5 years 11 months 2 days

Day 2162. This morning Sammy was up first - later as usual, as expected. Tammy and Emmy slept long. Finally we all got up to get dressed and go to breakfast. I had gone to bed at 2:30 am so I was very tired. We ate breakfast and still saw some conference people we talked to who were checking out. Then we went to our room.

As the church where the conference was taking place had no Sunday services, and since I had found out that there was a Peppa Pig park, it meant sense to use our last day in town to go there. I had already bought the tickets yesterday - for the theme park and the indoor playground.

It was 10:30 am before we were able to drive off - later than intended. By 10:45 we arrived at the Peppa Pig theme park. It was a hot day with 35 degrees Celsius. There were still a lot of parking spaces there even though the park had opened at 9 am. We parked and walked to the entrance where we took a picture. Then we had to go through security. When they checked our tickets, they let us know about a special pass that Sammy could get so we went into the office to get it. With that pass he didn't have to wait in line but could get into the rides right away.

The photographer took our picture, then we went in. There was so much to see and so many directions to go that you didn't know where to start. We simply started walking and looking on what there was. They saw the hot air balloons high up in the air and wanted to go there first so we did. I got into a car with Tammy and Emmy, and Daddy and Sammy into another one. Then we went up into the air while turning and it kept turning on top, then slowly went back down. It was a cute ride. 

Back on the ground, the kids really wanted to do the ride next to it where you get dropped down from on high. We stood in line when there was a technical issue, and they had to close. It was disappointing.

We moved on and found some statues where we took pictures. The kids were eager to go to the rollercoaster, so we headed to the exit to skip the very short line. Tammy was tall enough to sit by herself, so I sat by Emmy while Daddy was with Sammy. The next time I rode with Sammy, and after that Emmy also sat by himself, Tammy by herself and Daddy with Sammy. They loved it so much that they couldn't get enough of it and wanted to do it over and over again. Me not so much. I'm not a rollercoaster fan.

From there we walked to the theater as we knew that Peppa was gonna come for a show, and she did. She sang and danced and played a game with all kids, including that they had to freeze when the music stopped. Emmy did a headstand on purpose so that he had to freeze that way and stay that way for a long time.

Leaving there, they wanted to go on the rollercoaster again. As Sammy was only allowed to come back after an hour with his special pass, we lined up with everyone else. It was a pretty short line anyway. Sammy is a wild one, and he loved the rollercoaster so much he wanted to keep riding it.

There was a boat ride the boys wanted to do but Tammy had been asking for a while to go to the waterpark so we went there next. They already had their swimsuits on underneath, as did Daddy. I decided to not wear mine and greatly regretted it. It was so very hot that I would have loved to also get wet plus I really wanted to do the slides with the kids. I had not known that the park was as it was. Too bad. I honestly considering going to the hotel to get it. Instead I watched the kids and took pictures and videos. Randy did the slides with Sammy who had lots of fun and wanted to keep doing them. Emmy and Tammy were running around and having lots of fun.

After a while, they were done and took their swimsuits off and put their clothes back on. It was time to head to the boat ride. It only went in circles, but up and down as if there were waves. It was okay but not extraordinary. We continued on to the dinosaur ride next to it. I went first with Emmy, while the others were waiting for me to be done. Then Tammy went with me, while Randy went with Sammy and Emmy waited by the wheelchair for us. Tammy and Emmy were having fun, Sammy not so much. 

I was very aware of how very hot it was, especially as I had not cooled off in the water like the others. I was glad that the cinema was something we hadn't checked out yet as it was inside and not so hot. They were showing a few Peppa Pig episodes and had riddles in between. We stayed for a while, until the same episodes started over again.

While we were there, we decided it was time to leave and go eat somewhere on the way to the Peppa indoor playground we also had tickets for. I wanted to go to Whataburger but found out that they don't have sweet potato fries any more which were the best. Instead we decided to go to Wendy's which is the cheapest place to eat by far, and it's good. 

We left the cinema and were heading in the direction of the exit when we saw that the drop-off was working again. We just had to go there. While I stood in line with Tammy and Emmy, Randy did the hot-air balloon ride again with Sammy. I didn't really want to be dropped off from on high so I was glad, when Randy and Sammy came our way. We left the line and went to the exit with Sammy who could get in there. I was glad that it was Randy who was doing the ride with the kids instead of me. And the kids had an absolute blast. They wanted to do it again, but it was time to go.

And yet, we still didn't make it to the exit. First, there was a fishing game right there, and then there was one more attraction we hadn't done yet - the bike trail. Tammy and Emmy got on tricycles and started to cycle, while Sammy went behind the wheel of the bus. However, we didn't stay long as we were tired, hot and hungry. It really was time to leave. We went through the shop to exit the park and walked to the car. It was 2:30 pm when we drove off, so we had spent nearly 4 hours in the park.

We had a 10-minute drive to Wendy's; I had already placed the order on my phone while we were still in the cinema so it had been a while. Since it was nearly 3 pm, the restaurant was nearly empty. We got our food and sat down to eat and had a good time. Sammy had already eaten more than ever for breakfast, and he ate a lot again for lunch. After 45 minutes we were done and continued on our way to the indoor playground.

By 3:45 pm we reached the shopping mall where the playground was but didn't really know how to get there. We asked in a shop, and they showed us the "secret" door to take to get inside the shopping mall. When we opened the door, there was a long, dark, unfinished hallway. Tammy freaked out in fear and didn't want to go in but then she did after all and was fine. At the other end of the hallway was the inside of the mall, and I saw the Peppa Pig playground right away. They scanned our tickets and gave us all bracelets. The kids had my name and phone number on their wrists. Then we went inside.

The entrance was a bus, then there was a photo station. Contrary to the park, the picture was not included in the price. We walked on and entered a Peppa paradise. Again, we didn't even know where to start. There were buildings with obstacle courses and slides, a supermarket, several vehicles to get inside and ride, Peppa's house, mud puddles to jump into, a tricycle trail and so on and on. The kids were all going in different directions, not knowing what to do first, and they had so much fun. Randy had Sammy at first, but then I had him. We had just over 2 hours at the playground. And Peppa came by for a photo op. Sammy was in awe and high-fived her while Emmy hugged her.

Sammy loved Peppa's house most. There was a living room and a kitchen. In the kitchen, there was a phone on the wall that you could push and Grandpa Pig was on the line to let you know that his parrot had escaped and to ask whether it was there. And yes, it was in the living room. Sammy kept answering Grandpa's question with a resounding yes but just wanted to hear it again and again. We then went to the living room where I sat down in the chair with the parrot and played like it was hitting my head with its beak. The kids loved that. Then Tammy played that she was sick and needed a doctor. It started a long roleplay that all three kids were involved with, Emmy just for part of the time. We were trying to head to the doctor's office but while most characters of the show were somewhere, the doctor wasn't. We rode the bus and the car and the taxi trying to get to him. Sammy drove the bus for a long time having lots of fun. At that time the tiredness overcame me for a while. But Sammy had fun and kept telling me where we were driving next. Then we returned to Peppa's house.

It was going on 6 pm when the playground was going to close and the crowds were thinning. But I hadn't seen one part yet so the kids showed me where the tricycles were, and the gas station and the mail delivery truck. Sammy enjoyed pumping gas and airing up tires. Then it was really time to go - after Tammy had hidden in a basket and Emmy jumped into it as well.

We left the playground and the mall, and I waited with Tammy and Emmy to go get the car as he was parked quite a distance away. Before leaving the playground, I had placed an order for a pizza for us to pick up on the way to the hotel as their deal was still on where you get a large pizza for just over $10. We got into the car and drove in the direction of the hotel. First we stopped at a gas station to get gas, then the pizza place where the pizza had already been waiting for us for a while, then we continued on to the hotel where we arrived just before 7 pm. We went to our room and started eating. 

For once the kids were going to bed at their regular bed time of 8 pm. After having eaten, they showered, then we read a story for the first time since the conference started. Then it was bedtime after I had prayed for them. Sammy was asleep quickly; the others needed a bit more time. Randy and I were glad to have more time for once, and Randy went to bed early, at 10 pm already. As for me, I wanted to finish my report, and now it's nearly 2 am. I won't be able to get the pictures done tonight as I have a lot of them.