Dutch Wonderland

Today we took the kids to Dutch Wonderland, a local amusement park for the younger set. Last summer we had season passes and it was so nice to go more often for shorter visits. This year we had to shell out for one-day tickets and make the most of it. The kids did very well - we were there from open to close with a short rest/dinner break in the middle. We did all the "essential" rides, saw the Thomas and frog diving shows, and also spent some time in the water play area. I realized that there are quite a few rides at DW that none of us have ever been on - some of the ones geared to slightly older kids. We tried to get the kids to try the smaller roller coaster (tiny!) but they wouldn't do it.

As we were walking out at closing time, the Princess, Knight, and Duke the Dragon were there to say goodnight. The kids gave the Princess a quick hug, and then went to hug Duke, who was suddenly called to "bed". As Duke walked off to a fenced area just before Ben got to hug him, Ben started crying (perhaps a little loud, but it was 8:30.) Duke noticed, and you could almost see a bit of concern through his big purple costume, and he came back out for a quick hug from Ben. Ben told his dad that he would really miss Duke when we go back to England.

We've been having a great time here overall. We've seen a lot of friends, went to the pool, Susanna had her first sleepover with a friend, I got a night out with a few girlfriends, and we've had quite a lot of watermelon and corn. Now we're down to less than a week and it will be busy. We are going back to my parents' house for a night, we have a few restaurants we want to hit (most for a second or third time), and I still need to do some shopping, and then figure out how to get everything back home with me. If only I could find room for a washing machine in my suitcase...