Walquist Resort Activities

Traditionally for Christmas, our family has taken turns spending the holiday with Jason's side of the family one year, and then Amy's side of the family the next. This year was a Walquist-side celebration, and we had a unique issue to figure out-- how do we make the time together special when we all now live in the same community? We all agreed that extended time spent at one home makes it feel more like a vacation and gives us some quality time together. So, Grammy and Papa decided to open up their home as the "Walquist Resort" for a few nights during Christmas week. Our days were filled with a combination of outings around town and several fun, special activities that Grammy and Papa planned for at home. Here are some of the activities we did:

Money Class

Recently, Grammy and Papa had visited Dallas/Fort Worth and had toured the U.S. Bureau of Printing and Engraving. They wanted to teach their grandkids some of the unique things they learned on their tour, so they held what Papa called a "money class."

Grammy and Papa used actual bills to show their grandkids how the pictures and markings on the bills have changed over time.

The kids used magnifying glasses to inspect the bills' serial numbers. Grammy and Papa showed us how some serial numbers are followed by a star. This signifies that an imperfection had been found on the original sheet, and a new, replacement sheet had to be printed.

It was fun to analyze these bills. Everyone learned something new! What a fun idea!

Sand Art

Grammy had found some awesome sand art kits online that she ordered for our time together. The pictures were extra-large, and the sand was so beautifully colored. The kids all LOVED making their pictures and asked to do it twice.

After the pictures were completed, Aunt Sarah had the great idea to just let the kids play in the sand.

Maple Syrup Tasting

In the fall, Grammy and Papa had also taken a vacation out to the New England states to see the fall colors. On their trip, they purchased several bottles of real maple syrup in varying degrees of sweetness. They were excited to let the whole family taste-test the syrups and decide which kinds we liked best. First, Papa and Grammy showed the kids a brief video on how maple syrup is made.

Then, each child received his own spoon, and Grammy poured samples of syrup from 4 different bottles.

The syrup was very rich and sweet! It was interesting to see which flavors each of the kids liked best.

Meanwhile, the men in the family were hard at work preparing a special pancake treat for the kids to eat with their chosen favorite syrup.

Aren't these reindeer pancakes adorable? What a fun idea!

The kids, of course, were eager to dig in. What a memorable and tasty lunch. Yum!

Playtime

Aside from the organized activities, we had quite a bit of time just to hang out together and play. Abby and I dressed her doll with some of the new doll clothes we had given her for Christmas.

Adley and Ben found common ground with some toys.

We read lots of stories together...

...and played lots of outdoor baseball and soccer.

We played quite a few games, like Jaden and Cody's new Sleeping Queens card game (their current favorite).

A couple times, the family walked down to the school playground near Grammy and Papa's house.

We appreciate so much all the special things that Grammy and Papa did to make our time memorable. The Walquist Resort earned an easy 5 stars in our book! :)