Lagoon

We went to Lagoon on Tuesday. I won some passes back in June, but we couldn’t really go that day, so we decided on a week day (we’ve heard that Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the least crowded). We got there about 10:50, and rides opened at 11:00. Oh, the fun to be had at Lagoon. It’s no Disneyland, that’s for sure, but it really is fun. They’ve got a lot more kiddie rides now, than they used to when we were kids. Do you remember Bulgie the Whale? He’s still there. That was seriously my favorite ride!
That explains alot about the thrill seeker I’ve grown into, I guess. I also loved these little boats, and I love seeing my kids ride them. It will be a sad sad day when they are too tall to ride any of these cute little rides. Megan is just at the point where she can barely just fit on the kiddie rides, yet still ride all the big kid rides.

John had a great time, although he was deeply offended every time we told him he wasn’t big enough to ride a certain ride. Jenna and Mommy rode “the Bat” for the first time, and it was fun and not scary. Then we saw the flying aces. What fun! That used to be one of my favorite rides! So, we all got on (even John got to go), and went round and round. What was I thinking? Round and Round rides are the worst! I closed my eyes about 1/2 way through hoping to avoid the inevitable motion sickness that I knew was coming. What a wimp! When the long long yucky ride was finally over, Jenna wondered why our plane didn’t go sailing up and down like all the others, and I wondered if I was going to be able to climb out and walk over to the nearest bench without throwing up. Ugh. What has happened to me that I can’t even ride the dumb flying aces? I sat there in a sickened stupor with Jenna and John while the brave and stupid ones went on the Rocket (both blast-off and re-entry), then we slowly made our way to something mellow–the skyride.

Cole and Megan just Had to go on Colossus, and while they did, Jenna started on the “I want to win a stuffed animal” whine. Well, I thought, we didn’t have to pay to get in, I guess we can waste a couple of bucks on a game. We chose the “throw the ring onto the bottle” game. I asked for 12 rings, which was $2. I gave the girl a $20. She had to go to several other carnies around to get change. We were not doing so well. John was chucking rings and they weren’t even getting to the bottle part. If I reached WAY over and my feet came up off the ground, I could retrieve his rings so he could throw them again (what? It’s not like he’s going to win anything). The guy running the other half of the booth came over and casually picked up a ring and put it on the bottle. “Did you just win one for us?” I asked him. He said that if she gave us a prize (a huge stuffed dino), then so be it. But when she came back she gave me back my $20 and said she couldn’t find anyone with change, so I couldn’t really make a big deal about the supposed prize that we hadn’t really won. But at least the kids got to play a game without really paying.

We had a great time, enjoyed Rattlesnake Rapids 3 times in a row in the heat of the day and then were thouroughly soaked for the rest of the evening. I think everybody got to ride every ride they wanted–with the exception of Dracula’s Castle and the Terror Ride. I know they are hokey, but I wanted to ride them. We just ran out of time, so we didn’t get to do it. It’s probably just as well, as certain little people would have thrown a fit and said how scared they were if we had made her (I mean them) got on it. We stayed until 10:00, when the park closed. A fun time was had by all.

*****

As an aside, lest you think that my life is all fun and roses, we had a “lovely” experience in the car today. I took the kids up to my parents’ house to put up a banner to welcome them home from their mission. Bicker, bicker, argue, complain in the car. Many instances of Paige turning around (well, reaching) to try to break up fights or tell those kids to BE QUIET! Finaly, I’d had it. John kept screaming. Jenna was teasing, then yelling when John would hit her. I said. I’m throwing this water on you if you keep on screaming, John. Well, more screaming, so I flicked the water bottle over my shoulder, getting John all wet. The screams turned to cries, as he was absolutely offended that I would get him wet. Even that wasn’t enough. I did it one more time before we got home, and then he got a 2 minute time out (in his car seat alone in the car) when we got home. How in the world do you keep your kids from screaming in the car? I can’t stand it!