Our weekend getaway to Great Wolf Lodge

After several months in a row of holidays, lots of working, and not enough time together, we decided some family time was in order. Our sweet son must have felt the same, because when we gave him the choice of a birthday party or a getaway to the water park with just our family, he chose the latter. So off we went to Gurnee, Illinois to Great Wolf Lodge. 

And I'll tell you. It was SO much fun! 

It was also a really good indicator that we are in NO WAY AT ALL READY FOR LARGER TRIPS (props to those of you that do this on the regular with two small children). When we drove out of that hotel parking lot with our two sleeping kiddos (because, hello, the fun had ended, and it was naptime), we both looked at each other and declared that we were EXHAUSTED. 

But allow me to back up and tell you about the trip prior to leaving the parking lot. We scored a good deal directly through Great Wolf's website, so we planned to arrive on a Thursday and leave on Saturday. This worked out super well for playing in the water park, because Thursday and Friday weren't too busy at all compared to Saturday morning. The downside to going during the week was that our dining options were more limited because not every restaurant opened, but we made it work! 

Our four-year-old was SO darn brave. He went down every single slide he was allowed to and begged us to go on the ones he wasn't big enough for yet. I think he's going to LOVE going back when he's a few inches taller. 

The toddler area was so much fun - it included a splash pad and three incredible slides. It was perfect for our little (and our bigger guy when he needed a little break from the big guy action). 

We took advantage of a lot of the several of the activities offered - morning yoga and show, evening story time, and a little wilderness walk with Wiley Wolf (perhaps Henry's favorite part). We loved all the little extras. :) 

Morning yoga for the boys

You'll notice a massive lack of photos in this post, and that was kind of done on purpose. We really just wanted to disconnect and NOT feel the need to have our phones with us at all times. And it was kind of an awesome break. 

We'll definitely be going back again. And if you need a little push to get away... here's your push. Plan a little getaway. You won't regret it!