Williamsburg 2014

About a year ago Eric made a deal with my sister Emily that if she lost weight he would orchestrate a trip to Busch Gardens--and she lost 40 pounds! She's looking great and on the quest to lose even more but not until cashing in on Eric's offer.

 

 

Wednesday (June 18th) we loaded Claire into the car right when she woke up and hit the road before most people were out of bed. A mere 11 hours later with no meltdowns, a Wawa pit stop, and more raisins than any small child should eat in one sitting, we arrived. After settling in, picking up some groceries, and grabbing some dinner we hit the pool to unwind. This was Eric's first swim post Claire's swim class and she wanted to show him all her tricks. It was quite the show and she loved it!

Thursday started bright and early with Happy Birthday wishes for Mary and breakfast before heading to the park. The forecast was in the high 90s with who knows what humidity so we armed ourselves with frozen water bottles and sunscreen.

 

I forgot how beautiful they keep the grounds and how fun it is here! There was so much to do and I don't know who loved it more, Claire or Emily. Mom, Dad, and Claire peeled off around 3pm to cool off and nap. The park wasn't very busy and if thunder and lighting hadn't ruined our fun we would have stayed 'til closing. As it was, we headed home, with the promise that if the weather cooperated, we would return the next day.




Escape from Pompeii

The perfect way to cool down.

Day #2 at the park was beautiful. Eric, Emily, Claire, and I made our way with very specific plans in place to hit as many rollercoasters possible in one day. Like the day before the park was empty. We didn't even really need our "Baby Swap" pass which lets the parent who waits skip the line so everyone gets to ride because the rides were so short.

The original plan was to have someone come pick Claire up for her afternoon nap but we were having too much fun and she was a trooper. She stayed with us the entire day--I'm mean, really, whose 1 year old has fun at an amusement park for 8 hours? Ours.

We rode everything we didn't get to the day before at least one. Em was the really lucky duck because she and I would ride and then she'd get in line again with Eric and go again. I think she rode several of the rides up to 4 times!

Before heading down we did a little research and read that there were several rides Claire could ride if she could walk. Training began in earnest--we'd set her up and then leave her stranded in the middle of the room or we'd make reach out to give her a hand and then move forward a little as she almost grabbed it. I don't know if it was our efforts or if she just got sick of us bugging her but it worked. She's now a walker. (We'll try to get it on video so you can see--it's darling!) That meant she got to ride way more rides than I thought she would--including a couple that I don't think we should have taken her on.

Busch Gardens is surprisingly baby-friendly. There is a lot of shade and then there are two kid zones where they have a splash-park and age-appropriate rides. It was awesome. We'll definitely be returning!
 
Saturday we bummed around Williamsburg which included the obligatory visit to the candy shop complete with a chocolate covered Twinkie. We had lunch at a little Café that was fabulous and then we hit the pool. We packed up that night so we could get on the road early and, in spite of a missed turn that took us on the dreaded George Washington Bridge (Eric must have said "I hate New York 30 times before we got through the traffic and nasty), we made it home in time for the US vs. Portugal World Cup game.

Yeah for vacations!

 

 



My little ladybug.



The cute little guy next to Claire was in the front but when Eric started strapping her in, he hopped back so "she wouldn't be scared." Too cute!

Mary and Claire in a dinosaur egg.

This is the face Eric makes when Emily puts her arm around him. Every time.

Claire l-o-v-e-d the carousel. It was her first one and she did not want to get off.
We rode it three times.
Here it looks like she is trying to figure out how it works.



She wasn't in a really smiley mood so I could rarely tell if she was having fun--until I had to unstrap her and take her off. Then you knew she didn't want to leave...

 

 

 



The face of a happy worn-out baby.
And yes, that is chocolate.

 



This is what it looked like at ground level.

This is what it looked like when you looked up.
280 feet.

Claire flying our balloon.



The ride we shouldn't have gone on..."the Battering Ram"

My face when the ride started going.

At its worst.
Please don't judge me.
To her credit, she didn't cry or scream--just got a little clingy.

Before the ride even started Emily was planning our next stop.

Sesame Street Land--Claire's favorite.

One of my favorite pictures from the trip.

Pure happiness.

Going to an amusement park with a baby you really have to ask yourself "who is having more fun?"
Here it is obviously Eric.