Dutch Wonderland Weekend

Last August we visited Dutch Wonderland in Lancaster, PA for the first time with the boys.  They had such a great time that we decided to head back again with friends!  We called it Workman/West Wonderland Weekend, complete with custom designed t-shirts for the kids!  This year the boys were much more aware of the amusement park's main character Duke the Dragon and the various animated and costumed versions of him around the park.  We saw a show featuring Duke, during which Oliver was completely captivated and also cautious when it came time to line up for a picture with Duke and his dance team afterward.  Owen wanted nothing to do with the show or the picture!  Spencer and Oliver warmed up after the picture and wanted to give the purple dragon goodbye hugs. 

There were a lot of great rides for the kids (and adults!) including some of their favorites from last year, like the panda bears and froggies, that they remembered and looked forward to riding before we even arrived.  There was even a brand new section of the park called exploration island that featured giant, animated dinosaurs that we first saw from the boat ride and then later explored on foot.  Oliver was terrified of them at first, thinking the creatures and their snapping teeth were real!  Spencer wasn't phased - he spent his time collecting wood chips and tossing them to the dinos like food saying, "Here you go dinosaur!"  An equal amount of fun was had by the crew of 5 kids outside of the park - bouncing around the hotel room, diving into a pack 'n play full of pillows, exploring corn fields behind an IHOP, and enjoying chocolate chip pancakes with friends!

Going deep into the corn field!