Dollywood!

On Tuesday we went to Dollywood w/ our friend Angie, her 3-year-old daughter Anna Kate, and 8-month-old Ryan. It was a lot of fun!

Noah surprised us w/ the rides he asked to go on. He became quite adventurous and by the end of the day was asking to go on the big wooden roller coaster, Thunder Head. We said no. :) (He didn't meet the height requirement anyway.) More on Thunder Head later. They had a swing ride that was a bigger, higher, and faster version of the one he and Claire had ridden on at the NASCAR Speedpark last week. I was disappointed that Claire did not meet the height requirement and thus could not ride. So it was just me, Doug, and Noah, w/ Doug and Noah riding together on a double-seater. Once we started the ride, though, I was very thankful for the height requirement. It was a little scary even for me! Angie was gracious enough to watch Claire and Chloe while we rode.

Dollywood had a lot of rides that the children could ride themselves (very tame so they were not scared) plus rides that were a little more intense that they could ride w/ me or Doug. We also enjoyed riding the steam train. They had an area where the children could take off their shoes to play in a little "stream" and cool off. This was a big hit w/ Noah and Claire.

Toward the end of the day (but before we ate), Doug rode his very first roller coaster (as in, the first roller coaster in his life). Thunder Head is a fast wooden coaster and he and I went on this together. I hadn't ridden a coaster since I was 18 and I feel like I showed my age. After riding TH, I had no desire to try out any of the other coasters that day. Sometime in the future yes, but not that day. I was glad we had waited to eat until afterwards. Doug enjoyed his first experience and said he would not be opposed to more in the future.

The children had a great time, and so did their Mama and Daddy. Even Chloe seemed to enjoy herself, even though the only rides she rode were the carousel and the steam train.