Water! Park!

This is the second of my Pocono posts. See below for post number one.

If you ask Hannah and Lizzie their favorite activity in the Poconos they will tell you in no uncertain terms that it's the indoor waterpark H2oooooh! It opened last year and the girls had a blast running around in the temperature controlled (82 and humid which did WONDERS for my hair!) playground. This year the water park was also Rob's favorite activity, since he didn't go. :)
Since the girls are almost eight and they (not I) were feeling brave I let them try several of the rides and slides that were off limits last year. That included the Flow Rider which is this huge wall of water upon which you ride a boogie board. Here's Lizzie waiting in line for her turn. She's looking at me with that sort of resigned smile on her face because I am yelling, "NO MATTER WHAT, JUST HOLD ON."

Hannah gets her lesson from a David Cook (at least I thought so and if you don't watch American Idol you don't know who he is so you'll just have to take my word for it) look-alike. He's telling her how to push herself off the sides with her feet and I am yelling "NO MATTER WHAT, JUST HOLD ON...":

Hannah was so steady on the Flow Rider that one of the life guards came over and started to shoot the water different ways to see if he could shake her off. (yeah THANKS for that...) He even bounced up and down so that the board would bounce, too. Hannah loved every single second of it, and rode for quite awhile:

Uh-Oh, looks like the ride is almost over as she starts to bounce towards the side of the wall...:

CRASH ... Hannah drifted over to the side of the flow-rider and hopped off to the applause of those watching, except me, because I did not want to encourage another ride (although they both did the Flow Rider twice!):

Lizzie's turn! She hung on for dear life just as suggested by her mother, and managed to get a good long ride:

Until... This is starting to not look good. Once you drift to the left or right of the Flow Rider you get stuck in the rapids, white water, swirling vortex and usually get tossed out. Lizzie managed to hang on a while longer:

Ooops, Lizzie lost her board and started to swirl around in the waves. Should I jump in and save her?:

T.A. and Tommy did not look concerned as they watched the action:

Finally the waves took her back UP to the top of the Flow Rider and deposited her there (all under the watchful eye of the lifeguard who could see she was having fun, but could NOT see that I was NOT having fun...)

This is more my speed as Lizzie hangs out under the mushroom water sprayer:

Tommy working the water guns:

Lizzie getting off one of the slides:

Hannah getting ready to go up the stairs (three flights of them at least) for another turn on the slide. Last year they weren't allowed to go down the slides alone so this was a huge treat for them:


Tommy getting ready to drag a double innertube up the stairs:

Up, up, up, up, up they go:

Here's comes Hannah down the slide:

Then Lizzie came down (this one was in total darkness):

Then Tommy and Lizzie:


I did go down the Family Slide a couple of times, but am grateful there was no one taking pictures! We spent a good five hours at the water park after which I needed a nap. The girls were ready to go back! And are already talking about next year. And with the joy on these faces:

I could hardly say no: