April - Walley World Meets Blair Witch

"Sorry folks.  Park's closed.  The moose out front should've told ya."
The absolute HIGHLIGHT of the trip that GREG PLANNED - soup to nuts - was the moment we pulled up to Story Book Land.  A beautiful spring morning.  10am sharp.
The park opens at 11.
bahhhhhahahahahahahaaaa!
If EVER there was a Clark Griswold moment.... this was it.  I laughed for days.  Who am I kidding.  It's a year later as I type this and I'm STILL cracking up.

The first ride award went to the ferris wheel.....
"I don't know about this........"
(note the map clutched firmly in hand...)

A view of the super adorable park from the top of the ferris wheel.
If you have children under 8, stop reading this and go there.  Right now.
(just make sure they're open first!!! hahahaaaaa....!!!)

I need one of these for our backyard.

As you've read many a time already (although it's been so long since you've read ANYTHING you might have forgotten.....) their all time favorite of the holiday icons happened to be hopping (umm, sitting...) nearby......

If only I had my video going for this.......... they were HOWLING with laughter.

After about 4 or 5 rides of them asking, "Can we go on this ride?"  "YES!  You can go on ANY of the rides!" that it finally clicked for Nick...
"Wait.  We're allowed to go on ANY ride?  Any ride we want?"
"YES!  These are all rides for kids."
"So none of these are just for grown ups?!?" 
"No!  You can go on any. ride. you. WANT!"
He started shaking.  Visibly shaking.  And then he started speaking in tongues.  He didn't know which way to turn... he didn't know which ride he wanted to go on next.... We actually watched his tweaked little mind and body try to go in multiple directions at once.  He was delirious with excitement and it was so endearing to see him consumed with the thrill of having the RUN of the park.
I *would* say it was the highlight of the day....  but no, Wally World still tops the list.


Being that they are semi-professionals when it comes to amusement park rides they knew just what to do when they hopped in the balloon basket - they were spinning instantly.  The other kids sat there picking their noses while their parents were shouting from the sidelines, "Look at those kids!  Grab the wheel!"
Hey, my kids might not be Nobel Prize winners but they sure as hell know how to have a stomach twisting, head spinning good time!

Speaking of NOT winning the Nobel Prize..... Here's Dopey #1....

.... and Dopey #2.

They had a perfect, pre-school sized roller coaster that the kids LOVED.  I can't remember the exact number.... but I think the final ride tally was something like 8 times....

But here's when things got REALLY exciting.
They were allowed to go on it solo!

*gulp*!

Taking a break from the roller coaster we walked to the back of the park and found the location where Blair Witch was filmed.
Those 'elves' in the woods........ the thing of nightmares.  I'll take Freddy Krueger any day over these disturbing, half-hung, Middle-Earth escapees.  And why not throw in an extra layer of creepy in that they are the backdrop to Ginger Bread Man escaping from imminent death.
This was simply............ bizarre.

On to a much more pleasurable event - a firestorm and guns!

Putting the freakshow behind us we headed back to the roller coaster where Greg & I had been banned from riding along with them.

Until he cracked his head on the turnstile on the exit ramp....

.... but that didn't stop them.
And they snagged the best seat in the house!  The last car!!!!

Then Adrienne tripped over.... nothingness.... and gave herself a nice rugburn up the side of her face.
OK kids.  We're 2 head injuries in.  Time to call it a day.