We arrived at the park before it opened and had plenty of time to get covered in sunscreen and stand in line at the gate for a bit. As we waited to enter, Kylie amused us by pointing out the fact that she could see Elmo and "Big Tweet" every 5 seconds. The day was already worth it's weight in gold, just hearing her enthusiasm.
Once in the park we decided to do the "dry" rides and activities first. We hit up the carousel, Big Bird's Balloon Race, and Ernie's Bed Bounce before heading indoors to catch the Elmo's World Live show. The show was exactly like the segment on Sesame Street, complete with Dorothy and Mr. Noodle. The show was fun, but I found myself watching my girls more than the show itself because their faces were priceless as they watched Elmo move about the stage.
After the show we went to the "Nets and Climbs" area where Jim braved the mazes of climbing nets with both Kyra and Kylie. We should've known Kyra would be right at home here, but in the moment we underestimated Kyra's climbing skills and temporarily lost her as she got ahead of Jim (who was moving at "Kylie pace"). Fortunately, just before I reached the "panic because my daughter has been missing for 5 minutes" stage, she came out of nowhere and met up with Jim and Kylie. We decided at that moment that it was time to move on to something else. Jim suffered some cuts and pulled muscles as he tried to maneuver out of the netting with Kylie sitting on his lap, but he took it like a man.
Jim took the girls to the Peek-a-Bug ride as I held a spot in the long line for Elmo's Flying Fish ride. After they finished their bug ride, Kylie began to let us know it was getting close to lunch time by melting down as we waited in line for the next ride. We managed to survive the long line and revived our smiles as we "flew" in fun Elmo fish.
We headed to Elmo's Eatery and were lucky enough to find a table at which to scarf down some chicken fingers and pizza on super cute reusable Elmo plates. After lunch we changed into our swimwear and headed out into the heat to enjoy some of the water attractions. We started out at Ernie's Waterworks, but Kylie made it clear that she needed some water to splash around in, not to run through, so we headed for the Count's Splash Castle. It had a bunch of fun slides and water spraying EVERY which way, but for Kylie the best part was the fact that the whole thing was a giant wading pool about 6 inches deep. Kyra and daddy did one of the water slides and then mommy took a turn with Kyra.
As we waited in line for the slide, I thought about just making sure Kyra got on okay and then walking back down the stairs to the bottom. When we made it to the top, it was so crowded that I realized going on the slide myself would be the faster, easier route down. I sent Kyra down and then it was my turn. In the few seconds I sat at the top I felt awkward. I hadn't been on any water slides or roller coasters or rides that go upside down (or even faster than 5 mph) in around 4 years. Not because I don't like rides, but just because being pregnant or toting babies around hadn't really afforded me the chance to do any of that stuff in a while. Halfway down the slide I suddenly remembered just how much I enjoyed rides like this one. And it occurred to me that I had missed them. I was so elated to be going down a water slide at that moment!
After we'd had all the chlorine we could handle, we dried off and Jim and I were discussing whether or not it was time to head home. Suddenly, Kyra blurted out, "But I didn't see Big Bird yet!" So with that, we headed to Main Street and made it just in time to catch the parade and see ALL the Sesame Street gang. With the girls perched on each of our shoulders, we came within arms reach of most of our favorite muppets. Again, it was fun to watch the girls as they sat mesmerized by everything.
Finally, the parade ended, we grabbed a few frozen treats, and headed for home. It had been a very eventful day and we were all exhausted, but it was a good exhaustion. The kind that only comes from having fun and making memories with your family.
2 comments:
Cute! I didn't even know a place like this existed. The water rides makes me think of big splash. haha. Great post!
What a fun day, glad it was enjoyed by all!
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