Dutch Wonderland - Take 2

We enjoyed Dutch Wonderland so much last year that we decided to try it again! This year the kids were both at a good age to enjoy the rides. Though Hadley was a little more limited on what she could do because of her height/age than Caleb was, there was still plenty that was her speed to take in too. 

As we did last year, we took the small train around the park as soon as we arrived to familiarize ourselves a little with our surroundings and give us a chance to plan our course for the day.

The hoppy horses were next on the list since it was another ride we could all do together. Caleb wasn't super excited about this choice but his sister was all smiles.

The next ride was a little more up his alley. On the other hand, his Momma was kind of nervous about this flying attraction. Though the sign said he was big enough, I thought the cages/restraint bars looked too open to truly secure him well. Since laying on my pregnant belly to go with him was out of the question, Dave took on the mother hen roll and clung to our preschooler as they flew through the air.

Look the prince and princess! Can you tell we enjoyed ourselves?

While Caleb could ride all but five of the rides, Hadley and I were a little more limited - her because she was too short and me because I kept seeing this sign everywhere!

Needless to say, there were several rides that Hadley had to wait through and watch while Caleb got to have the fun. She was a patient girl though while we hung around snapping photos and entertained herself just walking around checking things out. NaNa and Daddy were great ride buddies for Caleb when his sister had to sit on the sidelines - though one ride was a little much for Dave. "I can't handle the Turtle Whirl," he puffed after getting off the second round of a particularly fast spinning children's ride. You can imagine our laughter (especially when he told Caleb, who wanted to go again, that that was enough for today)!

Eventually though, this sweet girl got her turn to hang with her brother.

Who needs to go on the bumper cars anyway when NaNa is on the sidelines sneaking you some Dippin' Dots?

Caleb even tried out a roller coaster this time! (He definitely didn't have any fear when it came to the rides.) My mom took the first ride with him and got thrown around so much that she decided Dave could have the next round. I think by the end of the day Caleb had been on this thing four times - definitely more than any other ride in the park.

While not every ride was suited for Hadley and I, some rides, like this steamboat, were good for everyone.

The roller coaster, merry-go-round, and flying pandas were fun of course, but one of the highlights of the day for us was the "tiny tots toliet." This park really knows how to accommodation young children. Very clean bathrooms and a potty small enough for Caleb to use easily made us all happy.

Eventually, we ended up splitting up with the kids to do our own things so that both of them got to ride things they wanted or that were age appropriate. Since I only had one camera I was hesitant to do this at first because I didn't want to miss any pics, but after I got several good shots for the day we went on with it. While Dave and Caleb were riding the antique cars, we tried out the trucks and found a very entertaining group of fellas singing and dancing around the park. Hadley was mesmerized.

Look at that Amish family! Do you recognize them? What about that Grandma whose hugging that Amish fella?

Mom told Caleb this guy was her friend. He told her "no" that he was only a statue. I told Mom I think this Amish woman looked a little grouchy that she was hugging on her hubby.

Fun! Fun! Fun! The weather was perfect and everyone's moods were good.

Definitely the best part of my day was watching the kids ride this thing. It takes them around in an oval and whips them around at the turns. Hadley, who wasn't expecting it, got thrown around like a rag doll the first time it zipped around, but then she clung for dear life, braced herself against her brother, and commenced smiling and giggling with delight. We laughed so hard we could hardly stand it! Since she enjoyed it so much we asked if they could ride a second time, and I tried my best to catch a video. The second go wasn't as exciting as the first but I did capture a little footage before Hadley changed her mind and decided she no longer liked this ride and started crying and trying to turn around to look behind her. Mommy got the attendant to stop the ride and rescued her. Guess you can get too much of a good thing!

Since the weather was pretty mild, we stayed away from the waterpark portion again this year. Caleb did get to try out the log flume though. I'm pretty finicky about getting my clothes wet, so thankfully Dave was around for this experience and I stayed dry photographing it.

This was more my speed!

With so many wonderful attractions for young children, a kid-friendly set-up and staff, and a relatively close proximity to where we live, I think Dutch Wonderland will get a few more visits from the McKinstrys in the next few years. That's for sure!