Friday Family FUN Day!

Nick gets Friday's off now...well, in exchange for 10 hour work days Monday through Thursday. I complained about it all week because I couldn't go for my morning runs seeing as he has to leave the house at 6:15 a.m. (or 0615 for you military types). There just isn't any way I am going to get my pink body up and out the door at 5:00 a.m. (o-five-hundred hours)...nope, not gonna happen. But come Friday, I changed my tune, because Friday, we did something REALLY fun, together as a family and not getting to run all week was totally worth it! Now every Friday is going to be our Friday Family Fun Day (that's what Jay and I call it).

What did we do? Here are some hints:

• Kiddie Kowabunga!


• Viper Vortex (otherwise known as the giant toilet bowl)


• The Avalanche


• White Water Wave Pool


• Mammoth Canyon


• Pipeline Mines


• Endless River


• Double Trouble Drop Slide


• Little Splash Mountain

I wanted to bring my camera. I know I would have had some REALLY fabulous photos to share...if it had survived all the water. But something inside me just told me that bringing a $3k camera to a water park just isn't a good idea. However, the images of that day will be forever etched in my brain. Luke's sheer joy of going down the water slide all by himself and the wonder and amusement on his face when he played with the water steering wheel. I will always remember all three of my boys faces in the wave pool. But most of all I will remember the look on Jay's face during the Avalance ride!

The Avalanche is the beast of all water park rides! It is like a half pike, you know, that skateboarders ride. Riders go in a little boat, two at a time, facing each other (that is the best part). It is a straight drop down and when you quickly reach the bottom you head straight up the other side, the boat turns and another straight shot down, back and forth until you lose momentum and come to a nice stop at the bottom. The minimum height requirement is 48 inches. Jay just barely made it, thanks to his mohawk. He was scared but wanted to go anyway...I love that about him. During the ride...sheer terror and since I was sitting just opposite of him I got to see it all over his face. Oh, how I wanted my camera! He loved every second of it and after having conquered the beast his height grew to cloud nine. He is still talking about The Avalanche.

Here is what he wrote in his journal:

" Before I got on the ride I felt half asume (awesome), half sick cause it was so hi. During the ride I felt sick cause it was so LIKE A REAL AVALANCHE!!!!!!!! After the ride I felt asume cause I was so BRAVE."