Busch Gardens Parent's Perspective

There are two versions of our fun day at Busch Gardens this weekend. The first is our parents' view: we spent a glorious day outside as a family enjoying perfect weather.

Ryan fit right in with the monkeys.

Mom decided that being the tallest girl in my VPK class deserved a celebration.  So, she took me on my first REAL roller coaster. 

That's me, 4th row, arms up, screaming and laughing the whole time!  I was only scared when we flipped upside down for a minute.

Mom and Dad were surprised at how much I loved it.  There's a secret wild side to this sweet, shy girl!

Dad said I can count on Mom to take me on all the roller coasters in the future.  He will stick to rides closer to his comfort zone.

Ryan was bummed to miss out on the roller coaster, he got stuck with a stationary lion.

But the train ride through the safari was fun.

And the playful otters were hilarious!

There was a memorable moment with the orangutan at the window.  Little maniac was chatting away, nonstop, as the wise old ape patiently listened.

Mom and Dad like to pat themselves on the back when we kids fall asleep in the stroller and car on the way home.  Mission Accomplished.

Busch Gardens Kid's Perspective

All I told my friends at school the next day was "I got my face painted!".  Ryan told his friends "I saw a train!".

February

What's so great about February?  Lunch at the beach!  Or, what Ryan called Day With A Tractor.

It was too cold to get in the water, so Mom and I worked on collecting shells and sticks. 

Ryan went completely out of his mind with excitement over the sand and water,

forcing Dad to chase him across a mile radius to keep him out of the water.

Then the boys practiced their poses for a Vineyard Vines catalog.

Ryan at 19 Months

We are trying to come up with more adjectives to describe the maniac who lives in our house.  He seems to like hearing us refer to him as "crazy", "wild", or "berserk". 

But none of those words capture the loving, mischievous side of our monkey.  

He is growing out of the baby state, into an opinionated, angry old man stuck in a miniature body.

Mom says he lives out loud, aggressively and persistently asking for what he wants.

We love discovering his new quirky preferences.  Like how he eats crackers: twist cracker sandwich, identify side with most peanut butter filling, eat that one, discard the other.  

And finger foods like quesadillas, pizza, or chicken strips: take one bite from most attractive end, discard the rest in a neat pile.

He's awesome.  We hope he knows it!