Como Town!

We are members of an organization, Hope Kids, that provides a regular stream of free activities for kids with life-threatening medical conditions and their families. We have loved being a part of Hope Kids because having these opportunities available to us free of charge (and already with a date set on the calendar) means we have that much more incentive to just go for it. We've gone to live theater, a private movie showing, trampoline park evenings, and a number of other things, but usually it's just *some* of us who go because our family is, well, complicated to get out. (Besides the fact that it now takes two vehicles to get all of us anywhere!)

But, when there were free unlimited ride wristbands for Como Town (a small amusement park adjacent to the free Como Zoo) the day before Reuben's birthday, we decided we'd go for it.

So we did.

 (On the left, a photo from my phone looking back at Daddy, Mira, Rinnah, and Grandma, and on the right, a photo from Matt's phone looking forward at Owen, Bobbi, Mom, Krassi, Reuben, Leah, Gloria, and Evania.)

And, a good time was (mostly) had by all.

We went on the swings (starting from just right of center are Leah and Rinnah, Bobbi and Owen, and Mom and Reuben)

Owen got Leah, Bobbi, and Dad to join him on the roller coaster. Bobbi's response? "Never again!" But she DID want her photo taken in front of it as a reminder that she really did go on it!

Then onto the cars. This was the one and only ride Evania tried. She was petrified. The cars did, after all, go slowly and around the track. But she survived.

Reuben, however, LOVED it, and the lines were short enough that he got to go around again without having to get out. He's not going to make a good driver, though, since he couldn't keep his eyes on the road - he was flipping through the pages of his trusty Bible the whole time.

Trotting pony carts for Leah, Rinnah, and Reuben.

At "mini driving school" Rinnah and Owen got to scoot around the tracks on their own.

Owen in the bumper cars!

 And there was a splash park!! Which, also, by the way, requires points to get into, but with unlimited wrist bands, we were good to go. Krassi and Reuben are our biggest fans of splash parks, but the other kids (even Gloria, and Evania to a lesser degree!) also had a good time. We're still undecided if Bogomila was really enjoying having Owen get her SOAKED or not...hard to read the seriousness of the protest through the huge grins...Anyway, it was hot enough that it felt good for all of us to get a little wet!

 

We left Como Town for a brief trip through the zoo. The giraffes were really neat. 

Daddy took this photo intentionally to give Bobbi "giraffe ears."

 And then it was time for our picnic supper. It was nice to sit down for a while, and everyone was doing well enough that when I asked Owen if he wanted to join me on the two-seater zip line and he decided he wasn't quite up to it, Matt and I made the spur of the moment decision to go together! "Owen - you're on Reuben. Leah - you've got everyone else. We'll be back soon!" (LOVED the short lines!)

 Well, once the two of us had gone without any malfunctions, everyone else wanted to go, too...with Mom. So I went with Owen, then Leah, then Reuben, then Bobbi, and finally Rinnah. (We debated on Krassi - he's getting SO much better at holding his core and sitting upright...but by then the line was longer and it was getting close to closing time. Maybe next year...)

Up and into the seat!

Squeezing mom's hand tight!!!

 And we ended the evening in the tea cups. Not the most exciting end to a day of rides, but kind of a nice classic way to end a day at an amusement park. These days are a lot of work, but hopefully give all of us something fun to remember doing together.