more of HERSHEY!!!!

We planned to just meet the Cassada's there and boy did we EVER -

pulled into the entrance at the exact same time! (it's a 2 1/2 hr drive!)

The rest of the day went just as smooooth....

well, smooooth like chunky peanut butter smoooooth.....yummy but with a few bumps here and there...

here ya go:

the entrance:

Sophie Purple, Nora Green/Blue/Pink

 the first ride!!!!

favorite memory of this ride:

Rebekah's and Samantha's face when they realized how sloooow the bees were and also how adamant Sawyer was about NOT going on this ride once it got dark!

 Courntey and Pat!!!!

 LOVED this ride when I was a kid...still wish I could have gone on this one ;-(

the stupid boat ride of death....

three of our little girls went racing towards this, got in line and I panicked.

I thought to myself, "if I let them go by themselves and they get hurt...or DIE...I'd never forgive myself".  So, my other plan was to just DIE WITH THEM!

Lydia was HAlarious on this ride...she kept asking, over and over again, "mommy? are you ok? mommy? are you having fun? mommy! that hurts!" (I was gripping her arm so she wouldn't die!)

the three 'little' girls came out unharmed and wanting more....me....I dunno...I'm just OLD.

SO cool! Santa's Reindeer!

Courtney! I love this picture of us!!!!

funny how warm we look and how COLD we actually ARE!

Hot CHOCOLATE and homemade potatoe chip stop....thanks daddies!

it took me about an hour to figure out why the hot chocolate at this place was so stinkin' yummy...I mean, really really good....

I'm slow, but I got it by golly!

 you can't see it, but it's a box 'o Milk Duds!

 Lydia is second from the right:

 good news...none of our girls ended up sitting by the kid in line who was PUKING!

 I mean, if you're gonna stand in line, you might as well do it right:

Samantha posing for me ;-)

Samantha FORCING Joshua to "Be friends forever, right?"....she is pushing him as hard as she can right here, saying those exact words. oui.  Proud mama right here.

waiting in line for Santa...

Neither one of our families 'do' Santa, but it was SO COLD outside and it was WARM where Santa was....

so.....

who cares if he's on break!?

we are warm, we will wait!

 and wait....

 and wait...

here he is!!!

 Nora had NO IDEA we saw Santa...she didn't care, she was takin' a nap!

Tour of Chocolate World...dumb, but so so warm!

 back out to the park for the lights!!!

and on to Cracker Barrel (Courtney, I totally stole this ;-)

the kids all, minus Sawyer, SAT AT THEIR OWN TABLE!!!!

they did amazing considering the day they'd had!

good job kiddos....

and YES Courntey, same time same place next year!!!!

(sshh...don't tell Jake I said that ;-)