Great America Trip

We went to Six Flags Great America a couple weeks ago, and we really enjoyed riding the coasters and hanging out with friends.

The Sisson family invited us to spend a couple nights with them so we didn't have to make the long drive all in one day, and it was wonderful! We only had 15 minute drive that morning, and we were actually so early we had to stand around and wait for the park to open.

Siblings and best friends!

We chose to ride the new roller coaster, The Dark Knight, first before a big crowd came. We like going on homeschool day because the lines are usually pretty short. I think that was our longest wait of the day at a half hour. Most of the time we only had to wait 5-15 minutes for a ride!

Jill R, Mel, Nate S, and Hans B.
Waiting for the Superman!
Hans, Ryan B, Rachel W, and Kelli H.
This is a great coaster!

The guys ...
... and me all by myself. I was supposed to be with them, but the seat was not available.

I still enjoyed it!

Some of the girls didn't like this ride, but they tried it at least once. The look on Mandy's face says that she is terrified, and she was!

Helena B, Rachel W, and Mandy and Danielle M.
The Giant Drop is still one that scares Jason and I a little. When you get to the top, you wonder, "Why in the world am I doing this? This is crazy!" We still do it though!

Hans, Kelli, and Jill
This was Helena's first time on roller coasters and rides, but she loved it all.
Her brother, Nathan, paid for her to get an air brushed tattoo so he could film it.


The rose that she chose was really pretty, but she said it didn't last many days.
Although it sprinkled in the morning, the afternoon became quite hot. Water rides were on the agenda for most people after lunch.


Waiting in line for the log ride.


Mandy rode with my mom and dad.
Danielle, Jill, Nate F, and Melody

Hans and Kelli
While I was holding jackets and cameras at Vertical Velocity, I turned around and was able to see some other friends on the log ride.

Mr. and Mrs. Kalebaugh, their nephew, Jared, and his Uncle Hal

This was Melody's first time to ride Vertical Velocity. She does not like any coasters that have drops becuase she doesn't like the feeling of falling, but she decided to give this one a try. She really enjoyed it! She and Nate rode it a couple times in a row. Before lunch I was feeling sick, so I took pictures much of the afternoon before ending the day with a few more coasters.

Bumper cars may seem tame compared to everything else, but it's a nice break.

Nate, Mel, Mandy, and Danielle

Becky K. and John Z.

We have a tradition of doing a tail gate party while we wait for the park to clear at the end of the day. We hung around in the parking lot with the Kalebaughs and Ziglers replenishing our strength after a long but fun day!

After the long, busy day we headed back to the Sisson's house for more fun with friends! We got nearly everyone to join in on a game of Catch Phrase.

It's pretty much a given that if we spend time with the Sissons, there's going to be some juggling! We found out that Danielle knows how to juggle as well, so we included her in our "attempts" at passing.

Smile!
Nate and Jason were working on passing over their heads to the other person.
The guys tried to knock the straws out of the girls' mouths...Nate said he was a bit nervous! Look at the expression on Danielle's face. I don't think she's all that confident in his skills either!

Here's a picture of Haley's new kitten. She seems to be enjoying her new home!

The Bruce family and Mandy and Danielle were also guests of the Sissons and we really enjoyed getting to know them.

Saying good-bye...Uh-oh, the guys are fighting, maybe it really is time for us to head out!
Aw, sad to be going, Jason?

It's a Sisson tradition to wave good-bye to friends and family with something white. (Usually Kleenexes) Jason found other ways to use his!
Ooo, who's the scary guy?