Dutch Wonderland and a Visit from the Mottas

We have done a lot of fun things this summer and I am a bit disappointed that I haven't done better with blogging.  However, my choice is generally to blog or to sleep.  Sleep has been winning.

Luke recently turned 4-months and I would like to do a dedicated blog for him, but just in case I don't get to it, here is a summary:  He is kind of a high-maintenance baby.  He really likes to be a part of things (who can blame him?).  So, he gets mad if you try and put him down to tend to other tasks.  He cries whenever he is unhappy, which is pretty often.  He also cries when he is overtired, but since he doesn't like to take naps (again, doesn't want to miss anything), this is also pretty often.  Those are the negatives, of course, there are plenty of positives: he sleeps well at night, generally going down at 8 and waking at 5:30, with one feeding in between.  He LOVES being out and about. This is why others can't believe it when I describe him as fussy. For example, when we went to Dutch Wonderland, he didn't cry once the entire day.  He was so thrilled to be outside with so much to look at.  He likes going just about anywhere and seeing new things, so he is very easy to do things with.  He is still super strong; the doctor told me I needed to hurry up and baby proof, because she suspects he'll be crawling soon.  Finally, he is absolutely adorable.  Everywhere we go, someone comments on how cute he is, particularly when he throws them that toothless grin. That concludes the Luke summary, more about our favorite baby another day (I hope!).  

So, summer fun.  What have we done?  Besides regular day stuff, like trips to the pool and library, the two biggest adventures have been our overnight mini-vacation to Dutch Wonderland and the super-fun visit from my sister's family, the Mottas.

This year marked our third annual trip to Dutch Wonderland.  It has not lost any of its appeal.  The kids are still firmly in the age group that can appreciate the "Kingdom for Kids." We drove up on a Friday morning, went to some Lancaster outlets, swam in the hotel pool and then went to the park for the evening preview. When you buy a ticket, you can get in for 3-hours the day before to "preview" the park.  We love this, because it is generally very empty and we can accomplish a lot in those 3 hours.  Like, pretty much every ride.  As is typical, the kids (except Luke, whose bed is transportable) did not sleep well in the hotel.  I am guessing that Jack and Anna got less than 5 hours sleep.  Fortunately, Kara did a bit better.  Thomas and I feared the worst, but they all did really well on Saturday.  In the morning, we took them one at a time to the hotel lobby for breakfast (more because that was how they woke up, then for any particular strategic reason).  Then, we went back to Dutch Wonderland and let everyone choose their favorite rides again. Jack's must-do was the large roller coaster.  I had gone on with him the day before, so Thomas did the honors, while the girls went on the large slide.  Anna chose the "Superman" ride as her favorite.  You lay down and they close this cage-like thing over you and you fly around in a circle.  Kara's favorite is a mini-whip (she calls it the bumper cars). This has been her favorite ride 3-years running!  We did all the favorites a couple of times, and several others and decided to call it a day.  The drive home was relatively uneventful, although Luke was not as content in the car as he had been the day before (two 3-hour drives in two days is a lot to ask!).  

The "Bumper Cars"

A new addition this year

Kara was the only one who was still small enough to enjoy this "ride"

Luke's first ride!!!  A boat ride in the back of the park.  He was thoroughly thrilled.

"Superman"  Yes, it's true--we have no idea on the real names for any of the rides.

I didn't get a shot of him on the roller coaster, so this one on the slide will have to suffice.

The next big thing to happen this summer was a visit from my sister and her family.  We hadn't seen them in over a year, so everyone was very excited.  They arrived late on a Saturday night, so we took it easy on Sunday.  Monday, we went out Geocaching.  The kids loved finding "treasure".  I am not sure I am ready to take on the hobby, but it was pretty fun.  If you aren't familiar with it (I wasn't), people hide boxes or papers someplace and then put the coordinates and clues on a website or app.  Then, you get to find it.  If it is a box, many will contain toys and the kids can exchange one of their small items for one in the box.  The parents fill out a paper log that is kept with the box, and mark it off online as well.  We only did easy boxes that had toys to exchange, but from my (limited) understanding there are some that are much more challenging to find.  

Tuesday, we went to St. Mary's City.  It was fantastic!  We have been there a few times and really enjoy it, so it was fun to share the experience with our extended family.  The kids always love going on the Dove (replica ship). And this time, we went down to the tobacco plantation of Godiah Spray.  Unlike the other living history characters, the people on that plantation stay in character.  So, we met Master Spray and two of his servants and got to ask lots of question.  We also saw a musket firing demonstration, which was thrilling for Jack. Thomas and I went out to dinner Tuesday night to celebrate our birthdays while Kim and Dave watched the kids.  It was nice to leave the kids with them and not worry about a thing.  Even though I completely trust our babysitter, family is just different. 

With their cousins on the Dove

Wednesday, we went to the pool at Solomon's Rec Center.  Jack wasn't quite able to pass their swim test, so he couldn't do the diving board, but was able to use one of their slides.  Luke enjoyed being carted around in the pool and the girls loved swimming with JD and Amanda.  I know that JD said this was his favorite day of their visit and my kids would probably agree.  After the pool, we went to Rita's.  It was a fun-filled day!

Luke loves being in a pool (no sarcasm here, he really, really loves being in the water)

Thursday, the Mottas went Geocaching in Virginia.  They wanted to check another state off their list. My kids were a bit bummed that we didn't go along, but I didn't want to make the longish drive with Luke without Thomas.  I appeased them by letting them paint on some canvases I got on sale at Michael's.  The girls took the process very seriously and spent over an hour planning and painting,  Jack was done in about 15 minutes.

Friday was our DC day.  We left the house around 9:30 and went to the metro station.  We first visited the Archives and then headed to the Capitol building for our scheduled tour.  It was very crowded, so it was a bit difficult to hear our guide, even with the headphones they gave us, but it was still amazing to see inside the dome.  We saw the spot where a young Abraham Lincoln's desk sat and got to experience the eavesdropping effect.  If you haven't been--go.  One highlight for Thomas was that the Rotunda contains 6 original Trumbull paintings.  Thomas has one of the pictures as the backdrop on his work computer and was thrilled to see the real thing in person (I had never heard of Trumbull, although the paintings were familiar and impressive).  From there, we had lunch in the cafe and then went to the Library of Congress.  Visiting the library had been on my to-do list for some time, so I was very excited to go.  The kids were good, but getting tired.  At this point, we separated from the others and made our way back to the metro.  At the end of the day, according to my Fitbit, we had walked over 6 miles.  I was really proud of the kids for their good attitudes and stamina.  We got home right around dinner time and picked up some Chinese take-out.  The Mottas arrived a couple of hours later and began the long process of packing their truck for the journey home.

Racing up the steps at the Archives to join Thomas in a picture.  The day was young and everyone was bursting with energy.

Look how fascinated they are.  I think the only time any of mine perked up was when our guide mentioned a painting that contained Pocahontas.

Thomas and the kids in front of the "Surrender at Yorktown", his work computer's background.

The final shot of the kids and their Motta cousins.  Once again, I do not have a single picture of the adults.  A picture of me with my sister would have been nice.  Next trip I suppose.

Thomas took this awesome shot of the reading room.

They left early Saturday morning and it was a sad day in our house.  We had really enjoyed their visit and weren't ready for them to go!