After a week of illness, I was excited to get out of town and spend the day outdoors, to cleanse our airways. The drive there is gorgeous in the fall. The two lane country roads are lined with trees of golds and reds. For a stretch, a stream parallels the road and reflects the colors against the crystal blue sky. All leading up to the park, which is hidden deep among the trees.
We had high hopes for our park day. We have gone every year since my son was in my belly and my daughter was almost 2 years old. Each time, was slow paced and fun. But this time was different. This time, it seemed like everyone in a 60+ mile radius had the exact same idea that we did.
The park was packed.
Too packed, for a little mom and pop park.
It reminded me of our Disney trip. It was difficult to maneuver our double stroller through the crowds, lines for the rides were 5-7 turns deep, and the food lines were out of control.
Since it is a mom and pop place, they have food stands set up like a fair. They're just randomly placed throughout, with no rhyme or reason for their location. So they couldn't handle the lines and in turn, people were clogging the walk ways.
We waited in line for pizza, for 45 minutes. My husband bailed out of the line because the stroller wouldn't fit and he claimed he had to stand guard of the stroller. I think he was just as overwhelmed as the kids. So, I was left with two children who's blood sugar dropped and were not happy waiting for food. At that point, I would have payed $50 for a slice of pizza out of someone's trunk.
The day flew by and it felt like we were running from place to place, as we were trying to fit in everything during the park's hours. My daughter tends to get overwhelmed in large crowds, so she didn't have as much fun as she normally does. Her and my husband are the same in that matter. So, they hung by each other most of the day and jumped on the few rides that had smaller lines, or the ones that moved quicker. My son and I, waited in the lines that were longer, for the bigger rides. We waited over 20 minutes, twice, for the little roller coaster. Which he LOVED. We even sat in the front seat and his hands were high in the air the entire time. It would appear, the large crowds didn't phase him one bit. Whereas, I spent a good deal of the day, carrying my 6 year old daughter tightly in my arms.
This was the first year that we really had to figure out the juggling process between two kids. Other years, my son was content just sitting back and letting his sister ride all the rides. He would jump on a few here and there, but they weren't so important to him. But this year, he not only wanted to ride the ones she was doing, but now, he wanted to ride the bigger ones that she wouldn't even dream of doing. So, it almost felt reversed. But because she's older and wouldn't be content just sitting in the stroller (and she was overwhelmed), I vetoed our "family stays together" mantra and certain times, we split off into groups of twos.
I also think, this was the first year that my daughter learned disappointment. She is known to build things up in her head and fantasizes about every detail of how the day will go. But this time, She was let down by the reality of that day. A sad revelation to learn at such a young age.
So we ended up leaving the park around 8:00 p.m. After, the temperatures dipped below 45 degrees, after we rode the haunted train, after the kids jumped in the bounce house for the 156th time in a row, after we rode the merry go round so many times I thought I'd puke, after I squeezed myself into the cars that I swore I'd need a shoe horn to get me out of, after we finally ate the pizza, and after we rode the ferris wheel at night, under the clear dark sky, high above the shimmering ground lights.
Both children fell asleep within the first 15 minutes of the car ride home, probably from being overwhelmed with waiting in lines and all the excitement both intertwined together. Either way, once the car was silent and the road in front of us was dark, I exhaled loudly, as I was relieved the day was over. Because as a parent, you have to absorb all the frustrations and incidents of the day, to give the illusion that everything is going smoothly. And, as a parent, you have to be the one in charge, while keeping the day going and only bleeding positivity.
I knew how much my children were excited to go to the park. We're pretty predictable people and have our yearly rituals; we kick off the summer by camping at this park in July, then go to the beach at the end of August, and then go to this park's fall fest in October. So, they always have a countdown in their heads (and kindles) and imagine the day. So, no matter how stressed the day made me, I was my typical silly self. We danced around to the vendors playing music, we stopped for some games and competed who could knock over those fuzzy mounted guys with the ball. Also, mommy did her silly impressions and voices, and when I noticed my children getting frustrated, we stopped, found a quiet little area, and I gave them the biggest cuddle. In the pizza line, I even held both of them in my arms, at the same time, all 95 lbs of them. And when my injured knee was screaming, "drop them!" I smiled through the pain, while they both rested their heads on each of my shoulders.
All things considered, I'm sure years from now, my children won't remember the lines or the crowds of people. Or even the record number of times they whined. They'll remember being with me and they'll remember all the fun they had on this day.
They'll remember the rides.
The dancing.
The silliness.
The love.
And that's what childhood memories should be about, the positive side. Not the frustrations of life or the negativity us adults partake in daily. They have a lifetime for that, right now, I only want my children to see the good in each day.
And for them to remember only the best moments of this park trip, because even with the hiccups and outside stimulus, we still had a marvelous time together. And that my friends, is something you can't forget...
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