Since George was about Jude's age he and his family have been visiting Busch Gardens every summer. I went with his family when we were in High School and I don't think one summer has gone by since we were married that we haven't gone at least once.
So, when Dad's Birthday rolled around in April and Nate was in town for a weekend, we all met at Busch Gardens to celebrate. Amy came too!
The most exciting thing for the kids is seeing which new rides they can do. Lance finally finally made it--he could ride everything!! Jude had been talking all winter about riding the big rollercoasters and was a bit disappointed that he still has a couple inches to go before he's tall enough, but his disappointment was short-lived. There is definitely enough fun for kids of any size to keep them happy and going the whole day.
Cole was finally tall enough to ride on the kiddie coaster in Elmo's World. He was a bit nervous getting on, but loved it!
Lance was off already riding the big rides with Nate, Allen and Amy. I have very few pictures of him because most of the time he and Amy were running around together. It was probably a dream come true for him because he didn't have to ride any of the "baby" rides.
Lily enjoyed some one-on-one Grandmom time.
Cole really wanted to ride the train. If we came and only rode the train, he would happy. Elmo's World is right next to a railroad crossing so he got to watch the trains go past while we were in line for a ride.
This little peanut was just happy to be there with everyone. She hates sitting in her stroller and preferred to be walking or carried.
Lance and Amy ran off to do Apollos Chariot while the rest of us did the smaller rides for the kids.
Teacups!
Oop... Daddy wasn't ready.
There we go!
These boys had a blast with Allen.
Lily wasn't too sure what to think about the spinning cup, but I think she enjoyed it.
Yes! We got to ride the train!
Most of our group:
Grandmom is so much fun to have at Busch Gardens. The kids are always in heaven because she gets them toys and snacks all day long.
This bubble blower was a hit, although the people eating around us weren't too enthusiastic about bubbles in their BBQ. Sorry about that.
George, Nate, Allen, Amy, me AND Lance all got to ride Griffon while Mom and Dad watched the kids. This was Lance's first time and he was thrilled! I got to sit next to him and loved hearing him laugh and yell the whole way.
We went to ride Alpengeist next and I made sure to get a picture. Only thing is, we didn't actually ride it. The day we went there were tons of middle school and high school bands and choir groups so many of the big rides had unusually long lines and when Lance saw he would have to wait for more than an hour, he decided to ride it next time.
I remember Alpengeist being my favorite ride in High School, probably because it was George's favorite. It was my first hanging coaster and when it was new it was smooth as silk. Now, about 12 years later, it's as bumpy as anything. Too bad, really, because it's super fun.
Lance ran off to ride the cool rides with Aunt Amy--lucky duck--so George and I took the three younger kids to the Dragon playland area. They have a little place with water and even though it was only about 75 degrees, the kids had to get completely soaked.
A rare Cole sighting...
After going down the slides for 20 minutes, Cole came down to enjoy the water too. He'd wait under the little buckets, watching them until they splashed down.
Lucky for the kids, I packed all dry outfits for them, so after a change we went over to the Merry Go Round next door.
Cole was actually happy to be riding the blue horse, the one he really really wanted, but he had fallen right before.
Lily wasn't too sure what to do and started the ride rather hesitantly.
Jude was his normal, excited self. :)
By the end, Lily was all smiles and sad to get off.
We grabbed some snacks and waited with Grandmom and Pop Pop while George, Nate and Allen went on the Mach Tower. I've never done this ride and never will. I hate the falling feeling.
Waiting.
The kids had a good time running in and out of the empty stiles next to the ride.
Every time the ride went up, Lily would wave and say, "bye bye!"
About to take off:
Touch down!
Lance and Amy rejoined us and Lance insisted he would be able to win a prize at the arcade if I gave him $5. No amount of talking would convince him that the games were rigged and that no one ever won the big prizes. Undeterred, he sat at this game for the 15 minutes, trying his luck. He got close several times and I ended up giving him a few more dollars, but in the end he walked away empty handed.
Waiting to ride the train one more time...
While Pop Pop and Allen rode the trains all the way around the park, George and Jude set off for Roman Rapids (evidence of George's great love for Jude--it was cold at this point!) and Amy, Lance and I set off for Apollo's Chariot.
After the rides, we met up with everyone on Main Street where we said good-bye to the Glasses. We did some candy shopping with the kids and the hopped in the car. George was amazing and drove all the way home while the rest of us slept.
It was so fun to be there with George's family and Amy! I love that Busch Gardens is only two hours from us. We'll definitely be going back this summer!
