We woke up the earliest we had in days to get a head start on our drive up to Hershey Park, so that we could get in a full day's worth of fun. *There are some pictures later that are not for the faint of heart, so please be prepared."
Taking a historical drive up to Hershey, PA
The kids were really taking it all in...
Lydia barely made the cut as a Hershey's at 48"
Sophie grew a couple inches over the summer to slip in as a Reese's at 42"
Our relatives had not arrived at the park yet, so we got on the "Comet" roller coaster. Sophie, who isn't a huge fan of coasters like me, was teary-eyed by the end and I pulled a muscle in my shoulder on this particularly shaky ride, so we had a bit of a rough start. When we finished, we met Trung's cousins Chi and Amy and their families at the wave pool in the water section of the park. The water was pretty cold though we all got in, but Sophie (with her 0% body fat) didn't last very long
We had one quick picture with all the kids before we all separated. Our family went to the water section, while everyone else went to the kiddie rides.
Pictured: Matthew, Joshua, Spencer, Carleigh, Jacob, Sophie, and Lydia (L-R)
Lydia enjoying a piece of fruit while waiting for the giant splash from a water ride
She asked for it!
We chose this amusement park mainly for the water activities because the water in California is too cold to get in. Of course, however, today had the coolest weather since we arrived to the East Coast. The girls still enjoyed the water, but Sophie couldn't take the cold for long periods of time.
As I was changing and Trung was holding a napping Sophie, Lydia went to the main water structure before we moved on to the dry rides. Trung couldn't find Lydia for awhile because the structure is so big, but Sophie finally saw her coming down some steps...crying. I rushed over only to discover that she had slipped on a wet step and hit her head, leaving behind a gaping wound. It was no longer bleeding, but did require a trip to the park's first aid center to have a nurse look at it.
The nurse determined that Lydia would need sutures, so we needed to go to the hospital. Lydia started getting upset by this fact, even though she didn't know what stitches were. She could have gotten a free ride to the emergency room in an ambulance, but there wasn't any carseats for Sophie, so we just took our own car. The nearest hospital also happened to be the state hospital with a wonderful children's department, so we were very fortunate.
Lydia wanted Trung to go with her into the emergency room and only one parent was allowed, so I had to watch everything going on via video chat from the waiting room.
Making sure the wound is nice and clean
My brave child
Lydia got four dis-solvable stitches and is the first person in our family to ever get stitches (knock on wood)
When Sophie and I finally got to see Lydia, the girls went straight to playing like nothing ever happened
Uncle An and Aunt Angie were kind enough to wait with Sophie and I, and later bring us some food.
After Lydia was discharged from the hospital, we went back to the park...crazy, huh? If you know Lydia, she is a thrill seeker and loves her roller coasters. I knew that it would make her feel better to go on some rides before the day ended and it did! Plus, we got four compensation tickets to come back again next season, which was nice.
While Lydia and I were getting our adrenaline going, Trung hung out Sophie at the kiddie rides where she met a new friend.
When Hershey Park closed, we went over to Chocolate World next door and hopped on a mini tour
Churning chocolate
I thought Trung was posing for me
Apparently he was posing for a bigger camera, so here's a picture of me taking a picture. :P
Chocolate heaven
A sweet end to a very eventful day.
