Making Memories: Family Vacation

Three days stretched interminably when I was ill at home with Curt out of town a couple of years ago. Perversely, three days pass awfully quickly when you’re having a great time.

The Welsh Waterpark Wingding 2010 may, by popular acclaim, become an annual affair. Sure, the Wisconsin Dells have a certain reputation for middle-American cheesiness, but it’s hard to imagine a better combination of attractions to appeal to all ages.

Cousins Will and Autumn with the Wilderness Moose

Our first day, Angie and Christina and I agreed that people who don’t like waterparks are just plain nuts. What’s not to like? Kids large and small being entertained for hours with plenty of energy-exhausting activity and no complaints of boredom. Riding the waves on tubes. Mini-golfing. Underwater breath-holding contests. Grandma Bonnie’s accidental mooning of unwitting Lazy River patrons (note to self: wear one-piece swimsuit next time). And no, we didn't get a picture of that. Margaritas and rum punches and virgin piña coladas sipped under a giant umbrella. Reading magazines in the sunshine. Adults acting like kids, going down slides and jumping in pools and floating.

Christina, Angie and Catie waiting for the waves

I had to explain to Jack and Autumn that my enthusiastic screaming on my way down the slides was not coming from fear, but exuberance and excitement. Christina is about as bad as I am in that department. Our three-year-old Catie, though, didn’t emit a peep, other than afterward: “That was SO MUCH FUN! I didn’t scream.”

Due to a seating shortage, Jack made himself a couch out of barstools

And then there were the small, unanticipated things we got to enjoy just because we were spending time together. Sitting around in our pj’s sipping coffee in the mornings, discussing topics great and small. Curt cooking his famous cheesy eggs and frying up the pig meat. Placing bets on which U.S. city’s population is fourth largest, and which is the largest city in the world. Dominoes tournaments. The kids drinking milk through chocolate straws. The whoopee cushion Jack and Autumn “won” at the arcade. Uncle Dave’s teasing of 11-year-old Autumn about potential marriage to a Jonas brother, and of 13-year-old Jack about his secret admiration of Garth Brooks.

The mini-golf course is a fearsome place

Five-year-old Will had a little trouble saying goodbye on the morning of our departure: “Dad, can we please just stay one more day?” Then, “Please just two more hours?” and “How about one more hour?” When that didn’t work, “Can we go to Grandpa and Grandma’s house?”

I felt exactly the same, Buddy. Next year, maybe we can make it a whole week.