Sadie's Day..."Almost like Disneyland!"

Sadie's big plans for the summer got put on hold when her Dad had to have an operation on his back. Aspen suggested that this was the kind of disappointment that was better suited for a grandma to soothe than a mom, so plans were drawn up for a day to remember.  After being given three options, Sadie chose, "Almost like Disneyland" which included as many fun stops in St. George that we could squeeze into a day and a night, with a friend invited to help share in the fun. 

 After picking up Journey, we headed over to Anti-Gravity.  Our photographer/Grandpa took this picture just before we entered the building. 

 The girls spent the first few minutes lounging on one of a gazillion trampolines in this amazingly fun place.  They jumped, they bounced, they somersaulted and played dodge ball.

There were lots of other bouncy things to play on.  We went early on a Thursday and did not have to fight the crowds which was nice.  The girls played for an hour and had a great time. There was an arcade there that was very disappointing.  The games took your tokens and either did not work at all, or worked, but did not pay out tickets for wins.  When we complained, we were told by a worker that they didn't own the machines, they only redeemed the tickets. (he was very apologetic)

 Our next stop was at Tuacahn where the girls took advantage of a great photo-op.

 I think their favorite place at Tuacahn was the gift shop. They got to pose with Jasmine and Aladdin.

  Grandpa has taught his daughters and granddaughters that boys are ugly and they stink.  Looks like Sadie agrees.

After all the jumping and climbing, it was time for lunch.  The girls asked Grandpa to take a picture of them making a face while they waited for their pasta.

 From there we tried out the St. George Carousel in the center of town.  They loved this ride.  They begged to go again and again. 

 Our next stop was at the St. George Temple grounds/visitors' center. The perfect change of pace.  We got to see a short video about a miracle that a young girl and her little brother experienced, and one of the missionary tour guides gave the girls a piece of quartz from the mine quary for the temple.

 It had been at least ten minutes since the last snack, so the girls chose to go to Baskin Robbins  to load up on ice cream. Sadie emptied out the ice cream, but couldn't quite finish the waffle cone.  Journey managed to eat all of hers!


From here, we made a quick trip to Mountain America to take out a loan (just kidding- we used our Dixie Direct card to get great deals on nearly every place we went so the day's entertainment was fairly inexpensive...way less than Disneyland!)  We thought Sadie would like to pop in and say hi to her mom.  But our photographer left his camera in the car so you'll have to use your imagination.

 The next stop was Laser Mania.  This was definitely a fun place.  They absolutley loved the miniature golfing.  Not because of the golf, but because of the florescent lights and fun themes that went with each hole.

 Sadie thought the Spider Man hole was pretty cool

 This girl is right at home in any picture!

 Even if she's in jail!

 And-look closely to see the golf ball in one hand and the raised finger-her first hole-in-one!

 The bumper cars were also fun for the girls, although it took a little practice to learn to steer away from the sides.  They also loved the laser tag, but we did not get good pictures of that activity.  We would love to have stayed for the 4D laser movie, but the afternoon was fast ending and there was stil one more place Sadie really wanted to go.

 Fiesta Fun!  The water boats were the perfect way to cool off after a day of hard playing.

 Did they get wet?

 Oh yes!

I have to say something about these two girls.  They were the perfect ones to spend a day like this with!  I could not have asked for two more cheerful, well behaved girls.  They both really enjoy life and their enthusiasm is contagious.   Sometimes they would ask for something and I would say no, but there was never one word of complaint-just a lot of thank-yous throughout the day.  I especially loved that they loved the temple visitors' center!   I just cannot say enough good things about these two. 

After dropping Journey off at her home, the second half of the fun day began.  Plans called for dinner and a movie, but we were completely out of time, so dinner was a super large buttered popcorn, a box of mild duds and a pink lemonaide that we ate while watching Mirror Mirror.  Poor Sadie was still soaking wet from the water boats, so I had to give her a jacket I keep stashed in the car for emergencies.  She was a good sport and I think she enjoyed the movie despite being cold and wet. (Again, no whining...even when it was now just Grandma and Grandpa and Sadie---is she a great kid or what?!!)

Once we got home, Sadie headed straight for the bathtub where she warmed up quickly and was ready for a late night snack before falling asleep maybe five seconds after I tucked her in. 

All in all, I'd say this fun day was a day to remember.  Love you, Sadie!