Waldameer!

I was very excited when a friend called and asked if we wanted to go to Waldameer in mid August. Dennis had just returned from a business trip to England, and had a golf tournament for the day. I took Matthew to his piano lesson, then we loaded up the car and headed for Erie, Pennsylvania!

We rode the little roller coasters, the Ferris wheel, the swings, and every other ride in the park. The kids had an absolute blast.

Matt loves the paratrooper ride. Nolan thought it was going to be a "baby" ride and didn't want to get on it, but then was upset when he realized it was a "fast" ride and he missed it!

The carousel is a classic. We had to ride it!

The boys loved the spider ride, and went on this several times in a row. Despite the crowds, they felt it was worth the wait!

We met up with our friends in the evening. The kids loved exploring the park with their friends!

The Frog Hopper ride was great - even the little guys could ride. Also? I'm sort of sad that my guys aren't the "little guys" anymore.

The Wipeout. As far as my boys are concerned, the faster, the better!

The kids wanted to go on the Log Ride at night. I didn't want to get soaked before our drive home. Fortunately, Matthew was tall enough to go without an adult - he went with his friends.

And one of our adult friends graciously volunteered to take Nolan for a ride. I am beyond grateful!

I spent some money on a "Wally Card" and let the boys play some of the midway games. I normally don't do this, but I wanted them to realize how much money could be spent for no prizes.. a learning lesson for them. They did get a teddy bear from one of the games where there was always a winner - they took turns "winning" so that they could each get a bear.

We didn't leave the park until it was nearly 10:00 pm! It was a very fun day. On the way home, we saw a fireworks display from the freeway. The boys were exhausted by the time we got home, but it was the perfect summer day!