Six Flags

Since my daughter insists on making stupid faces when I try to take pics of her, I insist on sharing them.

Yesterday was a fun family day for us at Six Flags. M, L, H & I went first thing in the morning, and Dej & Jake (her best friend and my other sort-of-child) met us there a few hours later, as they couldn't deal with leaving town so early (8:30 am). We lucked out with pretty good weather. It was a little on the hot side, but close enough to perfect that we can't complain.

When L had her 10th birthday in Jan., she had the option of having a party then (only because 10 was a 'special' birthday), having a party in the summer, or taking a friend of her choice to Six Flags Great America. She originally chose the party in the summer, but then changed her mind to Six Flags. Once Dej arrived, L forgot about the rest of us. She only has eyes for her big sister!

The four of us started out strong. I was a little worried about how H would fare, because there was A LOT of walking in the heat, and he's never ridden on anything remotely roller coaster like. We started out with the Viper, which I thought would be a good idea because it's kind of a wussy little coaster. I forgot that it was the wooden one. UGH! Nothing crappier than a wooden roller coaster and big breasts--not a good combination. I will never ride a wooden coaster again. Then we hit Raging Bull--another coaster. H LOVED it, while L closed her eyes and did not love it. I knew then that I finally had the roller coaster buddy of my dreams!

We then cooled off with a couple of water rides. Then dried off with a couple of the big coasters. We waited extra long so we could get the front car on Batman (still one of my faves, and L's fave; H's faves were Raging Bull & Batman, and Dej's fave is Raging Bull) and were surprised when the attendent offered to take a photo of us. The kids loved Batman, and that was M's last ride (other than the White Water Rapids) for the day. He doesn't have much tolerance for the rides. :(

M caught a few shots of us on Superman. L wasn't up for trying this one, so she kept Daddy company.

Dej & Jake joined us and we continued doing several big roller coasters rotated with water rides to keep cool. H was game to ride anything in the park. We didn't make it to the Giant Drop, though. We brought a cooler with food, so ran out to the the car for a mid-day meal. They weren't running any shows this week (and some of the rides and shops were closed), so we got to focus almost exclusively on the rides (which is the only part I like).

Unfortunately for us, we didn't know until we arrived at the park that this was the first week they were on reduced operating hours, so they closed at 7, rather than the 10 we were expecting. Dej & Jake pooped out at 6, and left a little early. They needed to take a nap--babies. ;) We stayed til 7.

M & I are a little sore today, and I have blisters all over the bottoms of my feet, but it was worth it. It was a good day--we had our family together (plus our quasi-family), there was minimal drama/stress, and a fun day overall!

<-- This was my favorite shot of the day.

Today we had our family pictures scheduled. In retrospect, it probably wasn't the greatest idea to schedule them the day after we spent the day outside at an amusement park. I slathered sun screen on all of us, but I still ended up pink. I smeared a bunch of tea tree oil ointment on my face before bed, and hoped it would look better in the morning. It did. Dej and I both struggled with 'fro hair, as a result of the excessive heat and humidity. I have no idea how they turned out, so I'm anxious to see them! I hope they are good, because I don't see going through this again for at least another decade! L was determined to give a sickly, fake smile instead of her normal gorgeous one (that can light up a room!), and she was a little grouchy today, so I'm just waiting and hoping for at least one decent one.