One on One at Six Flags

Thomas and I have been making more of an effort to spend alone time with each of our children. We rotate through the kids and let them choose an activity. We have done movies and ice cream and restaurants. Thomas was off from work on Friday and I wanted to go to Six Flags. However, it was the kids' last day of camp and Jack really did not want to miss. So, it was determined that I would take the girls and Thomas would stay home with the boys. On Friday morning, Kara got upset that she couldn't find her swimsuit of choice and decided to stay home. I was feeling frustrated and ready to cancel the whole outing. However, Anna REALLY wanted to go. We decided we would count it as her next special outing and go with just the two of us.

We dropped Jack off at camp and left Thomas, Luke and Kara at home. After some issues getting gas, thanks to a giant dump trunk hogging the Shell parking lot, and a return trip home thanks to me forgetting my phone, we were off. I was still feeling kind of cranky, particularly after the additional difficulties, but we pressed on. And, we had a great time! We rode all the big water rides repeatedly. Anna was brave and tried Tornado, and she loved it! So, I decided to be brave and try Halfpipe, which I enjoyed. We rode my favorite ride, Bahama Blast 4 times, Tornado 5 times, Halfpipe 4 (well, twice for me), Shark Attack 3 times and Zoomba Falls 3 times. No little kid pools or attractions for us! We had a pleasant lunch and went into the wave pool, but it was cold! The weather was a little chillier than previous visits, which was nice because our feet didn't burn on the pavement and it wasn't super crowded.

I didn't have my camera this visit, but here's Jack on the Halfpike a couple of weeks ago.

Stock photo of the tornado.

After the water park, we had some Rita's ice and decided to do a few rides in the regular park. I wanted to leave by 4 so that Thomas could take Kara out to dinner for her special outing. Normally, we wouldn't do two on the same day, but the original plan was for Thomas and Kara to go to lunch on Friday, then I introduced the idea of Six Flags and then Kara didn't even go, so I felt bad that she was missing out on what should have been her special day, even though it was self-inflicted on her part.

I left my phone in the car while we were at the water park, so not a lot of pictures.

We rode about 4 rides and headed home. On our drive home, I turned off the radio and asked Anna what she wanted to talk about. She voiced some concerns about going into third-grade and we had a really good conversation. The entire day was fantastic. She was truly delightful. At one point she said to me, "mom, we've done what I want to do, what would you like to do?" She spoke kindly all day and was flexible and agreeable. I absolutely loved spending the day with her.  That is the best thing about these one-on-ones, we get to focus on just one child and it brings out the best in everyone. I can definitely see the benefit to having an only child (of course, I can also see the drawbacks and I am happy with 4)!

We got home and Thomas and Kara were all dressed up. Thomas had mentioned that they might have to wait for a table because, "lots of people like to get dressed up and go out on Friday night." So, Kara said they should get dressed up too. Thomas put his suit on and Kara picked out a dress. A little fancy for Olive Garden, but they were happy! Thomas said Kara's pearls got her a lot of attention. They had a great time.

Aren't they adorable?