new for us friday–amusement park

After last week’s touchy New For Us Friday which was immediately followed by the somewhat unexpected passing of my husband’s amazing, loving, charming, and incredible grandmother, we needed to see life on the upswing.

So, on the way back to Maryland from Pennsylvania, my husband and I took the kids on a necessary-for-us detour and a surefire NFUF hit: their very first
amusement park.

• Dutch Wonderland: This place really is a “Kingdom for kids” because it’s a park made especially for little ones. There are over 30 “kid-friendly” rides there, a train that runs through the whole park, great shows and entertainment, nursing stations for moms, and snack bars and restrooms around every corner.

Maddy and Owen rode their first roller coaster.

We all rode the Sky Ride together that spanned the park.

The Sky Ride totally rocked.
(So what if I couldn’t stop praying to God
that none of us would fall through the bars.)

We tried the swings, the Turtle Whirl, the fun slide, the log ride, and the carousel.

We saw ponies, listened to music, and watched the dancers.

You can’t miss them–Brent and Maddy are on this coaster!
(Owen wasn’t tall enough for the really big one.)

We laughed, screamed, hooted & hollered, sweated our pants off, and enjoyed every second of it.

I would totally recommend that anyone with kiddos here in the DC Metro area hit Dutch Wonderland while their little ones are small. I know we’re already planning our return trip–next time possibly with some support-staff aunts, uncles, or grandparents–and as far as NFUF’s go, this one was a winner.

It was new; it took us all out of our comfort zones, and it was a little bit of a challenge (on top of a lot of fun). And it especially helped to lift our spirits after an emotionally-exhausting and doleful week.

Talk about a super way of watching our summer wind down before school, activities, and tutoring will pack our calendar.