Fun Weekend

On Saturday, I convinced Matt to take the kids and I for an early special treat for Riley's birthday.

Ever since Trevor and Linda visited in March, we've had season passes that haven't gotten too much use. The girls and I used ours when my parents were in Dallas to go to the Six Flags there, but Matt and I had never taken the kids just on our own. Mostly this was because Matt was dreading handling all four kids on our own, especially when it was SUPER HOT.

However the kids LOVE going, so I thought that a visit would make a nice birthday surprise for Riley. But looking at the schedule, they were going to be closed the weekend before her birthday and then after her birthday, they have something called "Fright Fest" which is a Halloween themed party where they turn the park into a "spooky" experience. That didn't sound like it would go over really well with my preschool set. I asked Riley if she minded doing her birthday surprise early, which of course she didn't, so we were able to make the trip.

We packed a lunch and made sure to head out to be there around the time the park opened for the day.

And I'm so glad we did because it turned out to be a wonderful day! Even Matt said he had a good time and he was glad that we went.

First off, the park wasn't crowded at all. We were able to either walk-on to most rides or waited maybe 5 minutes at most. Which worked out wonderfully, even though I know the girls are capable of waiting much longer if they need to. And thanks to something called "Rider swap", Matt and I were each able to ride the BIG rollercoasters while one of us waited with the kids and then swapping out so the other person could ride.

Secondly, the weather was PERFECT! It was overcast most of the day and the temperatures peaked around 90 degrees. There were several times that the major rides were temporarily shut down because there was lighting or high winds detected in the area, however there was never more than a slight sprinkle one or two times. And since those big attractions kept getting shut down, even MORE people chose to leave the park. So even though it was still very warm, it was totally manageable.

And finally the last thing to make it a great trip: Emmaline was brave enough to go on LOTS of rides this time! This is a BIG deal as she previously wouldn't ride ANYTHING. Even the last trip we made with my parents she refused to ride even the carousel on any horse, opting for the bench instead. She seemed to overcome all her reservations though and had fun riding everything she was able to ride. Unfortunately, because she is such a peanut, that wasn't too many rides!

All the kiddos seemed to have a wonderful day. Of course we were all very tired by the time we got home, but I think it was worth it.