Lazy Days of Summer

This weekend was really, really nice.

For starters, Al and I took the kids to Bay Beach on Friday. We stood in the summer heat (on black asphalt) while Gabe and Ada had their fun on the 25-cent rides. We bought snow cones, rode the train, and lost about 5 pounds in sweat. Al even took Gabe down the super-slide on a potato sack. It was really fun.

After Bay Beach, we headed over to the Wildlife Sanctuary for a quick visit at the Nature Center. Gabe bravely slid down the tunnel slide under the beaver pond. He was scared at first, which is understandable, considering you can't see the bottom of the slide. But, down he went, and we found him in the "cave" at the bottom of the pond with a big smile on his face.

"I'm going to do it this many times, Momma," he said, holding up all 10 of his fingers.

And that he did.

Afterward, we headed up to Pound to visit Grandma and Grandpa. Al's tournament on Green Bay was the next day, so we stayed overnight. And, the best part of the weekend? Al won the tournament and took home a $3,500 prize! Nice!

Then came more surprises. It was my birthday weekend, and Al had asked Mom to pick up an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen. We had great weather, happy days and just an all-around nice time with my family. The kids kept busy, chasing kitties and riding the John Deere kiddy Gator around the yard. Every day was something new, so you can imagine that getting back into routine today was a bit tough on everyone.

Last night, as I tucked Gabe into bed, he asked, "So what are we going to do tomorrow, Momma?" anticipating yet another day full of fun.

"You have to go to Lana's tomorrow," I said. "Bummer, huh?"

"Yeah," giggled Gabe. "Bummer."

My sentiments exactly.