Great Wolf Lodge, Pt. II

Day 2, Step 1? DOOF! Spell that backwards and you have our first priority everywhere we go.. hehe.

Don't act surprised. Plus, it was a buffet-style breakfast, which was.... delicious. My daughter eats like a teenager, too, which on an unrelated note is actually pretty impressive ;)

breakfast shenanigans ;)

And after breakfast, we made a pitstop at our room to change and pack up all of our stuff. Sydni spent that time making very important phone calls, first to the local authorities [the cops] to report me for having my shoes on the bed, and then to the fire department, cops and taxi cabs to go and rescue a  kitty in a tree. Ya can't make this stuff up, folks.

Hahahaha. So yeahh... finally we were off on our adventure of day 2 at GWL. There was some more magic questing, and then a beeline straight for the waterpark.

goofin off with  my favorite goofball, ever ♥♥♥

And let me tell you, we had a blast. This little sassafrass had us laughing all afternoon.

silly water monster faces & a lounge in the big kid chair. she looks so tall! :(

My favorite of the day at the waterpark:

like mama, like daughter... ♥!

I didn't think I was going to be able to pull Sydni out of the waterpark, but as soon as I told her we were getting pizza, it was a done deal.

... Sometimes, I actually believe this kid is mine. ;)
Just kidding, of course. I'm the only adopted one here.

Anywho, pizza it was, with Nana, Pappy, and this random giant cupcak-hat-bear-sitting-on-a-cookie statue...

normal stuff.

Unfortunately, all good things come to an end. Fortunately for us, that only meant bidding farewell to GWL and promising Sydni that we'd all come back sometime. I have absolutely no problem with that.

This is the face of my favorite story-teller, recapping the weekend on the drive home:

she's fabuloso!

Here we are now, back at home, laundry going and a movie in.. and the weekend catching up to us. We're calling this one an early night.

Thanks again to my incredible parents for this weekend!

xo | cmd

Great Wolf Lodge, Pt. I

As with each Saturday morning, today started off with soccer practice. It was one of those "OFF" mornings, though, where Sydni was stubborn and really just not feelin' soccer practice. Even so, she made grumpy look good and I was able to steal a few action shots.

manuevering.

I may have to come to terms with the fact that she's not into soccer.. at least not just yet. I realize that yes, she is only four, and yes, she will probably change her mind at least a billion times between now and when it matters, but we'll see. I mean she did after all tell me today that she wants to play basketball. That's probably the furthest thing from what either myself OR her dad would've ever played or guessed. So yeah. Wiggle room. ;)

AND THEN.........

Post-soccer, it was a quick change and then off to a Great Wolf Lodge! Luckily for me, it's only about 15 minutes from soccer, and really I think it's highly underrated as an attraction right here in Cincinnati. Especially if you have kids. Espeeeecially if you and your kids like splashparks, arcades, spa's, pizza shops, magic treasure hunts, mini golf glo-courses, bowling alleys and mascot woodland creatures who roam the halls creeping out parents while the kiddos think they're cute and/or funny.

No brainer.

So, Syd and I met up with my parents and wasted zero time getting into the magic that just is... GWL.

First stop? FOOD. Like it'd be anything else.. c'mon.. ;)

trying to color but distracted by all the cool stuff everywhere!

After lunch, it was off to the giftshop to pick up a wand.
These things..... aside from being moneymakers for GWL, are actually pretty cool. The entire place is riddled with sensor-activated things that react to the wands. There's a whole Quest series in place, and once you choose a certain quest, then you're off in search of the various elements needed to complete it. That would explain why there were groups of tweens flying around the lodge the entire weekend. It's not just a little kid thing. Haha.

magic wand... presto!

We did that for a little while, chasing Sydni back and forth across the hallways as she darted from treasure chest to magic crystal to talking painting. I have to admit, it's an absolutely genius idea. Even so, we came here specifically because it's an indoor water park. It's complete with four full length waterslides, a lazy river, wave pool, all sorts of places to climb, kiddie pools, a jacuzzi and one of those giant buckets that spills out 1,000 of water every hour or so onto the excited crowd standing under it.

quick peek. there's much more to it than this

We had fun. (: (: (:

pappy & nana with sydni!

My little sassy pants mcswimsuit here.... 

mini model. strike it!

I somehow coerced Sydni into taking a quick nap between waterparking and the rest of the night. She wasn't happy about it, but was even grumpier when we woke her up and told her she had to get dressed again. Yeah, she's mine: grumpy when she wakes up & hates clothes all together.. :p. Sooo, we donned the fairy costume and set off for the Halloween costume parade, story time and animatronics show. 

happy halloween, grumpy girl.. heheh..
[i look like a vampire. that was an accident.]

... Oh, and that arcade here.
We did that after all the Halloween jazz.
Sydni gave my dad a run for his money. And... he loved every bit of it.

pappy & sydni racing cars.

syd challenging pappy again.. on bikes.

To top it off, video proof ;)
Love.

We're back in the room now, after what seemed like one of the longest but jam-packed fun days we've had in a long time. We're doing it all over again tomorrow, so here's to a great first day at GWL!

xo | cmd

Laney's Birthday | Fearfest

There is nothing better for me than to wake up on a Friday to this:

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

^ And I just realized her pj pants read yolo. Good grief, really? *sigh.... oh well. In her case, we'll let that stand for, "you're only little once," and leave it at that. Anyway, with or without stupid phrases on her pants, this little girl made my entire day just by being there when I woke up.

And then.. I realized today is...

LANEY'S BIRTHDAY!!!!!

eeeeiiiii!!!! happy birthday, laney!!!!

I hate when I can't be around to celebrate my friends' birthdays with them.. but this gal knows I love her bunches and will absolutely make a cheers to it the next time we see each other [which, who knows when that will be.. she's in Oklahoma!] Happy, HAPPY... HAPPY birthday wishes, to you, L-Bug!! You deserve the best.. keep making those dreams a reality and being that example of how hard work PAYS OFF! So proud of this girl & can't wait to see her again soooon!

And thennnn.. after work - which let out a half hour early because my bosses are amazing - it was home for a quick change and then off to Mason for a night at King's Island's Fearfest with some of the other Express folks from the other offices.

We had a blaaaast. I am definitely glad I went.

express folk! [sorry this is grainy!]
kate. chris. deb. jess | amber. brandi. cori.

boogity boogity boooo... ;)

And last but definitely not least: Our favorite of the evening, of Chris stuck in his seat at the end of the Drop Tower.. hahaha.. Ohhhh, Chris.... (:

chris... c'mon, we're leaving!

Hahah. Many thanks to my bosses, & the Eastgate owners for toting us all around PKI for [my first adventure ever, visiting] Fearfest!

 

Tomorrow = Soccer & Great Wolf Lodge with Syd & my parents!

Can't waaaaaaaait!

 

xo | cmd

✿ Saturday With Sydni ✿

This is how today started:

not complaining one bit.

& Then...
SOCCER PRACTICE!

soccer monster!

-- I felt like I was back in my childhood, except on the other end of it now. I've only seen pictures of me then, but they were not unlike the scene today: Sydni in her pint-sized soccer gear - cleats and all - and a t-shirt that even in the smallest size available drooped off her tiny frame. As much as I tried for the pigtail today, it looked unusually disheveled by the time we got there, which in a way magically available only to little girls, made her look that much cuter.

so cute. so. stinkin'. cute.

soccer kiddies

And some short but fun action I captured [*note to self, take an actual camera next time.]
 

^ My little [future] left-wing (:

^ Red Light, Green Light!

I just.. can't get enough. (: (: (:

Soccer practice off the checklist, we made a break for iHOP.. because it's Saturday, pancakes sounded amazing, and we had no agenda. We were already in Mason, so once breakfast was out of the way, we made a stop at Half Price Books and came out with a couple of movies, a book for Sydni, and of course: Insurgent. I couldn't resist buying it, but didn't feel like paying retail for the thing [proud consumer moment]. It's the second of the Divergent series that I started last week.

insurgent by veronica roth

And ok.. I originally planned to start the thing today, while Sydni napped or snuggled up for a movie at the end of the evening or something. No. Instead, I devoured it cover-to-cover before tonight was over. I'm still blaming Nikki for getting me hooked. It's. So. Good.

Between chapters [& Sydni's nap), we got outside for bike riding, bubbles into the sunset, and some hiking around the area. She's my little trooper!

bubbles into the sunset: i could literally do this every day.

& again, because we're spoiling ourselves today, Graeter's!

hahaha.. graeters!!!

.. And that is how we do it on a Saturday. Tomorrow we'll be on the river for a bit, but for now it's time to call it a day.

xo | cmd