Great Wolf Lodge Vacation

On December 25th, we headed down to Great Wolf Lodge in Texas.  We were EXTREMELY excited to be returning to one of the best places in the whole world!!!  We would be staying 2 nights this time instead of just one.

The kids were also excited because this year we got the log cabin room which meant the kids had their own cabin with bunk beds and an extra captain's bed.

Aliya slept on top, Kiahna on the bottom, and Niah took the single one.  Isaiah was interested...but he liked the idea of sleeping in the big bed with Momma.  Daddy got his own bed all to himself.

The excitement for the room only lasted so long. Then they began to remember that a HUGE water park was right outside the door. We hurried to eat, get dressed, and off we went to the water!

Niah and Aliya loved the lazy river and spent a lot of time floating around and around. They also went together to ride some of the big rides while Daddy and I kept up with Kiahna and Isaiah. Sometimes Daddy would let me go sit in the "adults only" hot tub. It was nice to have some quite time.

Last year Kiahna didn't want to go on the big tube rides, but this year, she decided that she was going to give it a try!  She had a blast.  Isaiah could ride the BIG water slides in the playground area.  He was happy to give up the baby area for the big kid's stuff.

We slept well that first night--in fact, Isaiah didn't want to get up.  I could have slept in a little bit more myself, but the WATER FUN was calling our names!!!

While we were walking around, we would see kids with wolf ears.  After some inquiry, we found out that the wolf ears came with a kids meal if you ate at the upstairs restaurant.  Daddy treated us out for a meal, and each of the kids walked away with wolf ears.  When Isaiah put the wolf ears on, he immediately transformed into Wiley the Wolf.  He crawled around on the floor and howled.  It was too cute.

On display in the lobby was a Lego replica of Great Wolf Lodge.  We all thought it was pretty impressive and deserved a picture.

This year there was also a HUGE gingerbread house.  The house was edible, though you wouldn't actually want to eat since it had been sitting around for several weeks!

With a donation and a reservation, we could have eaten there--we opted instead to just admire the house and take some pictures.

We had a great vacation.  It's always nice to take a break and do some extra fun things.  These vacations are special to the kids and to us.  Good memories.

My Birthday

Today is my birthday. Today has had big highs and big lows. I received some devastating news today...I will share more on that in a future post. So for now, I will share this birthday with you. It's a birthday I won't ever forget.

One of my top favorite places to eat is an Indian restaurant. It's been my favorite for years. The kids decided that this is where they would take me. I was very pleased. The kids loved the Indian princess crown that I got to wear since it was my Birthday. A hat is much better than the whole restaurant singing 'Happy Birthday'!

The kids had several very special presents for me. I treasure each one of their thoughtful gifts. As I looked around the table, I had much to be thankful for.

After dinner, we went to look at Christmas lights--another birthday tradition. The kids enjoy the lights so much, and I always enjoy watching them enjoy them! Tomorrow we will be leaving for our Christmas Vacation at Great Wolf Lodge. I have a lot to do, and a lot on my heart. So for now, I will treasure these moments...

Aliya Simone--9 yrs old!

Normally, I try to take the kids pictures on their actual birthday, but we had to wait for warmer weather.  We had attempted to take her pictures in the colder weather, but it just didn't work. These were worth waiting for though!

Braces OFF!!!

Today is the big day! Niah has waited 10 months to have her braces off, and today is THE day! We snapped one last picture with her braces on, then it was off to the dentist to have them taken off!

She will have to wear a retainer for at least 6-12 months, but she will be able to remove it for eating.  After that, she will only need to wear the retainer at night when she is sleeping.  I think for a snack this afternoon, we will have popcorn to celebrate Niah's braces being off!

Her teeth turned out beautifully.  We/she was thankful to not have to be in them for very long.  She has several friends who will be in braces for a few years.

The whole crew came for this big day!  Over the past 10 months, we have made frequent visits to the dentist for checkups on the braces.  This definitely has been a team effort!  We have a few short years before we will be doing this again with Aliya, so I am going to enjoy the break!

Aliya's Ice Skating Party

Sometimes having a winter birthday can be a challenge...I know first hand! Forget park or pool parties--it's all pretty miserable in the freezing weather. So what to do? Well, Aliya had the perfect idea for her 9 year old birthday party... ICE SKATING! And not just any ordinary ice skating rink in Bricktown, but the outdoor kind that ONLY is opened at this time of year. It was a perfect idea for a birthday party!

 I was the only one who did not skate...and it was rather chilly sitting on the sidelines. As the evening went on, one by one the coats were taken off as the skaters "warmed up" from skating. The only ones who didn't warm up were those who couldn't skate faster than the wall! Niah also met up with a friend from volleyball.  That was a nice surprise for her!

After almost 2 hours of FUN, FUN, FUN, we walked next door to the Myriad Gardens. The Gardens were opened to the public for a special night, and they were also offering FREE HOT CHOCOLATE. What a way to get warmed up! Before long, we were getting too toasty, so back outside it was for a trip to the Bricktown water canals.

The canal ride was once again very chilly, but wonderful at the same time.  Downtown Bricktown is beautiful this time of year with all the sparkling lights and decorations.  We sang 'Happy Birthday' to Aliya as the canal trolled along.  Was she embarrassed?  Of course, but at the same time, she loved it!

The wonderful, fun-packed night ended with a tour through the Chesapeake campus, which is known for it's spectacular Christmas lighting presentations.  This will be a birthday to remember! We hope your birthday was as special to you as you are to us!  Happy Birthday, Aliya!  WE LOVE YOU!!!

Ballet Recital

Ballet recital...the day finally arrived. All the hard work of the past several weeks was showcased today, on stage, in front of EVERYONE! Were the girls nervous? Not at all! In fact, one of Aliya's greatest strengths is the courage to not be afraid when in front of a group of people. For Kiahna, this was her ballerina dream come true--every book about ballerinas that we have read up to this point were all playing out in her mind. She asked me last week if she was supposed to take a bow before or after she picked up the roses. A little presumptuous, perhaps? Up until this point I had not even considered such a thing, but unknown to me, she had been dreaming about that exact scenario in her mind.

At the VERY LAST MINUTE, I was able to make arrangements with the other moms so that we could collectively participate in the rose-throwing at the end of the performance. All the effort payed off because it turned out beautifully, and according to Ms. Olivia (the ballet instructor), this was the first time roses had ever been thrown on stage at a recital. Leave it up to Kiahna to dream big!

I was so proud of the girls. They did a great job. Aliya knew right where to go and she remembered all the steps. When she had first started practicing months ago, she wasn't sure if she really wanted to do this. Now, she has discovered how much she actually loves it!  Kiahna has always loved anything ballet, and she proved today that she was made for the stage! 

A big THANK YOU to all the family and friends who traveled out to see their performance. I know it made the recital EXTRA special for the girls to have the people that they love share this experience with them.

Aliya's 9th Birthday

Aliya's birthday is today...and she turned 9!!! Hard to believe that my cutie baby girl is entering the final year of the single digit club. Nine years ago today, a record-breaking cold snap and freezing storm cut off the electricity for a few hours at the hospital. None of those things even phased us, because we held an adorable baby girl in our arms--she warmed up our hearts and lit up the room! Even to this day, she still warms up our hearts and lights up rooms when she walks in!

The special day began with a shopping spree for a complete new birthday outfit, which she is modeling in the above picture!   We then went to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner (Aliya's choice) where Aliya was surprised with many things.  She received some wonderful gifts from her brother and sisters, and she also unwrapped her very own REAL underwater camera...but the most surprising to her was when the wait-staff brought her birthday cake with a candle and sang "Happy Birthday" to her.  She truly was not expecting such a performance because we had not mentioned to our waiter that it was her birthday--or so she thought!!!

What to do with a brand new camera?!!!  Why, take pictures of your special cake, of course!!!  For the remainder of the meal, Aliya was snapping pictures of EVERYTHING from the ceiling to the light fixtures.

Even though we had dessert at the Cheesecake Factory, we still had to come home and enjoy her birthday cake that she had picked out yesterday.  The day was long and fun.  I'm so thankful to have been able to spend these past 9 years with my baby girl.  I pray for an eternity more!  Happy Birthday, Aliya!  WE LOVE YOU!!!