Saturday, December 4, 2010

Texas Thanksgiving (Warning: Longest Post Ever)

Hi guys! Happy Belated Thanksgiving post. We were in Texas visiting my parents over the holiday, & we ended up staying for 10 days because Ben had a work thingy in downtown Dallas at the Ritz...I know, swanky, right? So we had an extra few days to spend with my mom & dad, & it was really fun. We also went to the Great Wolf Lodge, which was UNREAL. I mean, if you have kids, go there at some point. For those of you who do not know what the lodge is, it's a huge (and I do mean huge) indoor water park. For all ages. There's also an outdoor water park which is just as good, but obviously in November, that wasn't an option. We stayed in a Kid Kamper room, which had a little separate bedroom for the boys which had bunk beds & their own TV. They thought they had died and gone to heaven. It was so much fun! This post has lots of pictures, so get ready! Let's boogie: Here's my beautiful cousin Jaime & my sweet niece Tatum. Tatum stuck to Jaime like glue the entire time, playing with make-up. It was really sweet.

Mimi, Papa, Linc & Levi:

Levi getting so excited:

Our family made a superhero movie over our break. It involved the "Super Cissell Brothers" (Lincoln & Levi) & the "Magical Morrises" (my sister's girls: Lucy & Tatum) This picture is everyone watching the movie on our laptop. I'll be posting that little gem later. Be on the lookout because it is hilarious.

Look at all those pretty girls!

Piano playin':
I love this picture of Levi & my mom. The way he is looking up at her is darling.

Jaime & Char-Char.

Mom & Lincoln:

Aunt Kathi & Jaime:

Levi & my dad playing soccer on Thanksgiving Day.

Sweet face.

This was the first year that we've had an actual Kids Table at our Thanksgiving meal. The kids have usually been so small, that we set them a plate at the big table, & they play a while, then graze a while, etc. But this year was different. They were all pretty much old enough to have their own table & sit there & eat their entire meal without getting up & wanting to play constantly. And shock of all shocks!--nobody needed a high chair! Incredible.


We exchanged gifts with Aunt Kathi & Jaime. They got all the kids wallets with money in them. It was hysterical watching Levi open up his wallet & see the actual bill inside. This was his reaction.
Voila!
Ben & Levi watching football after the meal.

This was one of our very many Pictionary games that we played while we were there. Jaime brought her new beau, Jake, & he's the one in the vest drawing. So much fun.

And last, but certainly not the least, are pictures of my dad with all the grandkids. A serious one....
and you can't NOT do a silly one!
And now for our trip to Great Wolf Lodge. (I told y'all this would be lots of pictures!)
We happened to go during the least crowded week of the entire year. Literally, there were 22 lifeguards & only 16 guests there at one point. When we walked up to the first water slide, the lifeguard at the very top saw us & said, "Hey! Y'all are the first ones up here today!" Holy crap. Usually the lines are at least 40 minutes or longer. So needless to say, we got our money's worth. We must have gone down those slides a hundred times. The boys loved every minute of it, & it is definitely a trip we will take again as they get older. Hope you enjoy these pics.
When we first arrived, we all just looked out the window & couldn't believe that we basically had the place to ourselves! The boys were in awe.
The lobby. It was decorated so cute for the kids & for Christmas.

I don't know that I've ever seen Levi this excited about something. He had just seen his Kid Kamper bunk beds, & he climbed up to the top bunk & just screamed out loud. He was so happy to have his own 'room'.
Linc getting all suited up to go to the water park.
I don't know what we were talking about here, but it's funny how we're both so animated.

Ha. Notice the tongue sticking out from concentration.
AAAHHH! Joy.
Just taking a break from the water.
This was the boys' favorite thing. That huge bucket up there would pour down every 20 minutes or so FULL of gallons upon gallons of water. We all stood underneath it. The force was incredible. And they laughed and laughed.


The wave pool.
And..the end of our day, all tired out & having a snack.
We had a super time over Thankgiving & our family time at the Great Wolf Lodge was really sweet. Hope y'alls holiday was great too.
Until next time.

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