Adventure Island

You have been seeing a lot of pictures of my baby loving some time in the water as of late: at the beach, at our hotel pool in Orlando, at the splash park, in her baby pool. Well, that trend continues today. Knowing how much Ellie is loving the water lately, we decided to take her to Adventure Island (another free park thanks to our Busch Gardens passes!) for a day of water park fun on the Friday before Mother's Day. To make a bit of a Mother's Day celebration out of it, my mom and Gary and my sister all joined us. We had a blast!

We headed out there after Ellie woke up from her nap. The rest of the gang was already there, and Heather had secured a great spot under a large umbrella in a more secluded "beach" spot. We hung out there for a bit, getting sunblock-ed up and snacking. Then, we hit the park.

Ellie also threw some sand.

Let's go have some fun!

My mom was kind enough to hold Ellie while Eric, Heather and I went on a couple of water slides. The park really wasn't too crowded so we were able to just walk right up with no wait. Heather and Eric started things off with a twirly enclosed slide, which, judging by their faces afterwards, was not a crowd pleaser.

Heather is hating Eric for talking her into this right now. Eric might also be hating Eric for talking him into this, frankly.

We toned things down and went on a few of the more mellow slides, some of my old favorites.

Off to go sliding!

After the grown-ups had their fun, we made our way to the toddler water park so Ellie could have a go at it. And oh man, did she love it. Once again, she charged right into the water, through the fountains and all over the place. She had a great time grabbing at the water, trying to drink it, and even getting splashed in the face. She had the time of her life.

At the kiddie area with my mom, Heather and my Ellie!

Exploring the fountains

Hanging out with Auntie Heather

Oops! Water in the face!

Trying to stay hydrated

With Grammy and Auntie Heather

Loves it!

When she had her fill of the fountains she could crawl through, Eric and I took turns taking her through other fountains around the kids' area.

"Enough of this kid stuff, Dad. I'm heading for deep water."

Cuddling in close to Daddy

Get ready, here we go!

She loved it!

She even had fun when she took a break from being in the water to float in a baby-sized raft (with a bottom).

With her foot up, as is her way

If you want to see Ellie in action (which, I assume, means you are related to us), here is a little video of her playing in the fountains at Adventure Island. Nothing earth-shattering happens, but she's cute. Highlights include: a splash by Daddy at 0:22, waving "hi" to make friends with another little girl at 0:29, and a decent splash in the face at 1:11.

VIDEO: Ellie at Adventure Island

When Ellie had finished with her play time, we went back to our beach area for a bit to have another snack (or a beer, as they case may be) and some relaxation before calling it a day. We were only there a few hours but it was so much fun! I can't wait to go back again this summer. It was a great way to celebrate Mother's Day a little early!

The ladies of my family!

Also, a word of warning: if "baby in water" pictures are not your cup of tea, you may want to just check back in here when the weather turns cool again, because I totally plan to spend my entire summer just like this!