When we pulled into the parking lot at Wild Waves on Friday night Max gasped, put his hands to his mouth and exclaimed, "Oh my Gosh! Look at the Christmas lights!" Then started to scream out in delight. Instantly tears sprang to my eyes at the reaction of my two year old and how awesome it is to be able to see Christmas through a child's eyes.
Friday night Jerry, Sage, Saxton, Max and I headed to Wild Waves for the inaugural night of Holiday Lights. It was a cold, but dry night, so we bundled up and set out to ride some rides and see some lights. The kids had a wonderful time and so did we. It was one of those special nights, made of one of a kind memories.
Our evening started off with a bang when we ran across a local radio station, 94.1 KMPS and Sage won us tickets to their HO HO HO Down to see Big & Rich and Love & Theft last night. They were awesome and we had a great time! Thank you Ms. Sage for our early Christmas gift!
We then headed to the center of the park just in time to see Santa arrive and the lighting of the Christmas Tree. The girls rode one of their favorite rides and then we headed over to the new Zip Line. We had gotten a coupon for one free ride with our season passes and had waited until now to use them. Saxton and I went first and it was a lot of fun. They whisk you across the park and back and give you an awesome birds eye view of the lights and everything that is going on. When we got back we talked Sage into riding, she was a bit hesitant, but agreed to go. She loved it! I was very proud of her for deciding to take a chance, face her fear and just do it! I love this picture because you can see Sage's big smile and Saxton as she takes note of her sister's reaction after the ride. My two peas in a pod.
After a little warm up and snack in the heater tent we headed out to see the rest of the park and give Max some opportunities to ride some rides. Saxton was sweet enough to ride the jungle cars with him not once, but twice. The entire park was done up in some really spectacular lights and Christmas scenes and it was just so cool to see the smiles on their faces and ours as well. Wild Waves is always one of our favorite things to do and this event didn't disappoint.
Another highlight of my night was riding the Timber Hawk, a neat wooden roller coaster that is set back in the woods. Saxton and I raced up the stairs and were able to get on right away. I just loved seeing her big smile as we climbed the first big hill in the dark. You could see the stars and all the Christmas lights, making the moment even more magical. I took a quick picture and put my camera away just in time, because soon we were careening in the dark while holding each other's hands up in the air. I laughed and screamed in delight right along with my daughter. I loved and cherished every second of it. As her and I headed back to the others, I held her hand and thanked God for this special Christmas moment.
We ended the night with a ride on the Carousel, which is always a favorite of everyone in our family. The 1906 Parker Carousel is a historic gem beloved by children and adults alike. From up on the horses you can see out over the park and on Friday that meant a beautiful view of all the Christmas lights. It was a perfect end to a perfect evening. 
On Tuesday my two littlest girls head off to their dad's in Indiana and I will sadly have to spend Christmas without them for the first time. However, I will hold close to my heart all of the special holiday memories we have shared over the last few weeks, including our enchanting night at Wild Waves.
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