Land of Make Believe

We took a trip to the Land of Make Believe on Monday.  It's about an hour away, and we had so much fun!  It's an amusement park geared towards younger kids and a water park.  The first thing we saw was this giant bear standing near the entrance.  Peter gave him a big hug before we walked off to find the rides.

Peter was the perfect age to enjoy most of the rides, and Danielle loved riding the carousel and train multiple times.

The train ride was neat because you got a mini-tour of the entire park.  The conductor told us about all of the fun and exciting things to do which is how we discovered that Santa was there.  Now, for most children, just the mention of Santa's name brings feelings of giddy anticipation to a child.  However, for Peter, it was just exciting to see someone he doesn't see every day.  Santa resides in Santa's Barn, a large building transformed into a winter wonderland in the middle of August.

I find it pretty funny that we have a picture of all of us in shorts and t-shirts (I'm actually wearing my swimsuit) sitting with Santa in the middle of August.  The idea of Santa has been something I think about when Christmas rolls around each year.  When the kids are tiny, they don't even notice him.  However, as Peter has gotten older, more and more people ask him what he wants from Santa for Christmas.  I'm torn because I don't want to teach him that Christmas is about Santa, but I also want to respect other parents and their choice to let their children believe in Santa.  I find Santa to be a good theme for stories during the holidays, but I do not tell my children that Santa is real and will bring them gifts if they are good.  In fact, when Peter asks, I tell him that Santa is pretend just like many other characters that he watches on TV or reads about. 

So, I found it hilarious when this Santa asked Peter what he wanted for Christmas.  Peter thought for a minute, and then, in the most serious voice, said, "What do you have?"  It was just as if I'd asked him what he wanted for dessert and he was wondering what his choices were.  It was so funny!  Santa showed him a toy tractor that was part of the display, so now Peter says he wants a tractor for Christmas.  Santa then gave both kids reindeer cookie cutters (which Peter called a moose), and we went on our way.  We visited Santa one more time before we left because Peter enjoyed the exhibit so much.

Besides the rides, there was a maze, a bunch of candy canes perfect for swinging on, and a balance beam.

Peter's two favorite rides of the day were the frog ride and the ferris wheel.  I loved ferris wheels as a kid, so I was more than happy to ride with him.

After lunch, we finished out the day at the water park.  We spent most of the time in the wading pool, but Peter, Aunt Amy, and Grandpa enjoyed the lazy river as well.  Peter was even brave enough to go on one of the big waterslides with me!  We sat in an innertube made for two people - Peter in front and me in back.  The ride was pretty fast, and I was sure that I was going to have a crying boy at the end.  Peter definitely surprised me, though, when he had a big smile on his face at the bottom.  He loved it!!!

After a carnival game that produced two little fishy prizes and a final ride on the carousel, we headed home.  What a great day!!