The day after we got back from Silverwood Themepark we drove down to Mountlake Terrace for the Tour de Terrace carnival. Apparently 2 days at Silverwood wasn't enough rides for my kids! We actually came down for their amazing fireworks show, but I couldn't figure out a way to view it without the kids seeing the rides, and since the rides are pricey to buy individually, we went ahead and purchased all day ride passes.
We came down earlier in the day when they first opened so the kids could have fun before the lines got long. Last year we waited 2 hours to ride the Octopus at 8pm. We were on the ride when the fireworks started at 10pm. We didn't want to risk that happening this year.
The kids are taller than they were last year, so a few new rides were available to them. Allison got to do the Tornado with us.
And Tyler was able to do the hanglider and the spinning ride where you stand while the boards slide up and down on you. Allison did the pirate ship by herself while we were on that, but we caught up to her on the balloons just in time for Tyler to join her.
Here they are on the transformers and boats.
And with me on the scrambler. The kids loved the silly mirrors in the mirror maze fun house. There was a longer line for the Octopus than for any of the other rides (it's a slow loader), but at least it was only 15 minutes this time, not 2 hours.
Once we'd done everything at least once we took the kids back to the house for a nap (Tyler required melatonin). Oscar went shopping while I stayed with the kids, and when he returned he gave me some beautiful roses!
When the kids woke up we fed them dinner then drove back to the carnival. I rode the spinning strawberry ride with the kids. The lines were MUCH longer then.
We stuck to the kids' rides since anything with height minimums had long lines, and we'd already been on everything earlier.
Once the kids had made the rounds Tyler and I waited about 25 minutes for the big drop before going back to our chairs for fireworks. Allison rode the Gator coaster several more times before she and Oscar went back too.
The fireworks show was fabulous as usual!
And we let the kids hit up a few more rides to let the fireworks crowds clear out.
On July 22 we took another trip to Silverwood themepark to meet up with my parents and my brother's kids. Lia and Hana planned on borrowing our car and joining us the next day. I dropped the car off to them in Redmond and she dropped Allison and I off at Circle park in Bellevue while we waited for Oscar and Tyler to meet us there. Tyler still attended his usual summer program (church camp) and Oscar had to work a half day, so Oscar picked him up before heading down to get us. Allison had fun at the park but was getting hungry, so we walked over to Bellevue square mall for lunch and a little more fun in the indoor play area.
We made the drive as quickly as possible with only a short bathroom break and somehow managed to arrive at the hotel only a minute before dad pulled in with the van. The kids were super excited to see their cousins. We had just enough time to get some yummy Mexican food and go for a dip in the pool and Mexican dinner before we all needed to get some sleep.
The next morning we showed up to Silverwood early but apparently not early enough. The line to get through security was huge due to a promotion they had going on. It was a HOT day, 95 at one point, so we figured we'd do the 3 water rides first then spend the rest of the day in the waterpark. Our first priority was Bumper Boats since the line is always so slow, but apparently they don't open until 12:00pm, so we got in line for the Log Flume instead. Allison got scared and didn't want to go, so I took her over to the helicopters rather than getting on the ride. The rest of the family got through Log Flume before Allison was on the helicopters, so Tyler was able to join her (the other cousins are all too big). There was still time before the Bumper Boats opened, so Oscar and I took all the kids on the Tiny Toot Coaster and all of us were able to ride Barnstormer (which mom and dad really liked). It was 11:53 at that point, and when we returned to Bumper Boats there was already a decent line forming. We had to wait until the 2nd round of boats, but boy was it worth it! Being showered in the cool water on the crazy hot day felt blissful. Allison hadn't wanted to ride Bumper Boats either of our last two trips, but this time she was willing to go on it with Grandma.
From there we waited in about a 45 minute line to ride the last water ride, Thunder Canyon. Next time I'll know to do Thunder Canyon first and then Bumper boats at noon. The boats will only hold 8 and there were 9 of us, so Oscar adopted a family of 7 in front of us. He rode with them then got a few pictures of us coming out when we were done.
After that it was waterpark time! It felt fantastic! The wave pool was a bit hard on Tyler since the waves were breaking right in his face, but he really wanted to be close to his cousins. Mom stayed with Allison while she played in the children's area (Polliwog Park) and the lazy river. The water is usually the coldest at Polliwog Park, but the hot sun was shining right on it, so it actually felt pretty nice and even warm in some spots.
Around 3pm we decided to take mom and my kids back to the hotel for a quick break. Allison was so worn out she started falling asleep in the stroller before Oscar even started pushing it. Dad and I stayed with Ethan, Emma, and Sophie while we waited for Malia, Hana, and Hana's friend Sarah to join us. Once they got there we waited in some long lines for the big slides and surfed in the wavepool until the waterpark was closing and Allison, Tyler, mom, and Oscar were on their way back.
Once we were out of the water park I ordered us some pizzas from the pizzeria. Oscar waited for them while I took all the kids to meet Odie and ride the Puppy go Round in Garfield's Summer Camp. After dinner mom and dad took Allison on the other rides in Garfield's Summer Camp while the rest of us waited about 45 minutes for a roller coaster. Normally the lines have died down that late in the evening, which means they were that much longer earlier in the day. Even at 8:15pm it was uncomfortably hot to wait in line. Standing in an even longer line with the sun up when it was even hotter would have been miserable.
We got ice cream then began our drive back to the hotel and AirBnB. Just as we were leaving a monstrous thunderstorm began. Dust went right in my eyes as I was helping Tyler into the car. I drove the Jinks family in the van and really struggled with my eyes and the fast pounding rain. Somehow we made it back safely where Allison slept in the closet of our cozy Airbnb. In spite of booking last minute with a brand new host we really lucked out on our AirBnb. It was perfect for us!
Unfortunately the windstorm and lighting shut down Aftershock the next day. We'd intentionally waited for it until Wednesday when the lines would be shorter, and then we weren't able to do it at all. Instead we did both of the two main roller coasters while mom stayed at the hotel with Allison in the morning.
We also rode the Train before Oscar and Tyler left to pick up mom and Allison. Dad, Ethan, Emma, Sophie and I went to the magic show and then joined Lia, Hana, and Sara in the waterpark where we mostly did the wavepool. It was considerably cooler that day (high of 73 with windchill) so it was too cold to be wet unless you were in the water. When Oscar and Tyler got there with mom and Allison, Allison said she didn't want to swim. Oscar had forgotten his swimsuit, and dad was cold and worn out, so the two of them took Allison over to ride a few rides while Tyler went down the two biggest slides with me and Mike's kids. They all loved having 5 of us together in the same tube.
Once we were done with the waterpark we took the kids over to Garfield's summer camp. Since we'd done the roller coasters already we just let the kids pick whatever they wanted to do, and they wanted to go on rides that they could all do together, like the Froghopper. Emma and Sofie were a tight fit for it (all but the seat Ethan was in are meant for kids under 54 inches), but they still had fun. Allison got to go twice in a row since there was an extra seat from the group in front of us.
The Butterfly swing was also popular. Ethan, Tyler, and Allison took an extra ride on it while mom, Emma, Sophie, and I went over to the Panic Plunge.
There was a bit of a line for the Crazy Coaster, so Tyler and Allison rode the nearby Kiddie Wheel while we waited.
From there we went over to the Tiny Toot Coaster. There were like 3 minutes left before the park closed, so Ethan and Tyler ran back to the Puppy Go Round (which Tyler was begging for) while Allison, Emma, Sophie, and I booked it over to the Flying Elephants. It's one of Allison's favorites and she hadn't had a chance to go on it that trip. We made it just in time for the last ride before closing.
The next day we explored Couer d'Alene and took a hike on the Tubbs Hill trail. Lovely lake views!
Mom and dad opted out of this one, but mom was pretty exhausted from watching Allison so much the previous days that we decided to take Allison on the hike too. She slowed us down a little but was eager to hike along with us. We plunged into the water about halfway in. It was very rocky and cold so the kids weren't too crazy about it. I should have had them bring water shoes.
Allison hopped out of the water fairly quick, but she found a dog to pet, so she was happy.
A couple ladybugs were crawling around nearby. All the kids enjoyed letting them walk on their hands and arms.
After our hike the kids went to Carl's Jr for lunch while Allison and I got much needed naps.
That evening we went back to the lake and played at the playground and splashpad.
Though it was in shadow by the time we got there, all the kids got a little bit wet. They'd kept their suits on from earlier.
Mom and I took a walk by the lake while everyone else drove to another playground on the opposite side. We met up with them there.
We discovered the lovely Floating Bridge at the Couer d'Alene resort.
There was an office building with this creepy animal statue on the walkway. It took me a second to register that it wasn't real.
This was actually a different playground than the one I'd intended to meet them at, so it took a few minutes before we figured out where they were. I can't believe how many playgrounds there are in this place!
After breakfast the next morning (where Allison got very sticky) the Utah family took off early to start their drive home. We didn't have nearly as long to drive, so we decided to do early bird paddleboating (two hours for the price of one).
It was lovely to be out on the water!
We stopped for a break at a little inlet close to where we'd swum with the kids the previous day. Tyler and Allison both wanted to paddle the boat, so we let them try it out while we were stopped. They quickly realized that they weren't tall enough to reach the pedals.
After that we played at the park I'd intended to meet the kids at the previous day then started our drive home. The kids zonked out quickly, and even I, who rarely sleep while traveling, fell asleep too. I had a good excuse, though. I'd woken up at 5:00am to make sure we were packed, out the door, and had the house cleaned by check out at 10am.
We made it home around 6pm stopping briefly in Ellensburg for lunch. The kids had fun playing in the yard and helping daddy water the plants.
And the kids spent the next days (and weeks) wearing the new clothes grandma had given them.
We came down earlier in the day when they first opened so the kids could have fun before the lines got long. Last year we waited 2 hours to ride the Octopus at 8pm. We were on the ride when the fireworks started at 10pm. We didn't want to risk that happening this year.
The kids are taller than they were last year, so a few new rides were available to them. Allison got to do the Tornado with us.
And Tyler was able to do the hanglider and the spinning ride where you stand while the boards slide up and down on you. Allison did the pirate ship by herself while we were on that, but we caught up to her on the balloons just in time for Tyler to join her.
Here they are on the transformers and boats.
And with me on the scrambler. The kids loved the silly mirrors in the mirror maze fun house. There was a longer line for the Octopus than for any of the other rides (it's a slow loader), but at least it was only 15 minutes this time, not 2 hours.
Once we'd done everything at least once we took the kids back to the house for a nap (Tyler required melatonin). Oscar went shopping while I stayed with the kids, and when he returned he gave me some beautiful roses!
We stuck to the kids' rides since anything with height minimums had long lines, and we'd already been on everything earlier.
And we let the kids hit up a few more rides to let the fireworks crowds clear out.
