2nd Annual Hines\Lee Storyland Adventure

Saturday morning (now over a week ago) we continued our NH trip by spending the day at Storyland! We got up, had a quick bite and hit the road. Thanks to hurricane Irene and roads being washed out, we would have to take a detour to that side of the white mountains forest. In the end, it was a nice drive....only about 15-20 minutes longer than usual and very scenic. All the kiddos had short naps on the way there so we were hoping they would be energized to get through the rest of the day without their usual naps.

The weather was sunny and cool...absolutely perfect for a day outside. We arrived about 45 minutes after the park opened and left just before closing. It was a long day but the kids (and parents) had a lot of fun. I have lots of pictures of random rides. Here they are.

Antique Cars - Dylan had no interest in driving so I took the wheel.

Log Ride - They didn't allow preggos on.

The ""Big" Drop (Remember, this place is geared towards very young kids.)

The Ball Funhouse
This was definitely a family favorite.
The boys loved it and everyone, parents included, participated in a foam ball fight .

The Lee Family in a "Hot Air Balloon"

Dylan's First Roller Coaster!
(He and Mike are seated in the 2nd row from the back.
This was another ride I wasn't allowed to enjoy.)

The Cuckoo Clockenspiel
(Dylan loved looking at all the working parts,
inside and out, of the big clock.)

Cinderella's Castle
Dylan and I rode in the pumpkin carriage back down the hill.

The Carousel

Justin's Ready to Ride!

Mike's Ready to Race!

All Three of Us

Ryan, Dylan and Justin on the Plank to the Pirate Ship

Mmmm....Slushy! Ryan drank the whole thing!

The Flying Fish
It was tough to get a great picture, but Dylan and I loved this ride.
Dylan had a lot of fun controlling the fish sail.

The last ride of the day was a family event - the Turtle Twirl!
I was shocked that a ride that whipped you around so much was a "safe"
one for me. I loved it and couldn't stop laughing at the turning and
Dylan's confused expression during the ride.

While Dylan mostly had the deer in the headlights look during every ride, he was always ready to go on the next one. When he got off a ride, we would ask him if he had fun and he would always reply "fun." I did hear a few "wee's" on a couple of rides I got to ride with him. Of course, there were only a few that I could go on since pregnant ladies weren't allowed on most. I guess I should have expected that but for some reason I thought that rides meant for young kids would be gentle enough for me and the baby in the womb. So, I was a little bummed but it worked out for the best since it minimized the amount of arguments Mike and I had over who got to ride with Dylan on what ride. What can I say, we both love amusement park rides!

It being Saturday, September 10th when we were there, it was also a very special day - Mike's b'day! (Also my Mom's birthday and I called her after our day to wish her a very happy one.) I was hoping that guest services would have something super embarrassing to inflict on a birthday boy, like a crown or something. They didn't but they did have a sticker where they would fill in how old you were turning!

Michael's Birthday Boy Sticker

After a long day for everyone at the park, there were naps on the way home (for kids and me) and then it was a mad rush to get dinner ready for the kids, the cake made so that the boys could enjoy it, and then dinner made for the adults.

I made (what I must say) was a delicious cake. I thought we'd had candles for the cake at the condo but we didn't so we improvised with a yankee candle.

We sang and Mike blew out the candle. Dylan told us all that we had done a "good job." Good job is one of his new cute things. He compliments himself and us after a task completed. Not only is it cute but it makes me feel like I'm doing something right as a parent that he's mimicking positive reinforcement to us. Then, it was time to enjoy the cake. Yummy!

With the little ones in bed and the adults fed, the hectic pace continued. Mike, Dylan and I had to leave very early in the morning for Mike to get to his soccer game back in MA so we had to clean, pack and prepare the condo to be abandoned again for who knows how long. It was a very long and exhausting day! I was counting the tasks down until I could get to bed.