  Karson LOVES the Rumbler and rides it a couple of times.  We made our way over to another area of the park which has rides more suited for Miles, but the older kids like it too.  They rode The Whip and The Crazy Bus.

BUMPER

CAR

BUDDIES!

I was looking forward to riding the newest ride at BB, Zero G--140 feet of PURE TORTURE.  These rides terrify and thrill me all at the same time.  Love it! Fun at the mini-dragon coaster.

Getting ready to be spooked in the Haunted House.

We pretty much covered the entire park (and ate some lunch) by the time we made it to the water park area.  I didn't snap to many pictures here for obvious reasons.  The kids were thrilled to try out the new "pool toys".

After swimming, we made our way back out to the park for more fun.  Plus, it was starting to cloud up and look a bit scary so we figured getting out of the water was a good option at that point.

Tornado TIME with the cousins.

 We spent some time with the goats at the petting zoo.  This is one of Isaac's favorite places at the park.  He loves picking up the goats.  They must have been starving because they kept nipping at us and our shorts.   We bought two cups of food, and they basically swarmed Isaac, not that he minded at all.  We may end up with a pet goat REAL SOON.

Isaac and his baby goat.

Beech Bend was a fun time.  We're lucky to have such a fun place like this in our small town.  In fact, I believe BB is the only amusement park in Kentucky.  Pretty cool!