A Pre-Spring Break, Break

Okay, not the best planning on my part (considering next week is Spring Break), but I bought a Groupon last year for a 2-night stay at the Nickelodeon Resort in Orlando. When I finally went to book it, this was the only week they had available (apparently they sold 10,000 of them! - Lesson learned, book immediately when you buy a Groupon vacation). Anyhow... we decided we would use the little getaway as a birthday present for Payton. We haven't gone anywhere alone with him since Parker was born, so we arranged for my parents to watch the baby (and the dog) for a couple nights while we spent some awesome one-on-one time with our first born. It was so, so, so much fun!

 (thanks Kristen for the awesome pictures - again!!)

We were also really thrilled that our neighbors came and stayed for one night as well. Payton adores their kids and we had so much fun having another couple to hang out with. It worked out so perfectly.

We drove over on Saturday after baseball and this is what our backseat looked like:

 

Hello... can you say "crowded?" We only have 2 kids, but I swear we need a minivan... or maybe I just need to learn how to pack less. 

Anyhow... once we arrived, the kids quickly jumped in the hot tub!

 The boys had such a good time. And I got to enjoy a glass of wine with my bestie Jenny. Then before you knew it... we were off again to the Nick Resort.

Here's a picture of the water slide at the main pool area:

  It's insane. 

It's huge. 

It's got a gajillon slides, waterfalls, and every other sort of kid-type fun you could imagine!

Of course we did lots of swimming:

 And the first day, we also rented a cabana. There was a freak cold front that moved through that morning, so the high was 65! The cabana provided some much-needed shelter from the wind. Plus, the kids thought it was really cool!

  The kids also loved the Nickelodeon-themed bedroom. But Payton was most excited about the bunk beds. He's never slept in bunk beds before, but now he wants them in his room at home.

The second day started off quite cool, so we opted for a morning inside. The kids played in the huge arcade while the adults drank Starbucks on the couches right outside the entrance (I'm telling you this place is perfectly laid out for families!).

 And then the kids put together Spongebob crafts (thanks Kristen!!!) at one of the tables in the "Mall" area of the hotel. Oh, and did I mention they also have a miniature golf area, a 3-D movie theater, and several live shows at the resort? I mean, there was not one dull moment, let me tell you!

Once the sun peeked out, the temps warmed up dramatically. It was a beautiful, sunny day that provided hours of poolside fun.

 Just look at these faces...

 I'd say everyone had a great time, wouldn't you?

Of course a trip to the Nickelodeon Resort would not be complete without participating in one of the daily "Mass Slimings." Payton & Avery went for it the first day, and then Brian and the rest of the boys joined in on the second day. I'm talking 1,000's of gallons of green slime being monsoon-ed onto their heads. Not really my cup of tea, but boy did they have fun!

Here's a video of the second day. It's hard to see Brian & Payton, but the are in the middle of the huge crowd:

 Sad that the vacation had to come to an end, but man did I miss my little guy. He was quite attached to me all day, but I didn't really mind one bit.

Good thing we have a whole week off of school next week to party some more!