Pullen Park

Tom, Whitley and I appreciated our official, final day of summer vacation with a nice family outing to Pullen Park in Raleigh. Stacy and Drew met us there, and the enthusiastic reception Drew gave us in the parking lot was precious! He hopped, stomped, spun and squealed at the sight of us! We loaded up the strollers, and rolled over to all the activities. First, we rode the little train around the park. (Stacy has some great pictures of this on her blog.) The ride began by passing through a short, dark tunnel, and everyone cheered to be getting underway. Well, those of you who read this regularly know that Whitley does not care for loud cheering. (See blog "More Minnesota") And sure enough, when we came into the light, she was making her saddest "sad face". Fortunately, she immediately brightened, and looked at everything we passed, while holding tight to my neck. Then, we strolled over to the swings, and Drew and Whitley both really seemed to enjoy it. At one point, they were swinging in time, grinning away at one another. My favorite part of the day, though, was probably the ride on the carousel. I LOVE a carousel, and was initially disappointed at the Mall of America when I found out I wasn't allowed to ride with Whitley on the horse. (See blog "Mini"Sota Princess) :) Today's experience was different, though, and I had a grand time on a horse of my own with Stacy and Drew to my left, and Tom and Whitley to my right. We all had so much fun, and agreed that it was the longest carousel ride we'd ever been on. (Which probably had something to do with the dozing attendant seated in the dark center of the ride.) I hope you enjoy these photos from the day!
I've found that you can click on these pictures, if you want to see them larger, and this one is worth it! They are just too cute and love each other so much!!
Tom and Whitley select a nice giraffe.
This picture isn't centered because it was taken in motion, but you can see Whitley's smile!
Stacy was having a great time; Drew was hanging in there.