This year for Thanksgiving, with no family in the area, we decided to try out the new Great Wolf Lodge in Gurnee. Last year they took over the old Key Lime Cove and completed a $65 million dollar renovation.

Ben and I had been to the old Key Lime Cove and although some of the things were the same, like the basketball pool, there were some new and exciting things to explore.

Like the wave pool… The kids enjoyed playing in this big open space even when the waves weren’t churning… The ‘toilet bowl’ slide was also a new addition…

Also the family raft, where almost all of our family could go together (max 5 people)… I’m pretty sure this fort is the same as before…

Sam lets a little kid blast him. The little kid thought it was hilarious!

And these slides might have been here but last time I went with Ben we was too scared to try them? This time we took turns racing to see each other. We also spent time outside of the water park. Adam splurged on arcade cards.Jack won a golden ticket, and along with all the other Willy Wonka tickets he got, he got a whopping 2000 tickets. It was so many that he shared 500 each with each sibling.

Walking back to the room with all the prizes they won.

Adam also bought Sam and Aaron some stuff from the Magic Quest shop. Aaron got a magic wand that lights stuff up all over the hotel. And Sam got a shield and sword set.

Some of the kids tried the Adventure Ropes course. I was super proud of them all for attempting it, especially the twins! It looked scary. Afterwards, Sam and Jack went AGAIN! Thanksgiving night we booked dinner at the special Thanksgiving buffet. The kids were super silly at dinner, except for Jack who was exhausted! It was really nice to drop the electronics for a few days and connect as a family. I loved watching them all interact in different ways, forming their own special bonds. I was so happy that Ben had a good visit, this time around he was brave enough to try all the slides, something he could never do in the past. And I was so pleased that Adam could finally take a few days off work, he hasn’t had a day off in over a month (including weekends!).

I let them eat naughty cereal on vacation. Aaron collected all his Lucky Charm Leprechaun hats.

Lazy River

I know my oldest in only 11, but Halloween is teetering on it’s last legs already.

When we ordered his kid’s sized Large costume this year, it came up to his shins. We had to reorder an adult Small, which of course he was drowning in and I had to velcro, fabric tape and safety pin considerably.

Still I was pleased all of his friends (most of whom are now taller than me) were still game for it.We started on the busiest street in our neighborhood. They block off the street and there are many houses giving out full sized candy bars. Once we got there, the older kids dispersed. They were in a competition to see who got the most full sized candy bars and they all had their own strategies, including multiple costumes.Then, we headed back to the house for mummy dogs and chili. The parents socialized very civilly with adult drinks and conversation. The kids socialized by hyping themselves up on candy and sugary drinks and running through the house like made playing some sort of chase/tag game.

Aaron and Sam also were kind enough to take turns giving out candy to other fellow trick-or-treaters.

All the kids went to bed late, dirty, and crashing from sugar. I’d say it was another successful Halloween.