Dutch Wonderland

 

After such a fun inaugural visit to Dutch Wonderland last year, we knew that it was a "must" on our list of activities during our week at Mimi's house this summer.  It's a perfect amusement park for young children, and there were rides for everyone.  Here are the highlights from our 2014 day at the park: 

Mommy's crazy drivers!

 

Leah rode some kiddie rides while Luke and I went on the bumper cars and a "real roller coaster".  Our little peanut looked right at home on the construction vehicles: 

 

 

Still his favorite ride!

There was also a smaller roller coaster that Leah could also ride, and we bravely rode it with "no hands"!:

Leah loves the carousel and somehow Mimi outsmarted me and chose this one to ride, while I was stuck on the pirate ship with Luke.  Afterwards he exclaimed, "I lost my stomach on that one!", and I was too green to respond...

Both kids rode solo on several of the rides, and had expressions of pure joy: 

 

Our vehicle-loving man also enjoyed watching the remote-controlled cars and boats while Leah fed the ducks:

This ride may have been my favorite one to watch.  The Frog Hopper bounced up and down, and L&L giggled each time with delight:

We had an awesome, fun-filled day at Dutch Wonderland, rode tons of rides, and watched an aquatics diving show.  What a great summer tradition!    

 

Week in PA

 

We had a great time in Pennsylvania last week with Mimi and Grandpa while Daddy and Winnie held down the fort in NC.  We did fun touristy activities each day, and one of our outings was to visit City Island.  The kids enjoyed looking through the binoculars at Harrisburg's skyline while we waited to ride an old fashioned paddleboat, The Pride of the Susquehanna:    

It was a beautiful day for our riverboat cruise, and these kiddos were intrigued by the giant water-filled paddles spinning at the boat's stern: 

 

Leah discovered the wheel at the bow and assumed the role of Captain, which entertained us all:

Captain Leah and her First Mate, Luke.

We also couldn't resist the opportunity to go miniature golfing while on City Island, and the kids flew through the course, pausing only for a brief swing ride with our resident golf pro, Grandpa: 

 

 As always, we visited Hershey Chocolate World during our PA visit, and had tasty milkshakes after the tour:

Riding the Chocolate World ride.

 

Being around all of that chocolate must have made us hungry, so Leah and Mimi made us yummy brownies for dessert: 

 

We also visited Grandpa's pool, and the water slides were a big hit.  L&L must have gone down these dozens of times:

 

I'm saving our day at the amusement park for the next blog post, but as you can see, we had a great week in PA, and packed in lots of fun! 

Dinosaur Land

 

The kids and I took a road trip to Pennsylvania this week, and one of our stops along the way was Dinosaur Land in central Virginia.  Dinosaurs are a VERY big deal in our house, and this roadside attraction has been on our to-do list for awhile.  Dinosaur Land is an educational, prehistoric forest which features over 50 different dinosaur species.  I wasn't sure how kitschy Dinosaur Land would be, but it turned out to be very well done, with informational signs and life size replicas spread out over a large area.  It was a perfect place to stretch and get our wiggles out, and much more exciting for our little dinosaur lovers than a plain ol' rest area!  Here are some pictures of our favorite displays:

 

T-Rex being attacked.  They loved this one!

This one was titled "Epic Battle".  These kiddos were completely unfazed by the gory blood and fighting, and actually exclaimed, "AWESOME!":

   

 

Stretching like the brachiosaurus. 

"Scary Dinosaur Faces". 

Hanging with a friendly herbivore.

 

 I think I have discovered the secret to having my children smile for the camera:  Just pose them beside dinosaurs.  I couldn't take photos fast enough with all the requests of "Mommy, take my picture with this one.... and this one..."

 

 

This one makes me laugh.  Sweet, girly Leah is practically hugging this dino, showing off her sweetest smile:

 

 

Can you tell that someone has a big brother, and that dinosaurs have been a big part of her early childhood?

I think they are holding hands here?!

 

In typical Luke fashion, our curious man read every sign, comparing sizes, prehistoric eras, and facts about each species.  He spent much of the remaining car ride quizzing Leah and me about these details: 

Stegosaurus:  Mommy's favorite!

 

This little boy has loved dinosaurs for a long time!

 

Baby triceratops.

Dinosaur Land proved to be a big hit, and a perfect stop for us on our way to our week of fun in PA!

 

Golfing with Daddy

 

Last Saturday, we celebrated Mark's birthday a few days early by treating him to a day of "Surprises for Daddy".  After a special breakfast and birthday cards, we headed to the golf course for a morning of family golf.  The kids were so excited to play, and couldn't wait for their special outing with Daddy:

Luckily, we were the only ones on the course, which meant that we could golf at our own pace, run around to burn off energy, and take our time perfecting our swings:

Luke has been watching a golf video that Grandpa gave him, and we overheard him giving pointers to Leah: "Lee Lee, there are FIVE parts to each golf swing" and muttering phrases to himself:

 

One funny note:  The ball cleaner at each hole was strangely fascinating to L&L.  Both kids cleaned their balls repeatedly, and this was the highlight of each tee box:  "LOOK, ANOTHER ball cleaner!" 

 

We had a fun time on the golf course, and continued our celebration with an afternoon at the pool and special treats for Daddy.  Happy Birthday to our #1 guy!