Fun with Family

We have Aunt Jessica and cousin Parker staying with us right now!  They got here Saturday and we have been having SO much fun!

Saturday, we all just hung out at the house and visited and played.  All of the kids played in the sprinkler in the backyard.  It's just so much fun to see my kiddos playing with their little cousin.

Sunday was Father's Day.  It is so fun having the kid's pick out Tim's card and gifts.  B Boy picked out the BIGGEST card ever for him.  Tim loved his card and gifts!

I made bacon and french toast for breakfast for everyone.  It was so good, if I must say so myself!

Afterwards, we loaded up to go to Lake Atalanta to play in the creek and have a picnic.  Tim was excited to go fishing again!

 The kids all had a blast playing in the creek together!

 We even played on the playground a bit!

We all loved the cheesy puffcorn puffs that we brought along!

Tim caught about a dozen fish.  He was loving his relaxing time.
He did say that when B Boy first tried casting his line, he accidentally threw the entire pole in the lake! Tim had to fish it out!

We also fed the ducks and geese.  

C Girl usually loves this, but she did not want to be a part of it.

She screamed and jumped back into the van!

Today has been a rainy, lazy day. 
We did make a quick trip to the library and then came back and baked cookies!
Perfect and yummy rainy day activity!

 Parker was mixing stuff up too!

The brand spankin' NEW Rogers Aquatics Center

Yesterday, I wrote about Northwest Arkansas, but specifically Bentonville.

Today I'm going to fill you in on another very awesome thing in Northwest Arkansas, the new Rogers Aquatics Center.

My family was invited to come this past Saturday to have a sneak peek of the water park before it officially opens to the public this Saturday, May 25th.

When we first arrived, I was instantly impressed by the size and layout of the park.

The kids could not wait to get in and play at Otter Holler.  

It has slides, water cannons that you can shoot water from, and a giant bucket on top that dumps water every little bit!

My kids are 6 & 7 and this was perfect for pre-schoolers and up!

One thing I really loved was that there were lifeguards stationed all throughout the park.

We played in this area for quite a long time!

By this time, it was lunch and we hopped over to Wet Willy's kitchen.  

They have general concession-type foods.

We had hot dogs, chips and drinks.

My only complaint was that all four of our hot dog buns were broken apart so they were difficult to eat.

They also have pizza, cheeseburgers, candy, ice cream, etc. all at affordable prices.

It would be nice if they allowed you to bring a cooler of food or drinks in, but they do allow you to leave the park and return as long as your hand gets stamped for re-entry.

The park has four private pavilions that can be reserved for parties.  

The fee of $250 includes the pavilion, 12 park passes, and 12 beverage tickets and is good for a 2 1/2 hour time period.

This would be great for a birthday party!

Some of the rides for "big" kids include 

the Tree Top Drop, steep side by side slides for racing, 

Super Flush, a big ole spiral bowl that dumps you into an 8' pool of water, 

and Hawk's Nest Falls, two winding flume slides with one being open and sunny and the other enclosed and dark!
After going down the "toilet bowl," you can swim over to the climbing wall!

I also cannot leave out White River Run.  

It is a smooth, flowing "river" that you float through on inner tubes!

This is so fun!

I went around "the lazy river" twice!

They didn't leave out a place for the little ones to play!

Tadpole Hole is a fun area with a toddler pool with zero depth entry (like a beach!), sprinklers in the pool, a little slide, and a splash pad!

Bonus- it's a shaded area!

This here is the Cement Pond.

This is a competition pool for fitness and lap swimming.

This is a great time to mention that you can grab a $35/month membership for this pool.

The park also is now taking registrations for their Learn-to-Swim program 

and the "Ballistic Bullfrogs" summer swim team!

Handicap accessibility was an amazing feature that is available throughout the park.

There are also lockers and shower facilities on site.

We really had a fantastic time visiting.  

This is just another great thing to add to the list of things to do in NWA!

The park opens this Saturday, May 25th.  Hours are Mon-Sat 11am-8pm and Sunday 12pm-6pm.

Admission prices, concession prices, special admission offers, facility rules and group reservation forms are available at the Rogers Aquatics Center website.

A 10-Pass-Punch Card is available and may be used multiple times by one person or for multiple family members and friends.

Punch cards are available for 50% off until the Rogers Aquatics Center opens on 5/25!

There is also no limit on how many 50% off Punch cards that you can purchase!

You can get these at the Rogers Parks Department, 113 N. 4th St.

I know that I will be purchasing some for my family to visit the water park this summer!

Follow the Rogers Aquatics Center on Facebook to keep up with additional discounts and special admission days that will be announced throughout the 2013 season!

The staff at the Rogers Aquatics Center will be identifying trends and attendance patterns to help choose the best deals and offers to issue in the future.

I'm looking forward to some season passes hopefully being offered in the future!

Thank you City of Rogers and Arkansas Women Bloggers for the opportunity to check out this cool place before the masses invade.