First Family Vacation!

Kennedy and Jon are both napping in our room. I'm in one of the hotel's many hallways outside of O.P.'s Marketplace. I'm people watching as I write this. Some go into O.P.'s to buy a coffee drink, others come out with a bag of chips or overpriced condiments they may have forgotten to pack. $4.19 for a small bottle of Aunt Jemima's syrup?! Come on people, pack more carefully next time!

I'm sitting on a cute bench with my laptop in front of me. The Wilderness is a beautiful hotel/resort! There are endless things to do here. They have four outdoor waterparks and four indoor. Some are within walking distance, some we had to drive a few minutes to. There is a huge arcade/laser tag area, a few mini golf courses, shops, restaurants, kiddie play areas... the list goes on and on. I was here with my family when Kennedy was just a few weeks old and we didn't experience half of what this hotel offers.

I'm even more excited because this is our FIRST family vacation! I've taken Kennedy here, to Florida and California and Jon has been with me to California, but never just the THREE of us. It has been a wonderful day so far. We arrived and got checked in early! YIPPEE! After we unpacked some of our things, it was a quick lunch and then to our first waterpark! Kennedy was excited, but Jon and I weren't sure how she would react to the water slides. Turns out, we had nothing to worry about! I stood at the bottom of the slide as her and Daddy ventured down. Piece of cake. Then we climbed a bunch of stairs to a decent size slide. When we got up there, the lifeguard told us she had to go down alone. Oh no, I thought. Will she be too scared? It was a pretty big slide! I went down first so I could be at the bottom waiting for her. Holding my breath, I see this cute little girl come down with a half scared/half excited look on her face. I grabbed her and waited for a reaction.

"Was it fun?!" I asked.
She wiped the water from her face and exclaimed, "YEAH! LET'S DO IT AGAIN!!"

We were relieved! She was so brave. Within 20 minutes, she was asking to go down the biggest water slides by herself! How cool is our kid?! She couldn't get enough of the water. Jon said it's probably because she's old enough to enjoy it, but too young to know the dangers. I agree... she was FEARLESS!

Dinner was at the Thirsty Buffalo Saloon - part of the Wild West area of the hotel. We were impressed again by our sweet girl. When the waitress took our order, Kennedy asked, "Can I have a hot dog please?" Then she asked what she wanted to drink and Kennedy replied, "Chocolate milk, please.". She ordered all by herself for the first time! We didn't tell her what to get or prompt her. We were in awe. Our child has amazing manners too. Side note: I love blogging! I can brag about my kid all I want. haha!

After a wonderful night, Kennedy woke up this morning and was ready to go. She opened the curtains and said, "It's light out!" Like, let's go Mommy and Daddy! Our balcony overlooks one of the outdoor parks. She was ready to face those slides again. We drove a few minutes to the first indoor park, which included a wave pool and huge family water slide. By family, I mean the raft holds up to four at a time. I love those. Then we can experience the fun at the same time! Kennedy was a HUGE fan of the wave pool. She didn't want us to hold her or sit in a tube... just her little flotation device around chest/arms did fine. What a cutie!

Now we're off to dinner. I became acquainted with the area earlier in the day, so I think we'll venture off somewhere in the Dells. Maybe Moosejaw Pizza? Looks like a cool place to eat!