3.26.2009

CRAZY -- Day 4

We made it.


CRAZY is officially over, and Steph and I are both still breathing. I do have a few more gray hairs, though...I noticed those when I was getting ready...

At 7:30 this morning.

Again....this little munchkin didn't get the memo on the whole sleepin' in thing. Good thing he's cute, or he might possibly have been chunked across the bedroom this morning.



So we were up. We fed the kids cold pizza and waffles for breakfast, cleaned up the condo (well...if you can call cleaning shoving the cookie crumbs up under the table so they weren't quite as noticeable), loaded the van, and headed out.

Our one and only stop today....Silver Dollar City.


I love this place. It brings back all kinds of crazy good memories of going as a kid with my grandparents and parents. Overpriced funnel cakes. People dressed like Ma, Pa, and Mrs. Olson on Little House on the Prairie. Little stores which make the phrase "bull in a china shop" make total sense when my fellas just breathe on the threshold. Rides which leave you dizzy, wet, and giddy....mostly because they all involve references to hillbillies and moonshine. Nothin' but good clean family fun.



Apparently Steph and I have the same tolerance for rides that spin. Nauseous is not really a color that becomes me. But, because she is a better mom than me, she sucked it up and took one for the team. And they rode this. Uh...that thing spins...and swings.

I want to throw up just looking at it. And look at Sawyer...


...I was really afraid he was going to blow chunks on the poor little girl with the pigtails in front of him.

On to a roller coaster....fun size.

Tate wouldn't ride it. And he proceeded to inform me that he wasn't riding anything the whole day. I pinned myself with another Mother of the Year Award right after I threatened him within an inch of his life if he didn't ride any rides. Yah. Yah. I know. Excellent parenting. But I didn't spend $40 on a ticket for him to play with the sticks in the flower beds. You would have done the same thing....admit it.

But he rode a ride. And decided that he liked it. Like I knew he would.

So we rode pirate ships that made me want to throw up....because they were deceptively non-nauseous looking when I was still in the line.

We rode through the Flooded Mine....and shot bad guys with guns. Now that is just great boy fun!

We rode the train that runs through the park, and we got held up by a couple of bandits.



We ate food that must have been made out of gold because I almost had to sell Tate out in front of the restaurant to pay for it. It was yummy though.

We floated down the Lost River and got S.O.A.K.E.D. (Note...when it is 50 degrees outside...don't ride water rides.)


(Don't let Keaton's sour look deceive you. He's having fun. He's just going through that "I'm to good for your stupid camera, Mom" phase....and we don't even say "stupid" at our house.)

The line for the Lost River was also where we encountered the overly friendly gentleman with his family. He offered to keep our kids with him, as well as our bag....ahem....no, thank you, scary weird man. He did take this picture of all 7 of us though....his only redeeming quality.


Next, we moved on to my favorite....FIRE IN THE HOLE! If you've been, then you are yelling it with me right now! I heart this ride. Tate....not so much.

No pictures...too busy trying to unhand the death grip that Tate had on my arms throughout the ride. Keaton, though, rode the ride with a very nice lady from "Min-nah-sew-duh"...proving that not only are Northeners nice...they have AWESOME accents.

Then we moved on to the American Plunge. I kept the 2 little kids with me, along with a red head who suddenly became a big chicken, and wouldn't ride it. Bah-hum-bug. Steph took another one for the team and took Keaton and Logan on it. They added S.O.A.K.E.D. to soaked.



I kissed my red head on his nose....because being half-way dry was not seemin' quite so bad.

The kids were freezing, there were rain clouds looming, and we needed to wrap up CRAZY. So, we forced the kids to pose for a couple of very strained pictures, made a pit stop at the funnel cake stand (oh, yah, baby!) and the bakery, and were outta there.


Back in the warm van. Wet blue jeans and all.

But we were happy. And smiley. And full of funnel cake.

Silver Dollar City was an EXCELLENT end to a sometimes manic, all the time fun, and fabulously marvelous CRAZY!
Now I need a vacation from my vacation...

11 comments:

Stephanie @ My Answered Prayer said...

Can't believe you've already had time to blog. We're here....kids slept on the way so i'll be up all night. I'm so ready to CRASH!!!!

HAD A WONDERFUL TIME!

Mich said...

Fire in the Hole! I love that ride! Now I am totally jealous!

So glad you had a great time! Have a safe trip home! Love ya!

Unknown said...

I love Silver Dollar City...we go about every other year...we're due! I can't believe you guys rode the water rides...wow...mother of the year for sure!! LOL

By the way...I'm in Arkansas and wondered how close we might be?!

The Bowden's said...

Sounds like you do need a vacation! :) Love, love, love Silver Dollar City!

Carpool Queen said...

You had me at funnel cake. And really, at nausea, too. After I got off the Spinning Teacup at Disney, I swore on all that was holy that I'd never set foot on a spinny ride again. My whirly days are OVER.

buscher3 said...

My goodness. I can't believe Stephanie rode the log ride. 50's and being wet just don't seem all that pleasant. In fact, 90's and being soaked while walking in squeaky shoes and socks just don't seem like too much fun anymore, though I never minded it as a kid.

And what is it with you and creepy guys?? ;-)

Glad you guys are all in one piece. If I don't see a post in a few days, I'll know you're hibernating.

Terry Lewallen said...

Amber-
Congrats on surviving CRAZY! Sure looks like you guys had a good time. I'm impressed that you even had it in you to head out alone with three boys on the road. Me? I can't even do the grocery store alone with my two boys....haven't got the skills to push two buggies at once.
Hope you get some rest now!

It's a wonderful life said...

I love fire in the hole but I will not ride it any more after I was told that a man got his head decapitated, that ruined me!!
I love Silver Dollar City in the summer and Christmas time!!
Glad you had fun and survived!!

Melissa Stover said...

you are mother of the year! i never ride all the rides. they had to force me on fire in the hole last time we were there and i had my eyes shut the whole time (even though it's dark already).

i clicked on your butterfly palace link. that looks so neat. we'll have to try it next time.

mer@lifeat7000feet said...

FIRE IN THE HOLE!

Ya'll are brave, but FUN moms. And your children are precious. All of them.

Lori said...

Oh my goodness! It sounds like you guys had a fabulous trip!!!