The weather this year, while still cool and somewhat windy at times (it happens in April, after all!), wasn't nearly as chilly as it was last year. We started the afternoon with jackets on, but had all shed them by the time our day was up, and it was a lovely, freeing feeling. But of course, when there is pleasant weather, there are also many more people. The lines for the rides were all longer than they had been in the previous year, and because we got there later in the day (we didn't skip church this time around), that meant we had that much less time to stand in those lines.
It didn't matter too much, because an amusement park is just that: full of amusement. Since I wasn't pregnant this year and could enjoy rides too, Daddy and I had fun taking turns, and it was so lovely to ride a coaster again.
Daddy complied.
And I managed to snag a good pic or two as they went around, too.
The Mini and I waited down below, where she was cozily snoozing in her carseat that clips into a stroller. She had a red blanket thrown over it to shield her from the wind, and it gave her an extra rosy glow. She slept a long time that day! Must have been comfy. :)
After the carousel, we wandered a bit. We happened to pass by a batman ride that neither of us recognized, and it looked to be a dark ride (encased inside a building). I was intrigued, so Daddy went on ahead with the girls to a play area while I waited in a line that purported itself to be only about 15 minutes. It was more like 25, and the ride, a Joker-themed mouser, was a bit cheesy and flashy and clearly not as new as we had thought it might have been...but it was the first ride I'd been on in a long time, so that by itself made it fun. Plus there were kids in line behind me who made my day just a little: one 6 year old boy, and twin 4 year olds, a boy and girl. At one point midway through the wait, the little girl grabbed my hand and held on as she stood by me. I thought she might have mistaken me for her mom, so I made sure to give her my biggest, non-scary smile as I looked down and said hi to her. She just looked right up at me with the most impish grin ever, and absolutely no inclination to let go of my hand. Clearly, there was no mistake; she'd done it quite on purpose! After that, their mom and I fell to talking while we waited, and she described them all as little 'adrenaline junkies'--hence her lack of concern over whether the darkness or theme of the ride would be too scary for them. Just having that bit of laughs and conversation made the wait much SO much easier. I'd felt a little awkward standing in a line all by myself (I don't know that I've ever ridden a ride solo, actually--it's such a group thing to do!), so it was lovely to have that little girl break the ice the way she did.
Once my ride was done, I headed up to the play area where the rest of my crew were waiting. The Mini was still asleep, but the Munch was getting anxious to go on another ride. Practically the moment I arrived, she headed for her next favorite: The airplanes. Away they flew...in circles. ;)
The next one was the roller coaster from last year. Clearly the Munch has already designated some favorite rides, just from her two experiences here. Take a nice, close look at this picture. See the car that's third from the back? See what's in it? No? Look again:
See the tiny hands raised high in the air? That would be my Munch and I. She may be scared by pictures or other imagery, but she is clearly not frightened by speed or heights. SHE raised her hands up high the moment the ride started, and she kept them up for the entire run. I hadn't even suggested it, and merely followed suit when she did it. Proud Mama moment. :)
After that, we wandered a little, and discovered another coaster, which was definitely a new addition since last year. Daddy recognized it as having been at a popular, family-run park in the area that had closed down a few years back, thanks to some pretty nasty family feuding (one side of the family owned the land, the other side owned the park...). Well, Daddy was very excited to have this coaster here, and since I'd done the last ride, he took the Munch for this one.
The Mini and I found a spot to wait where I knew I could get some good pictures when it came their time to ride. It also happened to be a good spot just for waiting: There was a GoKart track right next to us. The karts were noisy and smelly, but they drew the Mini's attention like nothing else...These two pictures essentially make up the view I had as we waited. :) And I'm glad we had such a distraction, because we ended up waiting a good 30 minutes!
But finally their turn came! And again...Up went those hands!! She was born to ride coasters, I guess. :)
After that, Daddy wanted to go do a coaster of his own, so the Munch and I headed back to the play area, where I got this lovely little shot of her, just hanging out and enjoying herself.
And then this random shot...I don't know what prompted her to go yoga on me... :)
Eventually, she grew tired of the play structure, and Daddy wasn't back yet, so we took a look at some of the rides nearby, and found that she was big enough to 'drive' a car by herself. So into the line she got, and just in time, too! Literally half a minute after she got in line, a worker came through and closed the chain to the entrance. I hadn't been completely sure when the park was supposed to close...but now I knew! Anyway, she went off delightedly on her little road trip when her turn came. :)
She takes her driving seriously! She wouldn't even look at me as she came back to the starting point, she was so focused on that steering wheel. Daddy came back while she was thus engaged, so we cheered her on together, then we all started heading toward the entrance to go home.
We didn't see many mascots this time around, probably because there were more people to 'compete' with. But we did see and get a picture with Sylvester midway through the day, and, he being a cat, this was a delightful moment for the Munch.
At the very end of the day, perhaps a quarter to 5 or so, when the Munch and I were at the play area, we FINALLY saw Bugs. We'd been looking all day for him, and the Munch was beside herself at times with the worry that we wouldn't find him. As it turned out, we caught him at the very last moment possible; he was on his way off-duty, but when I pleaded with his guard just a little, he stayed to give the Munch a hug. That was it, no time for pictures or anything, but that was all the Munch had wanted. :)
Two things happened as we were on our way to the park exit:
The first was that we saw the Superman ride (which is a pretty cool ride that you lay down on as if you're flying headfirst through the air) with a line of cars stuck at the top of the very first climb. Friends of ours have since gone to the park and gotten stuck themselves in the same spot...for a full 15 minutes. So I'm thinking I might just skip that ride this year...
The second thing that happened was a suddenly very tired and cranky Munch. We paused ever so briefly by the reflection pool at the front of the park for a picture with the company balloons, but the Munch flatly refused to pose with Daddy and the Mini for a picture. As in, SCREAMED that she didn't want a picture. So....We got sneaky. ;)
One other thing that happened this particular year was that we decided to purchase season passes. Because Daddy's company had made this day possible, all our entrance fees were essentially paid in advance by it, so our season passes only cost about $30 per person. It's a fantastic deal, and we've already been back once since then, with plans for Daddy to take many more weekdays off work for future excursions. Yay for summer fun! :D
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