A Pirate's Water Park {Honey Creek Resort}

For a few months, we have been planning a trip to Iowa to celebrate the big girls' birthdays. It was so much fun to spend the weekend with Uncle Mike, Aunt Aimee, Lilly, Lyssa, Grandma Nancy, Papa Keith, Uncle Andy, his friend Katie and even Lilly's Grandma Jan and Papa Scott.

Our destination was Honey Creek Resort on Lake Rathbun in the south central part of Iowa. The resort is fairly new with a lodge, lots of cottages, and even a fantastic water park for the kids. We had no idea when we booked our 4 bedroom cottage that the weather would be AWESOME in March. We certainly took advantage of that and spent a lot of time outside, going on walks, visiting the playground (future post!), grilling out, and running around and around the cottage's deck in swimsuits. The girls had a blast!

Lyssa looks less than thrilled to be in this photo. No worries, her sissy is always ready to smile.

Three of the little ladies ready to slide!

Most of the group hanging out in the shallow section. I think the pool was pretty lame for Uncle Andy and his friend Katie...there wasn't really any place to just swim, and we never made it over to the adult's hot tub area. I had every intention of doing that, but taking my eyes off the crazy girlies was not an option.

We almost had the place to ourselves on Sunday morning. It was the most relaxing time at the waterpark all weekend since we could really just sit back and watch as the girls climbed on the pirate ship and went down the slides. The girls were much more confident and brave and didn't need us right next to their side at all times.

Thankfully Lesley was not a good aim and didn't seem to figure out how to point it at us.

This isn't the best photo, but I loved how she was hanging out around some of the fountains. She even figured out that if you step on one, the other ones would shoot water higher and higher. She didn't think it was so funny though when Daddy would step on a foutain and she would get sprayed in the face.

Leah got into a routine of sliding down and heading around the pirate ship to do it over and over again. She wasn't afraid of the water and just smiled and giggled when it would splash her in the face. She needed supervised at all times even with the shallow water. On Saturday, there were lots and lots of other kids running around and just a little nudge would knock her in.

Part of their birthday presents were these princess tubes. They were a huge hit! Unfortunately we really needed 3 of them since Leah is now acting more and more like a big girl, and insisting every day that she be included.

Lilly was a ture daredevil! No fear for this chicka! She was hard to keep track of at times, and we had to tell her and Lesley several times, "slow down" or "no running" or "you need to wait your turn".

The lazy river was a huge hit! It might look deep since the adults are all submerged, but I think the deepest part was only 3 feet. There was actually a section that was closer to 1 foot deep...this did not go so well for us floating ladies. :)

Like most new things, Lesley was hesitant at first and wanted to stick pretty close. She wanted us to catch her on the way down the slides and help her frequently. I was totally okay with that. This mama was nervous that first day! But, by our third trip to the water park, she was starting to get braver and braver. Then, on the last day, we heard a lot of "I can do this myself, I don't need your help mommy!"

Leah finally got a turn with one of the tubes. She laid back in that tube for quite a while.
So cute!

Let me tell you how difficult it is to get good photos inside a water park. If the lense wasn't fogged over, the kids were moving too fast for the camera to snap them. The one turned out pretty good, other than the confusion on who to look at.

We took turns snuggling up with sweet baby Lyssa. She enjoyed the water, but sometimes seemed to get overwhelmed with where she was supposed to be looking. So much going on! I think it was just last spring/summer when Leah was wearing that swimsuit.

I'm hoping to post more photos from the fun weekend, including our trip to the playground, the time at the cottage and the birthday party.

According to Lesley, Age 3

On her birthday, we asked Lesley a few questions to see what she would say. We had done this last Fall and it's interesting to see the similar and different responses.


I also included what answers Mommy would say in parenthesis, if they vary from what the birthday girl thinks/says.


What is your favorite color? Purple


What do you like to eat? Spaghetti (She hasn't been too great of an eater lately. Thankfully with the nice weather, I can usually get them to eat a decent dinner by letting them eat outside, or in the garage if it is windy. I think since Daddy has been working out of town for quite some time, things like dinner and bedtime are hit or miss with how successful they are when it's this single working mama doing all the parenting.)


What do you not like to eat? Mashed potatoes (Vegetables of any kind)


What shows do you like to watch? Sesame Street (The only shows we really watch are Sesame Street and Mickey Mouse and now the movie Beauty and the Beast, Cars, and Open Season. Her favorite movie right now is Annie. She sings and sings about Sandy, the dog.)


What do you like to play? with eggs (For several months now, we have been hiding and searching for our Easter eggs. It all started one day when Lesley was begging for her Halloween bucket and I couldn't find it. But, I did find the basket of eggs and they are a huge hit even 2 months later. Lesley has gotten very good at hiding them, and Leah is equally as good at finding them.)


What's your favorite book? Bears (I have no idea what the bears book is she speaks of, but likely something they have read recently at daycare. We read a lot of Sesame Street books, and now some new princess books she got for her birthday.)


What makes you scared? Lions (Seems reasonable, right? I would also say that she still fears dogs, although it warming up to them if it is on her terms.)


What makes you sad? Daddy (Again, I have no idea what this means, but I am skeptical that it has something to do with Daddy working out of town for essentially the last 10 weeks. She misses him a lot, but when he is home on the weekends, is very clingy towards me. I am thankful that the out of town work has an end in site.)


Where's your favorite place to go? McDonalds (This answer doesn't really make me very happy, and I would argue that we don't go there that often. And, honestly, even when we do, she doesn't like the food, which is why it is not typically our eating location of choice. A more appropriate fast food choice would have been Chick-fil-a, but outside of eating establishments, I would say she loves Cabelas, the park, and of course Iowa.)


What's your favorite song? Wheels on the Bus (She sings and sings these days. Old McDonald's, BINGO, Itsy Bitsy Spider, etc. We have a preschool kids CD in our car and she is now requesting certain songs, with little patience for Mommy trying to figure out what track, out of 25, that particular song is. She also does not want to listen to Laurie Berkner music even though I'm pretty sure that was a favorite 6 months ago.)


What will you be when you grow up? A Princess (Don't we all wish we could be princesses....and in the eyes of a 3 year old it is perfectly reasonable.)

What do you like to do outside? Play in the rain (play with Abby, go to the park)

What's your favorite game? Mommy and Daddy's game (Monopoly, we try and try to get her play Candyland and Chutes & Ladders with only little success. We did give her UNO Moo as a birthday gift and it seems to be a hit too.)


What's your favorite thing about your baby sister? She's mean (Hmmm....maybe Lesley didn't understand this question, although I will say that Leah has been a bully lately so maybe this was just more of an observation versus her favorite thing about her little sister.)


What do you like to wear? Princess dress

How old are you going to be next? THREE!

When is your birthday? Today!!!!

If you could have any pet, which would you choose? Horse (This one surprised me because Aunt Aimee and Uncle Mike are always trying to "give" us horses and Lesley always says, "No way, they will poop in my yard." I have really been wanting to get some gold fish for the girls, but not until things settle down at the house and life is a little more stable for our family.)

What do you like to do with Mommy? Play outside

What do you like to do with Daddy? Go to the museum (Lately, when I need a break on the weekends or some time to clean or whatever, Jason has been taking the girls to Cabelas so that is kind of their place.)

What's Daddy's job? Go to Texas


What's Mommy's job? Hmmmm....

We asked a few other questions but she was too distracted to answer, or just couldn't process when put on the spot.

THREE

It's hard to believe that this little girl turned THREE today!

We celebrated all weekend including playing at the park, having friends over, going to Chick-fil-a for dinner at the birthday girl's request, feeding the fish at Cabelas (another request) and even playing outside in the rain. I hope we made her weekend special! And, I hope she understands she won't always get what she wants. As an example, she told me she didn't want to go to church since it was her birthday...she lost that battle, unless you count the bribery that was necessary to get her dressed and there (almost) on time.

It's been a busy start to the year, and although I can't say things will slow down soon, at least I now see an end in sight. More on our big adventures to come! In the mean time, be patient with me (if you are still reading) as I try to keep the blog updated...Mostly I do it in the hopes of printing a blog book some day and to satisfy Grandma's Nancy photo requests, but I also like the idea that we have friends who try to stay in touch through our "journal".

Generations

We spent some much needed time with Cousins Lilly and Lyssa early in February. I cannot believe how big Lyssa has gotten....it's like she doubled in size since Christmas.

They are getting pretty good at posing for photos. Lyssa only looks a little concerned this time.

The Papas opted out of the dishwashing to hold the little Miss.

Leah is a HUGE fan of Papa and I guess wanted to make sure that Lyssa knew her place.

What a great meal with 4 generations! I wish we could do this more often.

Great Grandma and all her great grandaughters.

Dear Leah

February 13, 2012

Dear Leah,

Well, these past few months have been challenging interesting. I really, really wanted to type "fun" here, but that is not exactly accurate most days. We have reached a "stage" and honestly I hope it passes quickly. Basically, my take on this stage, is that you still trying to figure out how to communicate since your voice is yet to catch up with your other physical developments. You can say "Dad" and now "Mama" but not much else. I am very confident that you understand pretty much everything going on around you, but for some reason, you just aren't expressing yourself verbally yet. In time, right? We do see a lot of heading shaking and nodding, with grunting and pointing, which is usually accompanied by you mouthing the words "yes" or "no". I think you are trying, just nothing is coming out.

Here are a few of the fun things I want to forget remember about your 15th and 16th months:

· Tantrums! You are throwing tantrums like it is your business. What seems to be the littlest of things sets you off. I guess maybe you are sensitive or just not able to verbally express yourself yet, or perhaps because you are testing the waters more than Mommy would prefer. Your favorite way to express your dislike is by knocking over the little chairs in our kitchen area. I cannot help but smile when I attempt to discipline you with a simple, yet apparently very powerful "No" and you march over to the table and chairs, look at me and start shoving the chairs until they are all laying on their sides. Oh Leah, you so dramatic! You have also started hitting Mommy from time to time when she rightfully tells you "no" or makes you stop doing something. So. Not. Cool. You are not old enough for this type of rebellion. A few things that start the before mentioned tantrums could be because you find joy in stealing toys Lesley is playing with, or you are throwing your own toys.

· A little bully – Daddy and I both think you are a bully some days. Poor Lesley has to deal with this from time to time and she has done remarkably well with ignoring your rudeness. Just last night, you were being mean to her and she looked up at me and said, "Leah needs to go to time out now." Um, yes she does…and she did (for a few seconds at least).

· You like to eat crayons. I'm pretty confident they don't taste good to you, it's more the "is Mommy going to catch me this time?" look as you chomp down. Yes, Mommy will catch you eventually. And, seriously, does that really taste good or give you a sense of accomplishment? I don't get it.

· I think your molars are going to haunt us for many months to come. Although up to 8 total teeth, your molars on the right side are more swollen than I knew could be possible. Poor thing! Feels like we use a lot of Tylenol these days, but some days it's all I know what to do and feels like the only option to give you some relief. You do like sucking on ice, but that's typically short lived since you like to be on the go.

· Bedtime has become something I dread every day, and currently get the pleasure of handling every night by myself. You are so sweet and cuddly, you give lots of kisses and hugs to sissy, gather up your blankie (which you are a HUGE fan of right now), drink your warm milk…all of this to be followed by screaming and fits when it comes time to actually head to your room and say "sweet dreams". I have tried changing up the routine, letting you stay up a little later and have you go to bed after sissy, and even cuddling in mommy's bed but there are still tears and screams every night. At first, I thought it was your molars, and it might be, but this has been going on for a couple weeks now. Poor thing, Mommy feels bad for you but hopefully we can kick this behavior soon!

· Lately you have been guzzling up to 2 full sippy cups of WARM milk at night between dinner and bedtime. You gave up bottles Christmas weekend because Mommy forgot to pack them when we went to Iowa. Oops…though not as painful as I thought the transition might be. Now, it's like you just can't get enough milk through your sippy cups! Unfortunately, this causes you to leak out of your diapers around 3-4am requiring a diaper and pj change, along with new sheets some nights, and also more milk. Mommy is getting smarter about putting multiple sheets on the mattress, with sheet protectors in between, but it's still not a fun process at 3 am. I hate to not give you milk when you want it, but it sure would be nice if you could take time to drink more of it during the day…and also accept milk straight from the fridge versus requesting it be warmed up by walking to the microwave, pointing, and grunting. This warm milk habit is a trait you picked up from big sissy. Grrr….

· You are a good eater, but you are also finding the joy in throwing food from your highchair. That is, if I can convince you that you should be sitting and eating in your high chair. This is likely an attempt on your part to grow up too fast, but lately you prefer the booster seat or more so, just a regular seat. And, it's the best if you can snatch Lesley's chair while she is in inevitably wandering around during dinner time.

Here are a few of the awesome things I try to cherish every single day:

· You love babies, and you are a great mother to your babies. Lesley had a few babies before you arrived and we've accumulated a few more during the past year. You even got your very own for Christmas this year. Big sissy tries to steal it, or more often than not, because she knows taking your baby is wrong, she tries to convince you that you want one of her less desirable babies so she can have yours. The baby that causes the most stress at our house is the one in purple clothes. You know it is yours and you do not hand her over very easily. You like to rock your baby, and feed your babies bottles. The baby even has special blankets that you try to wrap her in. There is a bouncy seat (which used to be yours!) that you like to put your baby in and a crib she sleeps in. Seeing you care for your baby makes my heart swell with love. Because your big sister is not as much a fan of babies (at least not until you started showing interest in them), it's not like you are just copying her actions. These babies are something you truly love and it must be part of your personality to be such a great mommy. Although clearly SEVERAL years down the road, I hope I can witness your mothering to your own children someday, and I really hope that my mothering style/skills help teach you to be the very best, and you learn from all my mothering mistakes (there are a lot!).

· You are good at waving to people and acknowledging when you are leaving, or when someone else is leaving us. My favorite is when we webcam with Grandma Nancy and Papa Keith and you wave and smile. I think their reaction keeps you going because you LOVE "talking" to them. You know exactly what it means when I ask, "Do you want to webcam?" and sometimes when I am talking to Daddy on the phone, you race into the office to get in front of the computer. He's been traveling a lot lately and we've been trying to webcam as much as we can. You are such a smarty!

· Bath time is probably your favorite part of the day and I think you would live in the bath if I kept the water warm and allowed enough toys for you to play with. We have a huge love for bubbles and now colored water! So fun for you and sissy! You splash and kick and scoop up water like it's no one's business. Thankfully you don't mind getting your hair washed or your face wet. In fact, a new trick lately is that you enjoy putting your face into the water. I have to keep my eyes on you at all times little girl. It seems you always come up with a huge smile, but makes this mama nervous. Unfortunately you like drinking the bath water about as much as you like splashing in it so it feels like I am constantly taking away all toys that can be used as a drinking device. Let me tell you, that certainly limits what you can have in the tub. Poor big sissy doesn't always understand this but thankfully she has yet to place the blame on you…even though the toy selection is directly a result of your behavior. You also like to stand in the tub, but thankfully you listen very well when I say "Sit down Leah".

· I know I mentioned your blankie earlier but I think this deserves its own bullet. You LOVE your blankie and you want to know where it is at all times, and most of the time you think it needs to be with you. Lucky for you, your mama is a blankie loving gal too and won't likely ever take it away from you. I will however insist that it gets washed from time to time and you're going to have to live with that. Sorry sweetheart!

Leah Baby (as Big Sister often calls you), you are one of my most proud accomplishments and certainly one of my most prized possessions. I hug and kiss you every day almost in disbelief that you are part of my life. So very blessed! I read these comments above and although it seems there are a lot of things that could be considered not so good, I wouldn't trade any of them. These are just stages, and these are things that make you my Leah. In life, there are challenges but that is part of God's plan so there is good in each and every stage we face.

Love you from the bottom of my heart to the tips of my toes!

Mama