On this family outing, we decided to drive out to Hershey, Pennsylvania. Jonathan has been looking forward to going to the theme park, but since Ella is recouperating, we decided to visit the world of chocolate. Boy was that place crowded. We still had a lot of fun.
We started out with lunch... we needed something filling before eating all the sweets. I found something new, a Jolly Rancher soda, so I tried it. I liked it, but Jonathan didn't.. he still doen't like soda because the carbination is too "spicy".
After lunch we went on the tour, which was very informative on Hershey's life and how chocolate is made. Half of the tour you walk through and learn about where the coco beans come from and how they get them ready before they're used for making chocolate. There's a beatiful mural of a rainforest along with a video you watch. They you walk through an area that looks like a dock, which is where the beans go to be shipped to the Hershey factory. Next you reach the cars you sit in to find out how chocolate is made. My favorite part was the singing cows and the catchy song they jam to... moo moo moo. So, we went through the process. Like the coco beans; we were raosted, then saw the machine that breaks the shells off, the inside of the bean is then melted and seperarted into 2 parts, milk and sugar are added, and then part taken out is put back in. The chocolate is then mixed back and forth for three days. They showed live video cams of the different processes. A lot of work for a tasty treat. Later in the day I went with Jonathan a second time... he wanted Mommy and me time... yay!
After that we saw the 3D movie, which was quite entertaining. It was 3D mixed in with special affects. Our chairs rumbled, snow fell down on us, mice ran under our feet, a spider crossed over our heads and something sprayed us with water. of course there was a grand finale with singing candy products made by Hershey. Jonathan said he liked it except for the kissing part and the spider. Ella was tired so she cuddled me through the show, but the rumbling chairs made her stir a little.
Next we waited for Jonathan to create a Hershey product... kisses inside a Hershey's Gear. He pulled a lever which made the kisses fall into his gear. Then he had to do a little dance with the other child " workers"... aren't there child labor laws? The dance moves were cute to watch. When it was over, he received a badge and the candy creation he made.
Finally, it was chocolate time. We did not buy any candy to take home, but bought baked creations made there. Jonathan made a custom cupcake, while I ordered a fatastically delicious cookie. Ryan ate half of the cookie, without realizing it, before I had a taste. Yes, it was that good. He went back to buy a treat without peanut butter for Ella, but came back with a brownie for her, cheesecake for him and a 2nd cookie for me. He felt bad because he ate a lot of my 1st cookie.
It was a fun day, but man I'm tired. It is nice to have these days together as a family. We hardly see Ryan during the week. Oh yeah, we finally got a recent family picture. A gentleman offered to take it for us. We are all wearing silly hats, but hey, we're all in the pic. It's on the left hand side of the blog.
Enjoy the slide show. My favortite picture is the one where the kids are wearing the 3D glasses.
