Today started with the normal morning routine. Breakfast, heard the family into clothes and eventually out the door. It turned out to be a beautiful day; about 70 with mostly sunny skies. Yet, we started the day at Wal-Mart after discovering that my daughter had managed to not have any jeans with her. We're not sure how that happened and she insists that she packed them. It is quite possible that her brother, ever helpful, removed and relocated them for us or even that they were missed when we made final checks and closed suitcases. She ended up with jeans, another long sleeve shirt and a sweatshirt to round out her wardrobe and she should have room to grow into the items.
After the brief shopping interlude we went looking for a playground. Sound familiar? This time we went to track down one we had seen on the way into town that, if memory served, had 2 play areas. It took a little while, but eventually we found the park -- almost to the point of being back out onto full-speed highways and away from cities. We were not the only family to take advantage of the weather. Although most of the locals seem to think winter has set in and that you need coats to go outside, some families still brave the cold and come out to play. There were 3 other families with young children approximately the age of ours who were at the playgrounds while we were there.
My daughter quickly had a following of 3 different girls, one a pair of twins who alternately provided a shadow for my daughter and one of their friends. There were a couple of kids my son's age and they played near each other from time to time (as is appropriate for that age group) but mostly my son decided to challenge himself by climbing through new types of equipment in sandals still covered with sand. Either my wife or I was near him the majority of the time, just in case. It was a bit sad, and almost funny, that the slides seemed to be the most effective speed bumps to the playground. The heavily retarded descent on the spiral slide neared comical proportions, especially when my son gave me the cherubic "what's wrong with this thing daddy" silent look.
On the way back to the room we debated on whether to hit the big fun activity for the day immediately after lunch or to try to get the kids a nap first. My son made the decision for us by falling asleep along the way. He did eat lunch and then we had to coerce him back to sleep. We nearly didn't but my daughter decided she was going to want a nap after lunch so that forced our hands a little. We did decide to keep the nap a little shorter than the 3.5 hr episodes we were seeing and the kids, thankfully, seemed to be on the same wavelength.
We packed up and headed across the street (sometimes being in the center of a tourist area works out for the best) and down half a block to a racetrack and amusement park that had about 10 rides the kids could enjoy. We checked regulations and then had to do some quick figuring. My daughter was at a border between being too big for the kiddie rides. There was one she couldn't go on as her feet would drag. Most of the others both kids could ride at the same time (limiting coordination efforts between parents) and there was one that my son couldn't ride which helped even out the ticket count.
It was definitely a down time, we had the kid part pretty much to ourselves. The attendants were pleasant and a couple of them even took the time to learn the kids names and make sure they were ok with the rides. My daughter, in particular, experienced her first go card ride with the attendant, who had pretty much followed us between rides as there was nothing else going on, patiently guiding her and teaching her what she could do. To her credit, there was only one turn she didn't stay in long enough until after the 6th lap and then she was golden. The real treat came when we found out she was just barely big enough that she could ride along with my wife -- being the one to be a big kid tonight -- on a more adult-level go cart ride. My son was quite upset that he couldn't go, but I distracted him by explaining where the girls were and by having him cheer as they went by.
As a reward, he was allowed extra rides on the kids choo-choo train. A young attendant had overheard his name and, as he was the only kid on the ride, after guiding my son by name to the ride, provided an unforgettable moment as my son was allowed to "push that button to start the ride when I tell you." His eyes were like saucers and he squealed with delight as the attendant coordinated starting the ride with the cosmetic button push. The attendant also enjoyed the experience and I hope he understands just how happy he made my son. (Thanks, dude. God bless you a little extra for that one.)
After running out of ride tickets we came back to the resort just in time for a magic show. It wasn't a Vegas style show, but the magician did a good job working with the kids and elderly in the audience. My daughter was a little scared by the guillotine routine and she was fascinated by most of the rest. My son didn't really care and he just wanted to go to the room. I hope he didn't make too much noise and distract everyone around him. At least I now have a reference for the "shall I get you a straight-jacket" threat!
Dinner was simple as tomorrow we attempt to burn down the resort and after a short kid show or two (hard to remember when you're dealing with screaming kids and cleaning up after dinner) we settled down to bed.
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