Great Wolf Lodge 2012

It's that time of year again...time for our annual trip to Great Wolf Lodge in Kansas City!  This year a few things were different:
1.  We opted for a larger hotel room with a separate bedroom for mom and dad.  It was worth every penny. 
2.  Soren was big enough to ride the BIG slides this year!
3.  Evelyn rode the big slides all by herself!!
4.  Brody actually built up the courage to ride the big slides this year!!!  Although we still can't get him on an elevator.  What can I say?  The kid needs therapy.

Our first pit stop on the drive down was in our old stomping grounds, St. Joseph, MO.  We ate lunch at the only place in St. Joe that brings back a fond memory: Boudreaux's.  The three youngest kids ate gator meat for the very first time.  Soren said it was too spicy, but the others all loved it.  Here are the boys in front of the restaurant:

My very lady-like daughter picking the alligator's nose...

My "good" daughter striking a pose...

Once we got to Great Wolf Lodge, the kids couldn't wait to get to the water park.  So, we all changed and got ready for our first swim!

We spent so many hours at the water park; I lost count.

We also took the opportunity to see an afternoon matinee.  We generally don't go near a movie theatre with a family of six, but the matinee prices were hard to resist.  We decided to see The Avengers...

...and it was awesome! I haven't been to a movie in the theater in probably 8 years. No lie. I don't have the attention span. However, The Avengers was action-packed, and the girls' need for potty breaks gave me the chance to walk around a bit. There was a neat fountain right outside the theater which the kids loved. You'd think all that time in the water park would make water seem boring, but this wasn't the case.

Our last stop before heading home was the T-Rex Cafe. Soren has been waiting all year for this very moment, and she wasn't disappointed. What's not to like about a restaurant filled with animatronic dinosaurs??? The food. It's terrible and overpriced. Oh well. I guess one pays for the atmosphere.

The sign for the ladies' room was awesome. I want one for my house. Women, don't we all have She Rex moments??

Well, that wraps up our Great Wolf Lodge 2012 vacation.  I will add that we came home to an intact house.  Our neighbors behind us, however, lost their house in a fire while we were gone.  Burnt to a crisp.  Thankfully, no one was injured, but they did lose their 10-year-old cat.