Last year’s Fourth of July Idaho spectacle was such a hit that we decided to do a 2022 version, this time with our favorite fourth wheel.  Grandma and Grandpa, here we come!
We hit the road with one baby in a carseat and one baby in Juliette’s arms – she is very attached to her doll as of late and I love it. There’s my little girl…
We had all kinds of wiggles to get out by the time we got to Post Falls, so there was play-grounding…
And pickle-balling…
And staying up late to watch the fireworks on Independence Day Eve. This was just the pre-party!
The booms lasted well into the night, but eventually the neighborhood fell quiet and we got some rest. About 20 minutes worth, at least, and then Isaac woke up ready to party. Gosh, he slept horribly that first night – I think he was up about every hour, trying to make sense of his new digs. But the Fourth dawned sunny and breezy and Isaac looked awfully sweet in his red, white, and blue, so after I had my morning cup of coffee, brewed lovingly by my sympathetic mom, all was forgiven.
We ventured over to Falls Park after morning nap to check out the swing situation. Four thumbs up.
Isaac’s eyelids grew heavy during our evening walk and had very little fight in him when bedtime rolled around.
Which was perfect, because the rest of us had some fireworks to watch!
Everywhere we turned, the sky bloomed with sparkles.
We went inside around 10:30, but I peeked out the window every few minutes when the booms sounded particularly dramatic. What a show.
We spent Tuesday morning in Coeur d’Alene, playing and picnicking at McEuen Park.
This was Isaac’s first splash pad and he was a little perplexed by it all, but had a good time waving his trusty plastic spoon through the streams of water.
Not so much a fan of being sprayed in the face, though…
My favorite part of the spray park is the post-drying-off diaper time. Sun’s out, belly’s out!
Isaac, you’re such a wonderful little goober.
And Juliette, you’re so beautiful.
We swung by the lakefront to say hello to Mudgy the Moose and to snap a few pictures, popped over to the the bakery for an iced coffee, and then were back in Post Falls for afternoon nap. I felt our gears clicking into vacation mode, and it felt good.
We shared the biggest pizza ever for dinner that night, which was great, because we were carbo-loading for the next day’s adventure!
On Wednesday morning we kissed Isaac good-bye and took Juliette to Silverwood for a day of water slides and roller coasters. We came here last summer and she declared it one of the best days ever, so I was excited to bring her back without a baby in my belly – bring on the whirls and twirls.
We arrived at the park before the gates opened and found ourselves with enough time to grab a hot chocolate at the kitschy Victorian cafe and plan out the day’s route. So much thought went into which slides to hit first as we evaluated hourly temperatures, likely wait times, and fun factor. I love a kid with a plan.
We moved through the lines quickly that morning as it seemed most people had opted to begin the day at the amusement park; Avalanche Mountain was a family favorite, though Ricochet Rapids also had us squealing with glee.
There were many, many laps around the lazy river…
And then a couple of rounds down the Riptide Racer.
We headed over to Roller Coaster Alley after lunch which was decidedly not a hit as Juliette sobbed through most of our time on the Timber Terror, so we recalibrated (and possibly over-corrected) with a very mellow spin on the flying elephants.
By early afternoon we were back to the lazy river, wondering why we’d ever left.
Whew! So much fun, the three of us living large and following our every whim.
So tiring, though. Sun, water, fun, done.
Back at home, Isaac had the best day with Grandma and Grandpa – seems he hardly noticed we were gone! We missed you, Buddy. Kind of.
Up next:Â more water, more swings, more happy kids.