Oh... 2 years is a loooooong time to wait! But it was well worth the wait! The
new zoo seems so open now. I am so glad we renewed our
membership a long time ago! The line to get into the parking lot was long but doable... we arrived at 9:50 AM. The park was scheduled to open at 10:00 AM. (I actually wanted to be there by 9:30 AM... but I also wanted them to have a good breakfast. So we took our time and had eggs, sausages, bagels - the works!) We found a spot pretty close to the new entrance... which is quite a walk from the parking lot now. I remember the parking before... it was a short distance to get into the park... now it curves around a bit -- AND it has a real entrance! You know the ones that look like Disneyland and Great America's entrance?
So, we took our time and just did what we felt comfortable doing today because we are going back tomorrow! This is what they decided to do today:
Of course they started with the famous animal carousel!
This is a
new play area - right outside the lemur exhibit! It's funny but as I was watching them play from the lemur exhibit, I was thinking, "Huh... now the lemurs can now watch the
children in their natural habitat too!" ;) There are more play areas now -- a larger one can be found on the way to see Danny the Dragon (not open yet) but we opted out of it today as it was REALLY crowded! I didn't think I could manage all 3 in such a crowd! (Well, I could have... but didn't feel up to the challenge today!)
Nice, huh?!
The old police car and fire engine ride -- classic!
And the Granny bug -- after a few rounds, Matthew was found hanging almost out of the ride! He was really having a good time! I thought the ride guy was going to yell at him! But he was being so cute about it.... Just having fun and being silly! It goes around pretty fast!
Ethan made me wait in line for almost 20 minutes to ride this swing thing. He called it "the tree ride." And guess what was the frightening part? I forgot to check the height requirement - because why would I, he's almost 3! And he "almost" couldn't ride it! He made it by a smidgen (is that a word?)! Phew!!!! As we approached I told him that he might not be able to get on and he cried! But when the ride guy said he could, everyone could hear him cheer, "yay!!!!" It was so cute! M&M decided this was a "baby" ride and they sat on a bench and had snacks while we waited in line. When the ride stopped, E was not ready to get off and questioned why he had to get down.
After the rides we saw a
puppet show -- The Three Little Pigs. It was really cute, interactive, and funny! Ethan insisted it was "scary." What was scary? I asked him. The wolf because he was puffing and puffing, was his reply! Hee hee...
It was a fun day and we will be back tomorrow! Morgan has the day off school. The teachers are having a meeting... pink slips will be discussed I'm sure!
March 15, the next day... We met Jenna and her mom, Lisa there.
These sculptures were at the entrance:
The children met Danny the Dragon!
They pet the goats at the farm:
They climbed:
They enjoyed the rides together:
This ride is called the frog hopper. It just goes up and down -- not very high really. But of course, there is a story behind this ride. While getting in line, M&M did NOT want to ride it. But Jenna wanted to ride so I took advantage of her being there and "forced" them to go on it. While in line, I promised that I would go with them. But when it was our turn, there wasn't enough room for all of us to go in... Notice that in this photo you see Ethan (barely visible since he's so little), then Morgan and Jenna in the middle. When it was our turn, M&M refused to go on it since I could not go on. I was able to convince Morgan to go with Jenna. E didn't care, he just wanted on whether I was going on or not! So they went. I forced Matthew into a seat but he cried so we got out of the way and waited for the next turn so that he could go with me. (That's why that boy in yellow is there next to E!). While we watched and waited he said he did not want to go. I ALMOST got out of line, but I just didn't think it was okay to let him continue to be afraid of a ride that was so basic. I knew that once he got on, he would know that it was not a big deal. For goodness sakes, he went on bigger rides at Disneyland!!! So, I refused and made him wait to go on the ride.
So take a look at these photos and have a good laugh with me:
As you can see, he is nervous and is holding pretty tight onto my hand:
Getting ready but still nervous!
He finally let go of my hand.. and a smile is creeping out...
See how I am laughing and pointing to him? He is trying to hide his smile! He is actually having fun!
And there you have it my friends, proof that I did not torture my son! He had fun and it wasn't scary!!!!
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