There are some activities that are so fun that they become instant traditions. Visiting the Great Wolf Lodge on Mother’s Day is one of them. We went for the first time last year and it was a high priority for everyone to return this year. So on Friday afternoon we packed the car and headed to Ella’s Deli in Madison for some delicious midwestern treats, mostly fried foods with cheese followed by ice cream. Everett has recently started categorizing foods by whether they are good for your tongue or your body or both For example, while eating an ice cream sundae at Ella’s:

“Is this good for my body?”

“No”

“Well, I think it’s good my tongue.”

Dinner at Ella’s was the first bump we encountered in an otherwise smooth trip when Everett realized that the carousel was running, but that he would have to wait until after dinner to ride it. Not happy about this.

This trip also came at a time when Everett’s bedtime is getting later and later. In an effort to increase sleep time at night we have been trying to make it through the day without a nap. It seemed like the time for this was right because while he still takes good naps, the time that he falls asleep at night is getting later and later. Bedtime is usually between 7:30 and 8:30 but he often doesn’t fall asleep until 9:30 or 10pm. Our first night at the Great Wolf Lodge we swam until almost 9pm and then tried to wind down, but Everett didn’t go to sleep until close to midnight, then got up at 4:30am and wanted to know if it was light outside yet, and finally slept a bit longer until 8:30. Rough night.

We spent the day on Saturday in the pools and on the water slides.

Everett can still ride with us on a couple slides but isn’t quite tall enough for the big boy slides, so those might have to wait until next year. By the time we were done swimming Everett’s lips were turning a tinge blue from the cold. When I mentioned this to Melissa he became alarmed. “Am I choking? Am I getting enough oxygen?” These questions arose because during his recent case of croup we had a rough night when he was having a lot of trouble breathing, which resulted in an explanation about respiration and the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. To alleviate his concern we explained to him that he was still a very rosy color and was getting enough oxygen and had nothing to worry about other than the need to get warm.

The lifeguards at the Great Wolf Lodge seem vigilant, perhaps even hypervigilant. Some of them quickly traced a set path like the polar bear at the zoo. This was quite a different experience than the lifeguards we grew up with who seemed more like a scene out of Caddyshack.

We had Mother’s Day Dinner on Saturday night at Moosejaw Pizza & Dells Brewing Company followed by storytime in the lodge.


To promote sleep we created a nest for Everett, which was moderately successful. On Sunday we swam in the morning and stopped at Subway for lunch before heading home.

Everett recently asked Melissa if we could please try harder to have another baby so that we could all have some wedding cake. We have explained to him that we are, which he confirms from time to time with questions like “Are you sure you are still trying?”, making it clear that he wants a brother or sister. In the meantime he has started taking more conscientious care of his animals. Chick came with us on this trip and needed a nap during he day on Saturday. So Everett put socks, pajamas and slippers on him, and then put him in bed.




Happy Mother’s Day to all of the Moms in our lives!