In February, Ben turned 5. We offered him the opportunity to go to Great Wolf Lodge near Cincinnati, Ohio, in lieu of a birthday party. He was thrilled - especially since his best buddy Scot and his family were also going for Scot's birthday (a week after Ben's). By the time we got around to going to Great Wolf there were actually several families that joined us: Shane and Emily Johnson and their daughter, Shelby, Nick & Emily Adams and their boys, Andrew and Anthony, David and Jenney Taylor and their three boys: Conner, Cory, and Carson, and the Stockwells.. Brady, Catherine, Averi, & Justice, in addition to Heath, Melissa, Scot, Stella, and Charlotte Knipp.
Besides playing at the waterpark, we took time out for cake and ice cream in honor of the boys' birthdays, and a trip to Bass Pro Shops. Ben quickly decided that this was the best vacation ever, because his friends were there. Good to know since the Florida trip in January was 4 or 5 times more expensive than the Ohio getaway!
Ben also enjoyed, what he considers to be a new tradition with my mom and dad. They took him shopping for his birthday and gave him money to spend! He thought this was the best deal ever and has asked for a repeat this year. Mom also made him a Captain America birthday cake, at his request... he loved it. She had made a birthday cake for Jonah a month earlier, so Ben got the idea that she should make HIS as well!
We had a great time sledding in February as well... some friends have a hill that is just perfect for little ones. Good slide down, but easy enough to climb back up. We spent hours there and the day ended by building a snowman! See photos of our day with Nick and Emily Adams, Andrew and Anthony at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=58442&id=518670535&l=ce7007c84a
Showing posts with label vacation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vacation. Show all posts
Monday, January 4, 2010
2009... a year in review (January!)
Last January my blogging plan fell apart. I tried to cover everything that had happened in January, got behind, and then decided that Facebook updates would be good enough. But now at the start of a new year, I want to remember some of the great things that happened in 2009!
In January we took the boys for the first time to Disney parks in Orlando. It was also my first time at Disney! We took in Sea World, Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom in the course of 3 days. It was too much for a 2 1/2 year old for sure... and we hit the parks right in the middle of a cold stretch where temps reached a low of 38 degrees!
Despite the weather and the naps that interrupted Owen's day, it was a fun trip. We went to Sea World specifically to see and touch Sting Rays in an exhibit that was CLOSED that day. Ben cried... but the other animals, especially the sharks, rays, and manatees were a big hit. And feeding the dolphins... to this day Ben says that was his favorite part. We finished the day at Sea World with an event sponsored by one of the drug companies (it was part of the Veterinary Conference that Jason was attending in Orlando) and the boys wore me out on a giant playground with tunnels, rope nets to climb, etc. Jason was occupied for a bit and I nearly lost both boys while trying to keep up with them!
At Animal Kingdom Ben really loved the 4-d experience, A Bug's Life. Owen had fallen asleep by then and missed most of it. It was fun to watch Ben reaching out to try to touch the "creatures" that were coming right for us.
While we were in Orlando we stayed at the Nickelodean hotel. The boys had lots of fun in the outdoor pools which were heated to something like 78 degrees. Not so warm when you came OUT of the water though... the days we were in the pool it was a sweltering 60 degrees. Lucky for Jason he missed most of the pool fun as he was at his conference all day on those days.
After we finished our day at the Magic Kingdom, we loaded the boys into the rental car and drove through the night to the Naples area to visit Jason's parents and his brother and family.
The boys got a kick out of the trailer park where John and Judy stayed, and especially the fact that Grandpa rode a big tricycle. They also loved the beaches, and though the water was way too cold to go into, managed to get their pants soaked at each stop. We gathered a wide array of shells, and even found a starfish, as Ben had hoped we would.
We hit the Everglades and the boys got to hold a small alligator and ride on a swamp boat. They loved both. We visited with Brad (Jason's brother) and his family, and hit another beach in Naples before heading back to Indiana via Ft Myers. Both boys did great on the plane both ways... it was Owen's first flight and the first that Ben could remember!
Lots of great photos of the trip are on Facebook, so I won't repeat them here...
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=57051&id=518670535&l=e8cae80241
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=56917&id=518670535&l=96c56cae07
In January we took the boys for the first time to Disney parks in Orlando. It was also my first time at Disney! We took in Sea World, Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom in the course of 3 days. It was too much for a 2 1/2 year old for sure... and we hit the parks right in the middle of a cold stretch where temps reached a low of 38 degrees!
Despite the weather and the naps that interrupted Owen's day, it was a fun trip. We went to Sea World specifically to see and touch Sting Rays in an exhibit that was CLOSED that day. Ben cried... but the other animals, especially the sharks, rays, and manatees were a big hit. And feeding the dolphins... to this day Ben says that was his favorite part. We finished the day at Sea World with an event sponsored by one of the drug companies (it was part of the Veterinary Conference that Jason was attending in Orlando) and the boys wore me out on a giant playground with tunnels, rope nets to climb, etc. Jason was occupied for a bit and I nearly lost both boys while trying to keep up with them!
At Animal Kingdom Ben really loved the 4-d experience, A Bug's Life. Owen had fallen asleep by then and missed most of it. It was fun to watch Ben reaching out to try to touch the "creatures" that were coming right for us.
While we were in Orlando we stayed at the Nickelodean hotel. The boys had lots of fun in the outdoor pools which were heated to something like 78 degrees. Not so warm when you came OUT of the water though... the days we were in the pool it was a sweltering 60 degrees. Lucky for Jason he missed most of the pool fun as he was at his conference all day on those days.
After we finished our day at the Magic Kingdom, we loaded the boys into the rental car and drove through the night to the Naples area to visit Jason's parents and his brother and family.
The boys got a kick out of the trailer park where John and Judy stayed, and especially the fact that Grandpa rode a big tricycle. They also loved the beaches, and though the water was way too cold to go into, managed to get their pants soaked at each stop. We gathered a wide array of shells, and even found a starfish, as Ben had hoped we would.
We hit the Everglades and the boys got to hold a small alligator and ride on a swamp boat. They loved both. We visited with Brad (Jason's brother) and his family, and hit another beach in Naples before heading back to Indiana via Ft Myers. Both boys did great on the plane both ways... it was Owen's first flight and the first that Ben could remember!
Lots of great photos of the trip are on Facebook, so I won't repeat them here...
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=57051&id=518670535&l=e8cae80241
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=56917&id=518670535&l=96c56cae07
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