Goin to Busch Gardens on Tax Day Weekend!!

We purchased 5 "semi season" passes to Busch Gardens and Water Country in March.  These passes allow us to go to either Busch Gardens or Water Country as many times as we want between the end of March and the end of September.  On tax day we took our first trip to Busch Gardens.  It was SUCH a fun weekend!  As a result of the distance from home, we decided to stay overnight so we went down on a Friday and came back on a Sunday.  It was so fun!  We have yet to be able to go back again.  Hopefully soon!!  We want to hit Water Country while the weather is still warm.

I think this was the first time we had been to Busch Gardens as a family.  The kids and I had gone with a friend (Theresa) when her company went. We were her guests.  It was a long time ago.  Mike didn't go. 

This was a fun ride.  It was a little boat that you could ride in their little "bay."  There were different animals to see as well as a different perspective of the park itself.

Train ride.  There was a train that went around the entire park.  We rode this thing three times and never made it all the way around the park.  Kept stopping at different places to get to rides, etc.

View from the train.  Several of the roller coasters in the park.

Swings are always fun!!

 Park Wildlife. 

Lydia and Emily on a ride.  Ryan and I are in the car behind them.

 

 This was a roller coaster that was pretty tame.  Bad thing, we carry a backpack with us and one of us had to stay back.  It ended up being me.  Typically it is Emily and myself as we are not fans of roller coasters.  AT ALL!  I was willing to go on this one and encouraged Emily to come too.  We were headed there when we found we couldn't take the backpack with us and didn't want to pay for the locker to hold it.  So, Emily went on.  As you can see in the picture above, she was a little nervous.  Needless to say, she survived.  We still go back to our bad choice as parents to put her on  Space Mountain when she was 4.  It still haunts her.

These turkey legs are in every amusement park we have visited.  They must be pretty popular.  And there must be a lot of turkeys looking to lose their legs.  ;)  We split two of them as a lunch in the middle of the day.

 I think we rode this same ride about 6 times.  Both days.

The other turkey leg.

This was Lydia's favorite ride.  The Skytram.  She LOVED it!  We rode it several times.  To different parts of the park.  She has been on them before, but seemed way more excited about them this time.  Mike and Ryan are in the car in front of us.

Here is a link to a YouTube video of the kids and me riding Pompeii.  It is a long one, but pretty neat.  A fun day!!

 

https://youtu.be/0GEXyBwOqqU

 

 

Ryan's "Coach Kendall"

Ryan's friend, Kendall has been snowboarding for a couple of years.  He has asked Ryan to snowboard with him a few times, but Ryan's mom has never wanted to sink money into lessons.  :)  Kendall's mom explained that he took just a couple of lessons and didn't like it.  That he is basically self taught.  So, we talked to Kendall about teaching Ryan.  He was definitely up for it. Unfortunately, we were only able to make one day work out for him to snowboard this past winter, but are hoping to get a season pass and snowboard a lot this coming winter.  He really enjoyed himself and wants to go back!!  His Uncle Paul was a big fan of skiing so I am guessing it is a family trait.  :)  Hopefully there will be more pictures to come as he continues with this potential passion.  Thank you Kendall!!  We will be hitting you up again next winter!

The pictures are not that great as I was far away and using a phone.  The day was beautiful though!  They closed the place down. 

These pictures are from so far away and on a phone--this one almost looks fake.  :)  It really is Ryan!!

Live Nativity

A local Camel Farm and a local church host this each year.  We went for the first time this year.  Beautiful!!  We were able to view from a loft in the camel barn.

He FINALLY made the big 4-0!

On December 22, 2016, Mike turned 40.  Mike never had birthday parties as a kid and as a result I tried throwing him one when he turned 22 or 23.  It was a disaster with the family members who were not invited (as it was a friend and brother party) and I promised myself I would never throw him one again.  Sad . . . I know.  When you turn 40 someone needs to do something to commemorate it!!  Since I was not going to do anything with family and end up offending someone, I decided to do something with his work shift.  I contacted Carmen who is one of his shift guys.  Carmen is awesome!  He talked to all of the shift and told them about it.  I told Mike that I was having a company dinner that night (which we were, but not at that location) and we got him!!  Totally surprised him!  The guys on his shift all came, some brought their wives and some brought their kids.  It was great!!  We were in a back room to ourselves and it was a great success!!  This also gave his shift a fun time together and they had been wanting to do that for a while.  He works with some great guys!!!  And they seem to respect and like Mike!!

Picture that Carmen took when Mike walked in.  This was the first point that he realized what was happening and that we were there for him and not for me.

When they brought him the birthday hat!

Front Row  L to R-Carroll, Brandon, Joe, Donald.  Back Row L to R-LaRon, Mike, Patrick "Tate", Carmen

  It was a fun time!!!  Hopefully a fun memory for Mike!!

All in the Family???

The band director at Elkton Middle School is so amazing!  He has worked so hard to build the music program at EMS and now works with the ERHS director and they collectively attempt to grow the program in both schools.  It is working!  The middle school director went to the different elementary feeder schools last year to work with the 5th graders.  This was in hopes that they would decide to join band.  The kids who were a little uncertain if they wanted to be in band, but knew they didn't want to have it as their elective, he offers a primetime class (all students have a primetime during the lunch shifts) where the students could do a little playing of an instrument and get a taste of it.


Emily and Lydia decided to take Mr. Todd's primetime this year, but for some reason Lydia didn't end up with it.  I never understood that, but Lydia ended up being ok with it so I didn't rock the boat and try to move her. As a result of the Primetime class, Emily participated in the winter concert this year.  It was Mid-December 2016.  She just played one song and she only played two notes on her trombone, but she was in it.  Mr. Todd used some 8th graders to help with this particular band as there was not a tremendous amount of experience.  So, Ryan and Emily ended up being on the stage at the same time.  I was not fortunate enough to be able to get them in a picture together (on stage), but a picture of each one of them.  I wondered, as I sat there watching them, if Emily realizes how good Ryan actually is.  I don't know that Ryan realizes his potential either.

 I think this is Ryan during the 7th and 8th grade portion of the concert and not the 6th grade one with Emily.  Below is a picture of Ryan and Tim. Tim is our neighbor and we carpool with his family from band practices.  He is also part of the ERHS Marching Band and his sister was part of the Color Guard.

Emily is still undecided on band.  She likes it, but it is not a strength.  She didn't catch on quickly like her brother.  Part of it is simply she doesn't get the playing time he did his first year, but part of it is there are other electives she wants to do a little more.  Who knows, maybe she will spread her musical wings again sometime.

The day before Ryan had his brace removed, Emily's fake tooth came off in her apple.  Don't know if you remember a post way back.  The kids all received rollerblades for Christmas.  The day she received hers, she was skating in my parents garage and fell.  Her front tooth (which was one of her only two permanent teeth) broke her fall.  After three or four tries from several dentists and technicians, they were able to apply a fake tooth that would stay on.  She has favored it ever since.  She can't have a permanent fake tooth until all of her teeth have completely grown in. 


So, the apple took the fake tooth out on a Monday night.  This was devastating to her.  When this happened the first time she was in 1st or 2nd grade and it was during winter break.  This was a school night and she had to go to school the next day.  Not good for a middle school kid to go to school with a snaggle tooth!!  :)  Ryan's bone doctor and our dentist are very close to each other.  I called the dentist when we arrived at the bone doctor at 8 to see if I could bring Emily there to have her tooth repaired.  Sure enough, they were able to squeeze her in so I left Ryan, drove her down, left her there and came back up to Ryan.  Once he was finished, we went back to the dentist.  Mike was working and was not able to help.  Lydia had been put on the bus at 7 and was at school thank goodness.  When Ryan and I arrived, this is what we found when went into the room where they had taken her. 

I am happy to announce that they were successful in giving her another fake tooth.  Again, not a permanent one, but I think stronger than the other one was.  And it lasted for several years.  So, hopefully we will have no more chipped teeth.  For some reason, each of my children have a chipped tooth.  Ryan's and Lydia's are not as severe as this one of Emily's so we didn't attempt to fix them, but just strange how this has happened. 

Ride 'em Cowboy!!

Ryan was able to try his hand at horseback riding while at Camp Brethren Woods this past summer.  He loved it and has been asking to take lessons ever since.  All three kids are now interested and I have debated on looking into lessons, but wanted them to get a feel for riding before sinking money into something they may not like.  Horseback riding lessons are not cheap!!  I work with a guy who's wife has horses.  As a result, his kids (from a previous relationship) have gotten into horseback riding and his daughter Hailey was willing to help the kids ride one afternoon.  Hailey goes to school Ryan, Lydia and Emily, but is in 7th grade and they are in the grades around her.  She was great!  Ryan even had his busted knee and she helped him get around without having his knee get jarred or anything.  They all decided they wanted to take lessons.  Now I have to see if I can find a three for one deal.  :)  Wish Hailey's dad (Chad--co-worker) would let her teach them.  He says she's not experienced enough.  :(

Lydia and Hailey riding . . . what was the name of the horse?  I can't remember!



Lydia felt more comfortable with Hailey guiding the horse around the field.  Hailey was happy to help.

 

Ryan was wearing his brace at this point.  He needed help getting on the horse and I asked Hailey to stay close to him since the horse couldn't feel the kicking commands on one side.  As he couldn't move his leg correctly. 

 Emily enjoyed the riding better than Lydia.  Lydia enjoyed it, but was a little timid.  Emily was very comfortable and didn't want to leave.  It was a fun morning!!  Just too short lived.

Hopefully I will eventually remember the name of this horse and can add it later.  I will have to ask Chad.