Waterpark

A couple weeks ago we took the boys to the new waterpark at Massanutten while we were visiting Granny and Babo. After a rocky start, and me fearing that Joe would vow never to attempt such an excursion with the boys ever again, we all ended up having a great time.

The drama began when both boys refused to have anything to do with the wristbands they were supposed to wear as evidence of their paid admission to the park. You would think we were trying to attach tarantulas to their wrists. Actually, they probably would have preferred tarantulas to the wristbands.

We quickly gave up on the wristbands and headed over to the lazy river. The boys were delighted to get in the water, but screamed bloody murder when we attempted to put them in rafts. So, we thought we'd hold off on that for a while and check out the wave pool. The only problem was that they had to wear a floatation vest in the wave pool. We eventually convinced Joshua to wear one, winning him over with the buckle fasteners that resembled the buckles on their car seats which they're thoroughly obsessed with. Caleb, on the other hand, regarded the vest as an instrument of torture, so Joe gave him a stern lecture on dry land while Joshua and I bounced around in the waves.

Later we all headed back inside, and by this point Caleb decided that the rafts in the lazy river weren't so bad after all. He and Joe made several circuits while I wrestled with Joshua, who was still under the impression that the raft would eat him alive. Knowing how stubborn the boys can be about something before they actually try it, I was determined to make him realize that the lazy river was actually fun and not the least bit scary. I miracuously managed to contain him on the raft and we made several rounds as one big (mostly) happy family, Caleb giggling merrily the entire time while I held a screaming Joshua in a strangehold to prevent him from jumping off.

Next, we proceeded to the giant water castle, where our same child who was terrified of the lazy river voluntarily embarked down a huge adult-sized waterslide all by himself. Joshua screamed the whole way down, and the look of terror on his precious face as he rounded the first curve--at this point speeding down head-first on his back--will be forever seared into my memory. When he reached the end of the slide--by this point head-first on his belly--Joe rescued him and calmed him down. Naturally, Caleb did not dare follow in his brother's brave footsteps, and the remainder of the evening was enjoyed in milder aquatic pursuits.

Despite a little drama here and there along the way, we all had a wonderful time and the boys have been asking to go back to the "water paht" at least once a day ever since then!