Waterpark Weekend...FUN!!

A few weeks ago we loaded up the van and headed to Utica, IL (I know, sounds very exciting). It was the first vacation we were taking with the entire Scanlon family - we were going to Grand Bear Resort in Utica. It was a pretty quick trip - about and hour and a half.
Since we were the first to arrive we checked in and got the keys to our log cabin that we all would be staying in. When I made the reservations I was told that we would be 1-3 city blocks from the water park - they must calculate blocks differently in Utica, because we were at least a 1/2 mile away. When we go there it was really cold - I called the front desk to make sure the heat should be set at 50 and was told it could be. We cranked the heat up and turned on the fireplace. I then got back in the van and headed to Peru (next town over) to pick up pizza.
When I returned everyone had arrived (my mom and dad had finally found there way after following the shuttle driver) and were moving to the cabin next door. Turns out the furnace wasn't working - duh! The kids were all very excited and exploring the cabin.
We all at pizza - which was pretty good pizza - thanks to Sean for looking up reviews. And then changed into our suits and headed for the water park. We had thought we would drive but then Kim said the shuttle would come and get us - and it did. We all piled into the shuttle (except for dad and Mike who drove) and headed up to the park. The kids (especially Reagan, Nola and Leo) loved the shuttle - it was definitely a highlight.
The water park was fun - my family was the only ones who haven't been to one, so it was a great experience for us. Nola was all about the slides - no fear! She started in the baby pool but quickly wanted to be on the bigger slide. And she didn't want anyone to hold her - she wanted to go by herself. So one person would put her on the slide at the top and someone else would catch her at the bottom. As soon as she would get up, she would use her sign language for More! Reagan and Leo were happy to swim in the pool - with a few times down the slide for each of them. Hannah, who is quite the swimmer, was also doing the slide and the pool - she can even do flips! After swimming for a while the oldest 3 were ready for the big slides - and so was I! There were 2 3-story slides that started in the park and then went outside (they were enclosed) and then came back into the park. One was a body slide and one was a tube slide. It was really fun - and we were racing - the body slide always won.
When everyone finally got tired we headed back to the cabin to sleep and get ready for Saturday. Our girls slept in the room upstairs with grandma and grandpa, Sean & Kim's family had the room with bunkbeds (even though all of the grandkids except for Nola) thought they should sleep in there, and Mike & Dana's family had the other bedroom downstairs. Pat & I had the pull-out sofa - which was just fine.
Sean had forgotten a few things for breakfast so he headed to Wal-Mart (not an easy place to find) and was back before anyone was too hungry. We made a feast of pancakes, sausage and bacon. The kids were happy to play and hang out while we finished eating and then we headed back to the water park. More fun in the pool and on the slides. Mike and I did stop at one point to blow up our tubes a little more so we could go faster. Reilly thought that was a good idea so we blew hers up as well. We also checked out the lazy river - and raced around that a few times (no, we are not competitive).
When the kids were ready for lunch we headed back to the cabin and had hot dogs, sandwiches, left-over pizza and Portillo's salad. It was so nice to have the kitchen - made for good meals without having to go out.
The youngest 3 needed naps so Sean, Kim and I took the oldest 4 to Starved Rock to see the bald eagles. It was 60 degrees - such a beautiful day. Ok, so it was a little muddy (putting it mildly) but we had fun. We did quite a bit of hiking and we were able to see a few bald eagles. I got a few pictures but were better to see through Sean's camera and the nice family that let us use their binoculars to get a closer look.
After we got back we had time to hang out and relax. The kids played some games and watched TV. One of the kids favorite games was going on the balcony outside of grandma and grandpa's room and them throwing things at the people on thr first floor. Even Nola thought this was a great game! Then Reilly made tacos for our dinner and Dana, who had been suffering from bad headaches, rallied to make her amazing guacamole - Yeah!!
After dinner, some of us went back to the water park and others went to the indoor amusement park. When we were done swimming we took the shuttle (of course) over the the amusement park. It was actually pretty impressive. They had a tilt-a-whirl and about 5 other riders for adults and older kids. Reagan has never been on any of those rides, but she hopped on and had a great time. Her and Leo were in the mix! Nola was done by this point so I took her home on the shuttle and let everyone else continue their fun.
Sunday we woke up and, after much negotiating with the manager, I was able to get us a 1:00 check out (I blamed it on us having to move cabins and not complaining - hey, whatever it takes) so we went to have breakfast in the lodge and then more swimming. The water park was pretty empty by then so we had no trouble getting tubes for the slides or having plenty of room to swim. Some people took another trip to the amusement park before we all had to get on the road. It was such a fun weekend - and such great memories, especially for the kids. They loved all staying in the same house and they all played great together. So we'll have to start thinking about our next trip - Anthony & Reagan are already asking!