A quick fun summer... a long post

Two days... school will start and basically end our summer. Sigh. But, then again, I could use some structure. In case you haven't noticed, I haven't blogged much recently. Instead, I've been thinking about what I've been doing... and honestly trying to figure out what I've been doing. :) I mean, I know a lot of it, but I still haven't figured out why I can't seem to do it all these days. I think it has to be the pool's fault. The pool must be to blame for sucking up all of our extra time. :) 

We have, however, had some serious fun. On Friday of last week, we coerced Brad to take some time off and take us to King's Island. We had so much fun. 

We stayed for nearly 11 hours... even watching the fireworks at the end of the night. The kids loved the rides. Bailey, our thrill-seeker, rode the big rides with Brad. I mean, she rode the Vortex. And, she loved it. I swear, we are going to have issues with this child. We are going to have to have a full schedule of adrenaline-pumping thrill rides and adventures to keep her out of trouble when she gets older. But, I have to admit that I love it. She has such passion for life... such energy... and she is willing to try everything. I'll never forget her smile when she came off the Racers and told me how awesome it was... as she dragged me behind her to ride it again. I thought my heart might explode (and then my head when I actually rode the ride, but I won't go into details on how getting old sucks). Bailey's love for life inspires me to love life just a little bit more. 

Jake, well, Jake is so much like his uncle Colt that I can't help but laugh (and hope that he's as good of a man as Colt is turning out to be). Jake decided about halfway through the day that he was tired and ready to just go on home. He said to us that he "needed a stroller so that he could take a nap." Brad and I discussed it and decided that if he really wanted to take a nap, then maybe we should rent a stroller... then, he could get some rest and we could stay until closing to make sure he got his fill of the rides. Well, Jake is apparently a great trickster. He wanted a stroller because he was too dang lazy to walk. He just wanted it so that he could be pampered and pushed through the park. There was not even a sign of a nap at any point. :) He also enjoyed the rides... although he is not quite as brave as Bailey. He did however, really enjoy the Viking Ship and the Woodstock Express. 

Of course, we all enjoyed the food... the junk food... yum. I didn't get a funnel cake (boo), but we happened to have plenty of other goodies, including pizza, fries, pop, ice cream, Icees, cotton candy, etc. 

After a full day of excitement, we made our way back home and crashed. Saturday was filled with relaxing at the house, doing a little shopping, and then taking the kids to a birthday party. And, then there was this other little thing that happened... oh nothing big... just that CILLA HAD THE BABY! I was so excited when Bret texted saying they were going to the hospital. Oh... I couldn't wait to know how far along she was and get to the hospital. I arrived at about midnight (an hour after she had arrived there). At about 1 a.m., Bret came out and announced that the baby was here. I couldn't believe it went that fast... but I could not have been more relieved. I'm not sure that I could be more nervous about someone having to suffer through childbirth. It made me realize even more how much I dread it when my little girl is in that same position. Oh, my poor mom. I was so anxious for it to be over with and to get him here. I didn't want to think about her in pain... so, the faster, the better. And, then, we got to go in and see them. Stef was just as perfect as you could imagine. Beautiful... sweet... perfect. And for maybe a day, I actually contemplated the idea that maybe I could handle being a mom just one more time. I had an especially difficult time when I saw how wonderful of a big brother Jake would be. He was so sweet... so excited... about seeing Stef. And, my heart melted just a little, thinking that maybe I had somehow robbed him of being the perfect big brother to some little boy. Brad quickly reminded me of how ready I am to NOT have children any more... and how hard those sleepless nights are... and how many diapers we would have to change... and how much money it would cost... well, you get the point. :) Still, it doesn't make Stef any less perfect. lol. Thank you to Cilla and Bret for allowing me to be a part of your little man's first night in the world. I love you guys and I love him so much already. 

So, what else has been going on? Well, I have to tell you all about it. Jake, my terrified-of-going-underwater-son, is now swimming underwater... non-stop. :) 

Bailey is as hyper as always and is about to drive me to drinking. She is constantly bored, if we aren't going all the time. I mean, really, I can't find enough to keep her entertained. I'm so excited to get her into school. I know. I sound terrible, but I really want to get her engaged in something that will keep her mind busy. Add to the bored factor, she is terribly hateful these days. Jake makes her mad if he looks at her wrong. She keeps yelling at him. And, she threw a MAJOR fit on me earlier this week, where she threatened to scream as loud as you can possibly imagine our entire trip home because she was mad that I was punishing her for acting up. I mean, seriously, I have considered locking her in her room for a few hours, just to get some peace. Not really, but she is about to drive me crazy. So, I'm looking forward to Thursday and the beginning of school. 

We also have some big changes for Jake coming. He has decided that he wants to move to a new preschool, so we have decided to make a move. We have long considered moving Jake to Bailey's old preschool, mainly because we loved it so much and she has been so well prepared for school. So, when Jake decided that he wanted to make a move, we discussed the possibility of going ahead and moving him to Bailey's old school. And, so far, it has worked out. And, to make things even better, he's SO excited. He keeps talking about it. AND... he seems somewhat interested in actually writing and drawing. I know. I can't believe it either. :) So, hopefully good big changes and not bad big changes. We shall see... 

And... I have so much more that I want to write. But, tonight... I will stop. For your sake and mine. I mean, you all know how I can ramble on and on... what? You hadn't figured that out yet? Oops. Sorry for letting that cat out of the bag. :)