Our Great Wolf Lodge Williamsburg Adventure

A while back, my good friend and Randolph-Macon College co-worker, Robin, made me aware of an online deal for Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg. Katie looked into it and found the most affordable option for us would be a Sunday-Monday stay. She hesitantly told me I'd have to miss a day of work and the boys a day of school. I asked her, "what's the bad stuff?" I guess that's all the answer she needed. She booked our adventure and this past weekend our family got waterlogged with fun.  

We arrived early Sunday afternoon. The boys couldn't wait to get their swim gear on and start splashing around. 

It wasn't long before they - and us - were off to bigger and taller challenges than splashing. Challenges are relative to age. The boys never gave a second thought to slipping inside the mouths of the numerous water slides that drop from various points of the ceiling of Great Wolf Lodge. I guess Katie and I didn't either. But we sure gave second and third thoughts to the 30,000 flights of stairs required to "let's do it again!". The boys eventually tired of waiting on the old folks and did a lot of solo slides. 

Elliott, always happy to take the path most traveled, would fly out of the water slide firmly gripping the tube he began his ride with.

Ian, on the other hand, usually exited 10 or 15 seconds after his tube had ejected into the landing pool. He claimed it was accidental. He made this claim while adding with great excitement how much faster you went without the tube. 

As the boys grow older and more independent, I get to spend more time observing them. Observing them is my fatherly scientific justification for bailing on the countless stair climbs trying to keep up with them. But observing these two can provide thrills of its own. 

Like looking in on their post-slide debriefings as they head back for their next slide. Elliott wondering how frequently the slides are subject to safety inspections. Ian wondering if there are any rules against doing the entire slide while standing up. And if so, what exactly is the punishment.

And Then There Was Observing This Story Within A Story

My two sons floating along the lazy river. 

The younger and quite mischievous son spots opportunity and steers his older brother into its path. He says to his older but often not wiser brother, "Look at that, Elliott."

​And brother looks. 

I wonder to myself when will older brother will ever learn. For the sake of personal entertainment, I secretly hope to myself never. 

The younger one is always proud of himself when he pulls off a stunt like this. The older one thankfully laughs along. I wonder if he knows who the butt of the joke is. 

Observing them also meant getting to see them tackle some pretty cool stuff. Like surfing indoors. 

It was a great trip. It made it easy to forget the sadness we all felt being absent from work and school. (Insert sarcastic smiley face emoji here). School and work are important, but there's nothing like a little getaway to sharpen our focus for both. 

I know mama enjoyed the opportunity to relax with her boys. 

And I'm always up for a chance to be a kid again at Kid Kamp!

We always enjoy having you along for a Cartwright Crew adventure. Until the next time.......

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