Roaring Springs

After swimming lessons on Wednesday we took the kids to Roaring Springs Water Park for the day. Brad took the day off and even though it was closed the day before for thunder and lightening storms, it was clear and beautiful the day we went. We met Brad's sister Emily and her husband Tate there. They were nice enough to watch the kids for a little so we could go on some bigger rides together.
Johnny's favorite ride? The newest kiddie ride they just put in, "Kiddie Kowabunga". It's striped green and purple so as soon as he got to the bottom he would start chanting "green and purple ride again?!" and then he would chant it all the way back up to the top. Brad and I took turns taking Alex on some rides and the whole time Johnny would ride the little tube ride. He got to know the lifeguards at the top of the ride very well and they learned that he needs to sit in the tube backwards because he's just too short to reach the handles when it's facing forwards and that he likes to be spun around as he's pushed down the slide. I think he rode that ride at least 2 dozen times. It was hilarious.

Alex's favorite ride? Racing Ridge. It has been her favorite for the past 3 years since she was tall enough to ride some of the bigger rides. She's perfected being able to glide to the end of the ride further than anyone else. We went on the lazy river a few times and she never wanted to use a floaty, she swam around the whole time and the rest of us had to race to keep up with her. We were wearing them out pretty fast (or was it the other way around?) but she had renewed energy when her friend Alayna showed up and they got to go on a few rides together.
This is the first year we've brought Johnny with us. Before we've always left him with a babysitter. He's old enough now that he asks to go there every time we drive by it and since he's not napping in the afternoon I knew we'd be able to stay as long as we wanted. We took the kids a couple of times on the "Pipeline Mines" which has double tubes so the kids can sit in front and takes you through a blackout tube. Johnny's adrenaline was pumping when we got down it the first time and even though he didn't like the waterfalls you have to pass through he liked it enough to go on it twice.

Good times, right now it's a once a year tradition but as soon as Johnny is 42 inches tall (which unfortunately I think that'll take a couple of years) we'll invest in season passes and go all the time in the summer.