so there. i did take a few pics of our trip to wisconsin dells, and now i will tell you all about it. keep in mind we have never gone to disneyland or six flags, so this was quite the experience for us. we went to mt. olympus, which has a big waterpark, 5 rollercoasters, multiple go-kart tracks and other theme rides. the place is big and overwhelming, and was full of people from all over the world.

first off, we had a blast. it was great to get away and do something really fun with our kids. they thought this place was heaven and it was fun to experience all this with them.

there were two things that really stand out. one was the big 9 foot wave pool that sent a huge tidal wave over everyone about every 5 minutes. we all figured out how to surf the top of it and not get rolled all the way across the pool and onto the beach. if you look in the photo closely of the big wave, you can find little j's blond head and giant smile sticking up above it all.

the second thing was the roller coaster rides. i was the only one in the family that had ever been on a coaster (when i was 9), so this was pretty big time. we started out with the "easy" one and kept working our way up. little j wanted to start on the biggest one the minute we got there, but the rest of us needed a little courage first. if it wasn't for little j, i'm not sure the rest of us would have done the Big One. but we couldn't let the little thrill seeker go it alone. i was very proud of big j. he's not a "thrill seeker" kind of guy but he was all about trying the roller coasters. it kind of surprised me to see him just step right up to them. i rode one of the medium ones with him for the first time, and i'll never forget the look on his face. his eyes were wide and bright like a cat's and his hair was blown back. he looks at me at the end of the ride--which was pretty insane--and says "what in God's name was that?" and then he laughed and said, "well, i guess if i lived through it once i could probably do it again."

atta boy.

we did not do the Big One the first day, and i was secretly thinking i would not do it at all. especially after we read in USA Today that the Hades roller coaster at Mt. Olympus is ranked one of the 10 scariest in the nation. it travels 70 mph, shoots you down this huge vertical and then dives underground for about half a mile and then shoots back up, turns, goes down another vertical and dives underground again.

yeah.

by noon the second day we had all ridden Hades, thanks to little j's constant begging. it was seriously nuts. we ended up riding it 4 more times, and each time i swore i wouldn't do it again. my body still hurts.

here are a couple things i learned on our vacation:
1. going to a theme park/waterpark is weird. it's not right to see people in bikinis riding roller coasters and sitting in restaurants.
2. we are the only people in the world without tattoos.
3. my family does not like to stop to eat, drink or pee when we are on vacation. i guess if you want to hang with us, you might want to pack some snacks and a catheter.
4. my kids are way cooler than i give them credit for.
5. on that note, kids who whine about walking a block to a store will walk for miles and hours if roller coasters are involved.
6. vacations are necessary and worth every penny.
7. turning off the phone and email while on vacation is the only way to go.
8. my husband is awesome and i would not trade him for anyone, ever.
9. you only need to pack swim suits, shirts and flip-flops for a vacation like this. anything else will stay in the suitcase.
10. i want to go on another vacation.

at the last minute, we decided to get out of dodge and go to wisconsin dells this weekend. at the last minute, we were able to book a questionable hotel room that comes with free passes to mt. olympus theme park and waterpark . at the last minute, we will find a dog sitter, throw some swim suits into a suitcase and set off for a place that guarantees it will blow the pants off wild water west.

i doubt i take any pictures. but i promise to be really descriptive when i get back :)
if you've been to the dells before, got any tips for us?

i don't know if this is just happening here, or if little toads are taking over the world.

they are everywhere. the other day, the boys captured 28 toads in about 10 minutes and there were still dozens of them hopping around. they spent the day having toad races. the grand champion got to live in our pond, but all the others were set free. if you have never seen 27 toads hopping away together, it's something to put on your bucket list. he he.

at any rate, if any of you think you have a really fast toad, bring it on. we've got the grand champion all primed for a race. we might even have to put some money on it.

well, another baseball season over. and nope, i didn't get one picture or one piece of video to capture the season. poor kids. good thing i can write down the memories, right?

as for big j, his greatest moments were pitching an inning and striking a kid out, making a double play with grandma watching and mostly overcoming his tears when they lost. we did have a funny incident during the tournament. his team was ahead 10-8 and the other team had the bases loaded. big j was losing his mind out there, the tears were flowing and he could barely function. his coach (a 20-year-old kid) went out to him during the game, crouched down next to him, and i could tell he was trying to talk big j through it. after the game (they lost 11-10) i asked big j what the coach was saying to him.

"he told me not to get upset about it because there was no way our team could win that tournament anyway."

nothing like a little positive thinking, eh? at any rate, still dealing with big j's fear of failure. just not sure baseball is the right sport for a kid who hates to make mistakes.

as for little j, he had a blast. they don't let you make home runs at his level...something about it being unfair... but little j snuck a few runs all the way around a few times anyway. most of the time the coaches made him stop at third base. he did make some sweet plays, including an unassisted triple play last night. try to figure that one out. probably the best part of his game was the freezie exchange at the end...we brought enough freezies for the kids on the other team and when they went through the line, they would hand the opposing kids freezies. i highly recommend this to anyone coaching little people. it's a hit.

so. baseball over. i was just notified that there is open hockey in a nearby town every monday night...so we'll see if we can squeeze that in after swimming lessons.

"ok, boys, take off your swim trunks and goggles, rinse off your sunscreen and put on your hockey gear."

we live in crazy times.

guess who turned 7 yesterday? little j celebrated with his annual trip to wild water west. this year he was tall enough to do all the slides, including the free fall and the black hole. he loved 'em both.

he also got a wakeboard...it just happens to fit me as well. he he. neither one of us can wait to give it a whirl. stay tuned!

i know you guys are sick of looking inside my refrigerator, and trust me, after 5 days of company and the 4th of July, it does not look like this anymore. i drove my mom, her husband and my 5-year-old niece back to the airport last night. i think we did a good job of thoroughly tiring them out with the boating, the swimming, the fireworks and the general insanity that comes with our life. i know she was ready to get back home to her mommy and daddy, but i could have kept my niece forever. she is a rare treat and i hope she remembers her trip forever.

i am about to dive into a couple days of serious work before my husband's sister and her family come tomorrow night to stay until sunday. you probably won't hear from me again until next week...hope you're all having fun and making the most of your summer.

final note: the puppies were born over the weekend. she had 13 YELLOW puppies, a few of them died and i think they are down to 6 boys and 2 girls, according to little j who last visited. not sure if we are going to end up with one since there wasn't a black lab in the bunch, but i'll keep you posted.

by the looks of it, company is a' coming. and don't worry. the rest of the beer is in the garage refrigerator.

happy fourth of july :)