Good Eats

Because we can't get enough of amusement parks, we went to Hershey Park on Thursday. Or maybe because we have a touch of nutty in us. I'm pretty sure I was manufactured in a facility that also manufactures nut products.

After getting into the park, we purchased a dining plan that was touted as saving up to 27%. It included two meals, two snacks, and a large souvenir cup. The park was open until 10 p.m. so we would definitely have an opportunity to eat many times. That would certainly be redeemable for lots of hot dogs.

Eve agreed to go on rides, provided she got to witness them in action first. And also if they only went around in a circle. She's got some trust issues, but no vertigo.

Once getting on a ride, Eve had a great time. But she would totally be a grandparent's dream to take to a theme park, because she would be content to watch shows and ride the train around the place. She did a lot of sitting in the stroller drinking water and watching Natalie and Daniel go on rides. Don't you want to go on a ride, Eve? "No. I just like sitting here watching. Just me and my water."

We really gotta get that girl a good imaginary friend.

Although, I was content to sit and watch, just me and my water, when Nat and Dan got on the Dizzy Drums. We purposely avoided the tea cups at Disney, for the sole reason that I don't enjoy throwing up in my mouth a little bit.

There was a log flume ride that we decided to embark upon as a family. Getting up to the man operating the ride, we asked if we should ride in two separate boats or have all five of us ride together. Ride together was his answer, and in together we went.

Except that when we tried to go around the first curve, our boat got stuck. Maybe we had too many hot dogs this trip. We managed to push ourselves free before an attendant had to jump in the water. At the end, the operator said, "That happens every time I put five people in a boat together!"

We do lots of things for the kids we love. Like getting on rides that make us sick. Matt hates these flying bird rides almost as much as I hate leeks. (Bad experience with morning sickness circa 2004. Leek-associated memories etched into my mind ever since.)

I went onto an epic roller coaster with Natalie, who wants to ride every single roller coaster, ever. We both went on the front car of the Sidewinder, which made Natalie exclaim, "Awesome! This is so awesome! I want to do this again as soon as it stops!" the entire time we were riding it.

It was a bit much for me, but I rode it out of love. And the fact that I couldn't have a six-year-old out ride me at an amusement park.

It was after this ride that I needed to eat, stat. Anything to make the ground stop moving. We finally broke into our meal coupons at 2:00 for lunch. It was incredible the amount of food that the kids got with their meals. So much so, that Matt and I insisted on filling up on kid scraps to the point that we would not be hungry enough to use the rest of our meal coupons for the next six hours.

As we were eating lunch, an announcement came over the loudspeaker that the water park was closing due to inclement weather, and we had to temporarily scratch our plans to change into swimsuits. Instead, we headed over to the only rides in the park that had not closed- the spinny, kiddie rides.

Nat was upset that she was too tall to ride some of them. It didn't matter that she just went on the extreme puke coaster with Mommy earlier that no one else was tall enough to ride.

We decided to watch a live show called Rock the Jukebox in an indoor theater while the rain came down. It was packed in there, and I can only imagine how much those performers appreciate a hot, rainy day. I can't describe how loud this music was, but incredibly enough, Daniel fell asleep during a particularly loud rendition of Sweet Child O' Mine. Eve waited until the Michael Jackson impersonator came out at the end of the show before she passed out. I think the sequins did her in.

As soon as the show ended, we woke Daniel up and he snuck out to the doors while Natalie was talking with one of the dancers. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" What exactly are you thinking, Dan? "I think the rides are open again!"

Time to put on our swimsuits!

Ever tried waking up a child by putting them straight on the potty and telling them to pee?

That was my first time and it wasn't pleasant. You'll just have to trust me on this one. But I did eventually get her into a swimsuit so we could play in the cold 6:00 water.

Ahh, an ice cold bucket of water dumping over on your head as you go down a water slide into an ice cold pool of water. That will wake you up. It wasn't one of those splash parks that got warmer when you got used to it, but the kids had fun nonetheless. I could tell, because in between the chatter of their teeth, they would say, "I'm having fun!"

We finally got to use one of our snack coupons, even though we weren't the least bit hungry. But someone's gotta eat all that ice cream and popcorn in the park. I like to think of it as supporting the local economy.

We eventually got dried off and went on some more rides. It wasn't until 9:00, when we only had one more hour of rides, that we decided we had better use another meal coupon. But I was still all kinds of full from that ice cream. I think the meal plans only save 27% if you plan on doing nothing but eating the biggest meals in the park all day long, just so you have something to throw up after all those kiddie rides. And maybe since you can always get free cups of water, the souvenir cup wasn't worth it. I'm just guessing since every time I asked for water with my food, the person on the other side of the counter said, "You know your meal comes with a soft drink!" Yeah, but I just want water. And then they look dumbfounded.

Oh looky, the kids' meals come with salad. Look at all those salads Daniel plans on ignoring.

I'm seriously still kind of full from this day at the park.

We went to Eve's all-time favorite ride, the carousel. It doesn't matter if the carousel is located in a shopping mall or in Hershey Park. She's going to ride it.

Maybe in spite of us, because it makes us dizzy.

It was after the carousel that we saw the giant chocolate bar with arms.

Woaw. I'm gonna have crazy dreams tonight.

Matt and I really wanted to use our last snack coupons, but we were uncharacteristically full. It was like a test, and we failed. So, the kids got their first Dippin' Dots. At 9:45 p.m.

But I guess that's not as bad as the 10:45 p.m. giant chocolate bar.

And just when you thought we couldn't get enough of chocolate, we awoke the next morning to go to Chocolate World.
Free ride, free chocolate, singing cows. SINGING COWS!

Sayonara, Pennsylvania. It's been good eats.