Oliver and Mom pose with Scooby-Doo as we wait...and wait...and wait for the kids to go on the first big ride of the day - the Boomerang roller coaster. An hour in line...but they said it was worth it. :)
Photos from the Boomerang - in all it's glory. The girls had gone before and knew they loved this one. Simon had never been on a roller coaster...ever...but he fit the height requirement so he decided he needed to try it out. Normally I would have sent a grown-up with him on his first big ride...but I was not an option, so Katrina took him under her wing and away they went. Simon thought it was pretty scary, especially the upside-down loops and going backwards, but he like it. I think he liked the idea of being one of the big kids even more.
While we were STILL waiting for the boomerang Oliver and I watched the train depart the station. Oliver loves trains - this was the one "ride" he wanted to do for sure. The boys were worried that it would cost extra money (like at the park and zoo) so they thought they might miss out. They were very happy to know that the exorbitant amount that 6 flags charges for entrance covers this train ride. They also liked that the train was much bigger than the one at the park and zoo.
Next ride: Bugs Bunny Splash Ride Thingy (not real name). This line was also very long...about 45 minutes. The nice thing here was that the line was in an air conditioned "castle" with themed rooms to look at as you snake through. The kids also had a snack and water while waiting so it seemed to go faster. This time Oliver was big enough to ride, even without mom, but with strict orders to hold on, not stand up, and not have any part of his body leave the log until it was time to climb out. He loved it! He was more nervous about the sleeping dragon in the castle (lower right photo) than the ride, especially since Abagail told him it was real and would sometimes wake up and breathe fire at the people...he didn't know whether to believe her or not.
While the girls headed off to ride their next big roller coaster - the Superman - Simon, Oliver and I went and played in Wiggle World. This was a new addition since the last time I had been to the park. It was in a great location and a perfect way for the boys to spend an hour waiting. The rode on a Wiggle Big Red Car, splashed in the water area (which felt heavenly!) and got a kick out of some western ride that went WAAAAY up and then bounced up and down. I think this bouncy ride was a pleasant surprise for them - they didn't think much of it but once on they LOVED it. They also took a turn or two on the little roller coaster. Oliver thought it was awesome; Simon even had a ball - even after experiencing the thrill of the big coaster.
Photos of the girls joining the boys on some rides. The shoe roller coaster was from Wiggle World. I think the girls had a fun time going on it with the boys. Neither girl could convince either boy to raise their hands around the corners or over the humps though.
Simon also took a chance and rode The Rattler. This is a big, wooden roller coaster that is so jerky that it seems to rattle your brain and body as you ride. They were told that the front of the coaster was more smooth than the back. Poor Simon ended up right near the rear. This time he came off saying that he did NOT like that ride. No upside down loops, but I think he felt like he was going to be thrown out.
Another photo of the kids on the Wiggle World coaster. Katrina and Oliver are in the front shoe; Abagail and Simon are in the back shoe. I'm so glad that the kids were old enough to do all the rides without me...I got to stand around and watch and hear all their breathless, animated recounts of their ride.
In the afternoon we went over to the water park for a few hours. Decided not to bring the camera there. Katrina and Abagail went on a big water ride called the Tornado - which they said was AWESOME! Simon and Oliver and I hung out at some fun themed water pools and areas while we waited. Then the girls took Simon on some of the big water slides. I can't believe he went! He just gained confidence swimming this summer, about last month. He tried two. One was a group ride and he thought that was cool. The other was a solo ride down a huge enclosed tunnel. He said he did not like that ride. I can imagine...he was probably freaking out since he couldn't see where he was or where he was going and being washed up the sides of the tube...poor guy. He was a good sport and thankfully he didn't get hurt. (If I had been with them I would have vetoed the solo slide for him. Height requirement alone does not mean the child is mentally ready to tackle the ride.) I know that the independence he felt that day was a thrill for him. Definitely a confidence booster - for that I was pleased.
Our last ride of the evening was the car ride - can't remember it's name. The kids insisted since this was a tradition - they even passed up some of the other big rides that had no line at this point just to bee-line it to the car ride. It was not to be missed. The line was incredibly short so they were excited. However, with only one attendant on duty it still took them almost 45 minutes to get to the front...it was kind of ridiculous. Once on they forgot all about the wait and enjoyed the 1 minute or so drive. Katrina drove and made Oliver her official horn honker. Abagail was very sweet and let Simon take the driver seat. That made his night.
After the car ride we headed back to the area where the firework/laser show had been in progress. The kids LOVED the fireworks! Especially the grand finale. They were so impressed!
We snapped a final parting shot as we left the park. It was about 9:30 or so. We didn't realize that we had one more line to wait in before leaving...the parking lot. We didn't even attempt to leave until around 10:00, when the line finally started clearing out. Instead we gathered at the car and ate "dinner" and snacks. We had eaten sandwiches before entering and some snacks through the day...thankfully it wasn't until food was again available that the kids really started to notice that they hadn't had dinner. Abagail even found some money at the park, which remained unclaimed, so she treated us to hamburgers at Wendy's on the way home. Hmmmm....grease at 11:00 at night. Maybe not the best plan but it filled our tummies and then we headed home to some much earned sleep.
It was a wonderful day! Of course we wished Gabriel could have been with us - wasn't the same without him that's for sure. A really nice surprise of the day came when Gabriel called from New Mexico, just to say hi! We missed little miss Amelia too - but there was no way she would have lasted the day - it would have been much harder to keep her entertained too. So we are very grateful to Virgie for watching her for the day!
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