That Boy Can Move

Our family took our annual trip to Canobie Lake Park last week.  We go every summer and the boys look forward to it each time.  It's no Disney, but it is the perfect pace and size for our family.  This year, we were able to bring one of Zander's childhood friends with us as he was here for a short visit. The lines are never long, the weather is never too hot, and there is enough of a variety to appeal to each of my children.  Carter loves the water park and the water rides while my other three love the rides.  Now that Will and Ollie have joined the over 48" club, they qualify for many more rides now.  Carter is taller than his 2 older brothers, but he refuses to ride anything besides the kiddie rides.

So, as normal, we entered the park with our buddy.  This year, our buddy system was interrupted a little in the beginning because we had a guest.  Zander and Jarod went off for a few hours together to ride the big stuff.  Beau was in charge of Carter and William.  I had Ollie.  Ollie is always my partner whether it be at restaurants, sitting on the couch, going to parks, riding on the airplane, etc.  Although we have been to Canobie several times, due to his sensory issues, going to places like Canobie can be extremely overwhelming.  So for almost an entire hour, Ollie and I simply walked around the park and he took in all the scenery.  He glanced at the various rides and we talked about each one.  We even stood in a few lines, until he changed his mind and wanted to keep searching.  It was exhausting.  I am usually like a big kid in that I love to ride the coasters and I was beginning to lose my patience.  But Oliver finally got on a ride and after it was over, he was fine the rest of the day.  In fact he got on a "big boy" ride even though he was a little afraid. He saw that it spun in a crazy fast circle and asked me if he would throw up from the ride.  I told him I didn't think so, but he had never ridden it before so I wasn't positive.  That answer didn't stop him.  He got on the ride and assured me that if he felt nausous, he would simply cover his mouth so he wouldn't throw up on anyone.  I am glad to report that he did not vomit.

In the middle of the day, we all met up and traded around partners.  Zander, Jarod, and William spent some time together.  The teenagers introduced William to the big coasters and from I heard, William was a pro.  The last part of the day, all 5 boys rode the water rides over and over again.  The three littles, of course, wanted to sit next to Jarod.  Jarod was generous enough to ride with each of them, even though I think he was getting tired of the same rides.  It was a fun day.  However, my fondest memory of the day was a fun interruption in the late afternoon.  The park always plays loud music over their pa system and mostly it is just background music.  However, as we were walking on the sidewalk going from one ride to another, a certain song came on and it seemed to speak to Carter.  He literally stopped in the middle of the sidewalk to begin dancing and beat boxing.  He was such a fun sight that passersby stopped to watch.  Before we knew it, Carter had a crowd of people standing around him to watch his performance.  The best part was that Carter was completely oblivious to his fans as he was so "into" his dancing and beat boxing.  If I had been quick, I would have put my hat upside down on the sidewalk for people to toss in their spare change.  We probably would have had enough to buy ice creams for everyone.  I also wished I had thought to snap a picture.  I was too busy watching his performance.