Surprise! We are Going to Water World
Every adult rememebers the days of going to museums, zoos, and amusement parks. They remember the excitement of the water park, the laughter that continuously rang in their ears, and the absurd amounts of fun. From the greasy french fry fingers to the sticky funnel cake mouth, all those memories stick with adults as they reminisce on the simpler days.
When agreeing to become a nanny for the summer of 2016 I never comprehended the amount of nostalgia that I would experience. I took on the job to babysit Addison (7) and Emmerson (10) Vogessor for 5 days a week 4o hours total, but never actually thought about what that meant. You gain an understanding for their likes and dislikes, their annoying but oh so adorable habits, and the pure amount of energy that they both have. Addison, Emerson, and I have formed a bond. We get to go on little adventures, lunch dates, and many, many, trampoline park trips together. From chasing each other around the yard to playing tennis in 98 degree weather, we have done it all.
All summer they have continuously asked me to take them to Water World, but we, for some reason or time commitment, have not been able to make it happen. However, on July 20th that all changed. I told their parents that I would like to surprise them with a trip to Water World, so they bought the tickets, packed the lunches, and the next morning I got to….not surprise them. Emerson the night before had found the tickets and proceeded to tell Addison that they were going to Water World. However, I still was able to capture a day of fun filled slides, a lot of laughs, and some exciting moments at Water World.
We began the day with a nice and filling breakfast of sugary pancakes, and of course, extra syrup.
The next priority for the morning after breakfast was to cleanup all the syrup that gets left behind. When you give an Addison blueberry pancakes, there is always a trail of syrup that follows her.
Despite the sticky syrup all over her mouth I still was able to ask her about what she is looking forward to at Water World…
Once the syrup situation was taken care of, it was time to pack up the bags. The essentials of course are sunscreen, towels, sunglasses, and the only thing getting us in to Water World: tickets.
Now, getting two kids out of the house with everything needed is a miracle, but doing it in a timely manner is almost impossible. Luckily, we hit the road around 9:30a.m., but I needed my breakfast: Caffeine.
After the much needed energy boost, we were on the road headed to Water World. Upon arrival, it was clear to see that we chose a busy day to come. The young children screaming, the cars honking, alarms sounding, the lines upon lines to even enter the facility… Ahh yes, exactly as I remember it. Perfection.
Luckily, Mr. and Mrs. Vogessor got our tickets ahead of time so it was one less line to stand in; however, it did not expedite the 20 minute wait for the security line.
Once through the gate I had two very eager and excited children on my hands, but there was still the dreaded locker line. All we needed was a locker for our lunches, shoes, and towels. Is that so much to ask? Is it that hard to rent a locker in a timely manner? The answer is: yes. Another 15 minute line here we come, but at this point we were close enough to the slides that the kids didn’t mind waiting a little longer.
Now that the locker was stuffed, the sunscreen had been applied, and the kids were ready to go we headed for our first ride. It was one in which you walked down to the bottom, grabbed the tube, and hiked back up the big hill to the slide. The kids grabbed one end, and I grabbed the other, we (mostly me) carried it up that hill to the top. Finally our first ride of the day!
Now that we got ourselves moving, we contiued to do ride after ride, but it got busier around the fifth one so the waiting started to become longer. Both Addison and Emerson kept a good attitude through all the lines, and once we got to the top the ride was well worth the wait.
After the continuous stairs, tube holding, and lack of muscle in my arms, we decided to hit the lazy river for some much deserved rest. Sadly, even that had a little bit of a line. After waiting our turn we finally caught some tubes and floated our way around the park.
After the lazy river the kids started to get hungry, and so did I. We headed back to our lockers to grab our lunches. The lunch menu today consisted of salami sandwiches, yogurt, fruit snacks, and chips.
The lunch break didn’t last long as the kids were eager to head back out into the park. During lunch Emerson reviewed the map and decided we had to go visit the other side of the park, and so we did. Here came even more time spent waiting…
Now, this next ride was a unique one. Addison and Emerson call it the video game ride. Each “player” rides solo and as you go down the ride you try to hit the colored buttons on your board as the corresponding colors appear in the slide. If you ask me, it is a little overly complicated, but fun nontheless.
As it was getting closer to the end of the day we decides to take a final break and get some Dip n’ Dots. Addison got Cookies and Cream and Emerson got Rainbow Splash. Who knew Rainbow was a flavor?
We headed back to the locker to grab our bags, dry off, and get dressed. Luckily for me, the bags were a lot lighter coming out of Water World than they were coming in. The drive home was quiet, as Emerson looked out the window and Addison slept.
I paused and soaked in the moment of a simplistic, but oh so fun, day at Water World. I take away from that day the sunscreen that has been permanently absorbed into my skin, the continuous scent of fried potatoes embedded in my nose, the laughter that fills up my ears, and the continuous reminder that while growing older, it is still okay to be young every now and then.
Oh, and the self given award of “Nanny of the Year” that hangs on the trophy shelf in my mind.