Family Fun...at LAST!

So we finally planned and carried out a family fun day. We called everyone we could think of...and my brain was TIRED this week so I'm sure I forgot most everyone...and had a pretty good turn out for last minute planning! Austin had soccer practice that morning and then I picked him and his friend Cameron up and we ran home to let Austin hurry and shower and get ready to go to Wild Island for the day.

We were a little bit late (big surprise right??!) because the practice went a bit over (not running around the field, but just sitting there staring at each other) and then Austin couldn't find his free pass that he'd gotten for making his AR goal the whole school year. Finally he found it and thanks to some friends and their donations of coupons to Wild Island we made it to the park and I got in with 5 kids for only $52!!!!

We had the Jones family, the Noriega family, the Peeks family, the Brazell family and we even ended up sitting by the Martins when we got there (I never thought to invite her since she just had back surgery a few weeks ago...crazy woman!!) It was a blast! I love having some friends to talk to while the kids play.

I got to go down one slide and it was the BEST of the day!! Austin has been tormented by the "Black Widow" every year and each year says that he is going to ride the "Black Widow" and THIS is the year! After the gondola ride in the Redwoods he was like, "Are you kidding...the "Black Widow" is nothing...no problem!"


(The "Black Widow" is the black slide at the back of the park)

So I reminded him of those words as we entered the park and he was a little less certain than he had been at the beginning of the summer. He went to go down the "Black Widow" and instead conquered another fear...the "Scorpion" (I still haven't done that one!) and tried to convince me that was good enough. The day was over and he still hadn't gone down the "Black Widow" and I didn't think that he would. I tried paying him cold hard cash...(lit a little spark in his eyes...but still no go), told him I would go with him....nope, said we would go to In N Out Burger to eat, and along with help of our friends trying to convince him he then started sulking because he felt bad he was so scared. So I dropped it (dreading the ride home when he would be so mad about not going...defeated again by his fears, and claiming that it was an awful day). When out of the blue he says, "OK mom...let's go". I quickly beg someone to watch my little ones and we go over to the slide. He's a little less certain of this bold move as he looks up at the slide. But, mom is not letting him back down now and I trudge up the stairs (occasionally looking over my shoulders to make sure he is still with me), and we make it to the top...he is white as a ghost by now and looks a little shaky. There are two drops to the slide and at the first drop he lets out a little bit of a scream/cry and then a little happier noise down the second drop and as we come out of the black abyss into the sunlight he shouts, "that was AWESOME!!!! I'm doing that EVERY time we come!!! I can't believe I was scared of that and I've missed out on that all the times I've been here!!" (The sweetest music my ears have EVER heard!)

Scott had said that he might join us later in the day...or maybe even take the little girls home with him (on the joy of going down the slides!!! I really love it!). He called at lunchtime and said that he would be working late again (he's writing a textbook with his old Harvard office mate), and to call and maybe he could do dinner with us. So we gave him a call and he said we should just go out on our own and he'd be home in a few hours. We hit McDonald's and then dropped Austin and the little girls off and Joslyn and I took Drew and her friend Mackenzie over to Mackenzie's house for a sleepover and Joslyn and I went out for a little mother-daughter date. We had such a nice time visiting and planning our shopping trip together (I hope we can go next week!).

What a nice day!! I love my family!