Daddy's Super-Great, Amazing Idea

Jeremy has wanted to take the boys Splash Country, since Jones was an infant. I'm not kidding. His family used to go en masse every Summer, so taking the boys has been a part of Jeremy's plan from the very beginning.

Believe it or not, I've been the hold-out. I'd only been to Splash Country once - with Jeremy's family, the Summer he and I were engaged - and I only remembered one very tiny section for kids, so always before when he'd bring it up, I'd put it off, saying, "I just feel like they're still too little."

Well, earlier this week, he told me he had a surprise for the boys and me. He'd bought tickets to something we'd be doing this Saturday. It didn't take long for me to get it out of him: we were going to Splash Country. I was so grateful that he'd planned a Family Fun Day that I didn't even mention how unsure I was about the idea. I just rolled with the flow.

And I'm glad that I did.

Now that we're home, I can say with certainty that I was the one in the wrong. The boys had a complete and total BALL at Splash Country - or "Dollywood's Splash Country," as Jones called it  (Freddie called it "the water Dollywood"). They had so much fun, in fact, that Jeremy thinks in a couple of years, they'll prefer the water park to the theme park.

Maybe they will. They surely loved the time we spent there today.

Jones especially loved the Lazy River. I think we did it about nine times, and I'm not exaggerating. Most of the time, we didn't even use the tubes - we just swam and / or walked through the 2.5 feet of water. Jones also loved the Wave Pool. It was while we were in it that I realized he can swim under water - and he actually really loves to do it. I was as proud as I was surprised!

Jones did NOT like the Raging River Rapids. He tried it - which thrilled me; I wasn't sure he would - but when we'd ask if he wanted to go again, he'd respond a very resolved, "NO CHANCE."

Freddie's favorites were the water slides. When Jeremy jokingly asked if Freddie wanted to do the 70 foot drop of Fire Tower Falls, Freddie excitedly answered, "Yes!" Since he's still about seven inches too short for that (thank GOD), he was just as happy hitting up all the slides he WAS tall enough to do. I did them all with him, and it was absolutely awesome - especially the three at the Bear Mountain Fire Tower. He and I looped those suckers about six times each.

To cap off our great day, we were given rain checks for all four of us to return to the park for free. Sometime between when we went to get on our dry clothes and when we walked out of the park, they closed the water due to expected storms. As a result, they gave us a free day, which was totally unexpected but incredibly appreciated.

Needless to say, we are already planning the Pressley Family's Triumphant Return to "the Water Dollywood."

Good call, Daddy.

I appreciate Jeremy mentioning how
yesterday's mascara gave me RACCOON EYES
{eye roll}. Still, I like this family selfie!

(Oh, and also ... since Freddie started swim lessons, he's wanted "Spider-man clothes" to be his surprise for learning how to swim. Naturally, as soon as he took off his lifejacket and did his thing at last Monday's lesson, we ordered the Spidey swimsuit he picked out. It came in yesterday - just in time to wear it today, but not before asking his daddy if he could sleep in it last nite (he did). When we pulled into the Splash Country parking lot, my little clotheshorse said, "I hope everyone likes my bathing suit." How could they NOT?! Also, in spite of aforementioned swim lesson success, Freddie still wore a lifejacket most of the day. It was his request. He said it made him feel safer, and so we agreed to it.)