Well, I'm really behind on writing. This has been a much busier month than I expected. And I've been really distracted - with Annie making! :) It's become quite an addiction and I find myself working on dolls late into the night instead of cleaning or reading or doing pretty much anything else. I'm trying to find a way to balance my schedule a little better. Hopefully now that we're done with swimming lessons for awhile it'll be easier. Of course May is also the busiest month of our year, so I don't have high expectations of suddenly being on top of things in the next few weeks!
Anyway! Yesterday was our annual Great America trip for Greg's coworker appreciation day. Last year was our first time doing this and I was really looking forward to it again this year now that we knew what to expect. We decided to just take Caden again since Shepard is still pretty young (and short!) for most of the rides. Shepard might be able to join us next year, though I think it's really special just having that time with Caden too. We'll see how everyone is feeling about it next year.
It's amazing how much difference a year makes in how a child behaves. Last year wasn't bad or anything, but Caden was a little challenging, complaining a lot about everything. This year he was amazing!
We started with the tamest ride first. Already Caden was too scared to go on the top half of the ride. Greg and I are pretty big ride wimps and I think Caden is definitely following in our footsteps! I have a feeling Shepard is going to be much more of a daredevil when he's older.
Next we did this sky needle thing. I'm terrified of heights so it's not my favorite!
Just like last year, Caden was obsessed with looking at the map. We had to take it out between every single ride to see where we wanted to go next. Because looking at the map makes much more sense than just walking around to SEE what looks fun. :)
Way up high! I was looking at my phone so I wouldn't have to look out the windows.
Next we did the spinning teacup things. This ride was a lot more wild than I remember last year! I must be getting old because I used to love spinning rides and this one made me feel pretty sick.
Watching the crazies on the roller coasters.
Caden really wanted to go on this boat ride where you shoot water at people and vice verse. There was no way I was going to willingly get wet when it was still pretty gloomy and cold outside.
They got SOAKED. Much more wet than they were expecting, I think. Greg said Caden wasn't very happy at the end.
Retaliation.
Our lunch slot was at 2:00 so we needed to get a snack beforehand. Because the park isn't actually open yet, most of the little restaurants aren't open yet either. Our only options were pretzels, nachos, or popcorn. Caden loves his pretzels!
It definitely wasn't hot out, but this misting thing was too tempting to resist for a four year old. He had to push the button at every one we passed.
The kid only rides were the most boring part of the day. The lines were much longer. I felt really bad putting Caden on this one because I don't think he realized it was going to drop down. He looked terrified the first time it happened, but was starting to smile by the end.
Slowest ride ever.
At this point we were thinking Caden looked pretty lonely! Kid only rides aren't much fun when you're by yourself.
Bumper cars! This is a terrible picture, but I had to add it because this was by far Caden's favorite part of the day. He was laughing his head off the whole time. I love seeing him let loose a little. :)
The balloon ride. I seem to remember really enjoying this one last year, but I was pretty scared this time around! If we weren't getting in for free I don't think we'd ever go here on our own. Rides are really not my thing. But worth it to see Caden happy. :)
The batmobile.
By lunchtime we were so hungry that I forgot to take a picture. But here's our dessert!
After lunch we made one more stop at the bumper cars and the carousel before we headed out. It really was a great day with lots of fun memories. I look forward to next year!
