This Full House spends a day at Sesame Place on Media Day (6/1/08) representing the Parent Bloggers Network!
Counting by one and tens with The Count, sharing a snack with the Cookie Monster and singing the, "Rubber Ducky Song" with best friends Bert and Ernie, these are the memories that resonate in the hearts (and minds) of children of all ages and it really doesn't matter how old you are, or where you grew up - everyone knows the way to Sesame Street.
The Parent Bloggers Network offered me and my family the chance to visit this childhood trusted friend, recently, for real?
Well, can you tell me, how could I say no to spending a full day at Sesame Place?
"OMG, that place is for babies!"
Back in the day (way before the invention of the Wii and around the time when dinosaurs walked the Earth) watching children's television shows (like, Sesame Street on PBS) helped my twin brother and I learn to speak English (which, was a good thing) and the program was our only preschool education.
So, yeah, I loved to sit and watch with my babies, too.
It's been ten years since our last visit to Sesame Place - my two oldest daughters were 2 and 4 - and I really didn't remember very much, besides it being very cold and wet.
"Did I mention it has a water park?"
Silence.
"And it's supposed to be hot?"
We live in New Jersey and it's been cold (and wet) right up to (and throughout) Memorial Day weekend.
"Aaaaand our pool isn't opened yet, remember?"
Still, even The Boy (he's 9) didn't seem to be very convinced.
"Will there be food?"
We arrived into Langhorne, PA around 11:00 a.m. and were stunned by the amount of people, you know, already there - my friends at PBN weren't aware that "Media Day" was also "Bring a Friend Day" - but, the folks at Sesame Place were kind enough to provide us with lunch, first.
Then, our good friend Bert showed up and it's around the time when the kids and I really started having fun.
Oh, and our good friend Ernie arrived - apparently, he heard that I worked with Kristen (a.k.a. Motherhood Uncensored) and decided to leave his Rubber Ducky home - and was having a little hair trouble, too!
Why, YES of course I absolutely love crowds -- especially, on a hot-sort-of-sweaty day -- why, can't you tell!?!?
I also had the pleasure of running into my dear friend Victoria (a.k.a. Savvy Mommy) and her beautiful family - after having waved wildly at each other in the parking lot - but, conveniently forgot to take a picture with her.
Did I mention, I was having a bad hair day and...OH!...she's absolutely BEAUTIFUL!?!?
But, my husband Garth (not his real name) was also looking all HAWT and I got him to agree to have his picture taken, for at least one of my blogs, FINALLY!
Thing One being camera shy at Sesame Place, as Mini-me makes a mental note on how to act like a teenager!
My 14-year-old, not so much.
Until, we finally entered the park and hit Big Bird's Rambling River, one of the dozen family-friendly water rides that Sesame Place has to offer.
Oh, but there is still plenty of other things to see and a lot of fun ways of keeping cool - especially, for the big kids - so, my husband and I decided it would be better to split up and tag-teamed the rest of the park.
My cell phone takes better pictures than his cell phone, still!
My husband, Garth (not his real name) and my two youngest had a great time investigating the miles and miles of climbing activities and nothing but net, baby:
It's fun that spans three stories high and there's only one way up - climb! With hundreds of yards of cargo netting connected by 200 feet of suspended net tunnels, this webbed world challenges children and parents alike.
While my 14-year-old and 12-year-old climbed the stairs to theme park heaven, that is Sky Splash:
Super-popular Sky Splash allows up to 6 to ride together in a large raft-like tube, gliding under oversized toys such as an 8-foot Rubber Duckie. Rising more than 6 stories, this wild ride delivers the thrills, taking you from gentle “sky” ponds into accelerator slides and culminating with a final plunge into one great big pool.
Thank goodness they supply life vests, it makes dragging through the park, with a gaggle of kids, a whole lot easier, but we DID forget our towels in the car.
Oh well, did I mention it was HOT!?!
The kids had school the next morning - I know, they weren't too happy about it, either - so, we decided to end our day with a little face painting.
Since, the very generous folks at Sesame Place were kind enough to pick up our tab for the tickets and we happened to have a little extra money in our pocket(s)!
The Boy partakes in a bit of face painting fun and unleashes the green beast within at Sesame Place.
The Boy looks like he's totally ready for the premier of The Hulk - BOOYAH!
Thing One and Thing Two watch their baby sister get her face painted and about the point in our visit to Sesame Place where they wished they were, you know, younger...for once!
The older girls? Yeah - after spending the rest of the afternoon riding their butts off and getting really, really wet - they finally had to admit that they had a lot of fun, too!
Final Verdict:
Not being a big fan of theme parks - having to pay ALL that money to listen to other people's loud (and obnoxious) kids is NOT our idea of a good time - my husband and I both agreed (for once) and found Sesame Place to be a VERY family-friendly experience and enough to keep all 4 of our kids happy, too!
With special events throughout the season, we suggest that you check out their website before your visit and plan your trip to get the most out of your day at Sesame Place!
FIND IT HERE: Sesame Place is located 30 minutes north of Philadelphia and 90 minutes south of New York City.
[This review was brought to you courtesy of Parent Bloggers Network.]
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In Other News:
This week's Review Bloggers Carnival is being hosted by my friend, Jen at The So Called Me!
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