August...

OK - I really need to stop this once a month blogging habit I've started. Lately I've found I'm more inclined to let things "pile up" and then have to catch up, even around the house - where I use to tackle things ahead of time so I wouldn't be playing the catch up game. Sometimes it's a good thing, and sometimes a bad thing since I'm not a pile up kind of person!

We've had such a fun summer, and I know next summer is going to be even better when Emily will be able to get around and enjoy all the fun things we'll do as a family. It's fun being together and letting the girls experience new things - but man is it exhausting, it has made the summer fly by...but I'd much rather this than sit around the house all the time.

After the beach (which is the last blog I posted!) we enjoyed a visit with one of my very best friends from school. Kelli was in town from New York to see her family and I went up to our ol' roots - Stafford - to spend some time with her and her daughter Brylee. Madelyn and Brylee got along great, Brylee just turned two and she is such a pretty girl, just like her momma. It's so fun to watch little ones interact, how they see the world and how they share conversations together is just awesome! They were sure there was a bear in the woods here -

My sister and Mary invited our family down to their lake house on Lake Gaston a few weekends ago. I could easily prefer "the lake" over the beach...gasp! If I spend much more time there it just might happen! The weather was fabulous, which made for some great tubing on the boat and jet skiing. We just had fun relaxing and playing in the water -- Liz and Mary are great hostesses, thank you guys!

This is the view from the porch, down to the dock -

the cove leads right out to the giant lake...so peaceful there!

Aunt Liz and "her" baby...sometimes people think

Emily is hers! ha

Ben and I have wanted to try going to an amusement park with Madelyn...so I found a deal online for Kings Dominion. I use to go there all the time as a kid, it's been about 16 years since Ben or I have been there. It was hot when we first got there but a light rain came through and cooled us off. We had plenty of time to ride some more rides and walk around a while before the downpour came later.

We were pretty sure Madelyn was going to be afraid of the rides, and she'd probably not want to go on anything by herself. But she surprised us. Her first ride was with Ben on the Taxi Jam rollercoaster - she loved it. She didn't understand that she had to get off and let the others in line ride before she could go again. She rode most of the other kids rides too - BooBoo's Tree Swings and Ranger Smith's Jeep Tours. We looked like idiots following her with the camera and oooo-ing and aww-ing at her on the rides!

The last ride we did before we left was the Scrambler - Madelyn and I rode and she had a blast. She had her hands up and squealed and laughed...I, on the other hand, did all I could to keep my lunch down and not look like I was miserable! Oh I felt awful! My head pounded the rest of the day and I felt like I could throw up at any minute...like a REALLY bad hangover! ugh! But we still had a great time, we'll definitely do it again. We can't wait until Madelyn and Em can ride together!

Emily had the right idea!

Auntie Amanda and Auntie Haylie came over later after we were home and recovered from our trip to KD. Madelyn always LOVES playing with her Aunties....and I think they enjoy being little kids with her! Amanda stayed the night and then the next day we had breakfast with her, Mimi and Grandpa. It was a great day!