Hot and Busy

The thermometer is threatening to go on strike if it doesn't cool down soon. We haven't had a day under ninety degrees in ages. Even the water at the pool isn't cool anymore. Re-entering feels like you're getting into a hot tub. We've had a lot of rain recently, but I swear it almost immediately turns into steam as soon as it hits the ground. At least I don't have to pay for a sauna. (Ha, ha! That was a joke, people!)

Since Bryant's birthday was two days after school let out, we did his party the weekend before to ensure his friends would be in town. Instead of a big party at the park, as originally planned, Bryant opted to have a sleepover with his two best friends. They had a blast! Video games, Lego battles, fighting with swords, pillows, and balloons. For dinner, we had chicken fries, curly fries, and juice boxes (Bryant's choice). Dessert doubled as Bryant's birthday cake. Because we were going out of town, we did Warm Delights (individual cakes you 'bake' in the microwave) to avoid having leftovers. The boys loved them. They stayed up late giggling and talking, then got up early to play more video games. Bryant later told me it was the best birthday he ever had.

School let out June 10th and we took off just as soon as Jeff got home from work to Orlando to hit the Disney water parks - one last hurrah before our threesome becomes a foursome. Per Bryant's request, we went to Blizzard Beach on Thursday, then Typhoon Lagoon on Friday (his birthday). Bryant and Jeff went on the slides and played in the wave pools while I lazed about in the lazy rivers and took much needed naps on a lounge chair. We were very proud of Bryant when he went on a waterslide he was scared of at Typhoon Lagoon. After the first time down, he wanted to go down it over and over again! We splurged and got a funnel cake for a snack - so good! Dinner was at Red Lobster because it was too hot to cook. Bryant's overly-emotionaly mom teared up when the waitstaff sang Happy Birthday to him. On Saturday, we went to Downtown Disney and, of course, the Lego Store. Bryant and Jeff filled up their customary cup with loose Legos - only the cool ones, obviously. Then we had Bryant's birthday lunch at McDonald's.

After we ate, we went back to our fifth wheel to see if the power had gone back on (several blocks had lost power that morning). Fortunately, we didn't blow a fuse or anything when it did, but the air conditioning hadn't caught up with the heat yet, so we went for a drive to Clermont - one of Jeff's areas he served in on his mission. He showed us the beat-up apartment complex he stayed in and a couple of other places that have changed drastically in ten years. On the way back to the RV park, we found Lake Louisa State Park. The sign showed it had RV camping sites, so we paid the entrance fee to check it out. Not too far into the park, there was a parking lot with canoes and a dock. We stopped to see how much it was to rent the canoes and to admire the view. As we walked down toward the water, we passed a sign that read "Alligators in water". Bryant, always being ten steps ahead of us, piped up "Yep, there's one right here!" Sure enough, in the water just below us was a six-foot gator, just watching us. Unfortunately, we had left our camera in the fifth-wheel, but we watching him until he swam off. He wasn't the only wildlife we spotted that day. Later, as we were leaving the park, we saw a gopher tortoise on the side of the road. I will never again claim a turtle/tortoise is slow. That thing took off so fast! He disappeared into a burrow after dashing across the ground. We really liked the Lake Louisa area. We may stay there sometime.

The following Tuesday (June 16th), Bryant went to Cub Scouts with Jeff for the first time (for church, at least). He looked so handsome in his uniform! They made Father's Day gifts. Bryant loved it. He came back with the biggest grin. He's been working hard to pass off things so he can earn his Wolf Badge. He's already got his Bobcat badge (if you look carefully, you can see it on his shirt). We counted the other day and he had passed off twenty-one things. It's more than that now because he and Jeff went to the park and passed a few more off. We're hoping he'll get his Wolf Badge before the end of the summer so he can start earning belt loops and pins. Bryant is really excited about the pins, since he has a pin collection prominantly displayed on his curtain already.

Before school let out, Bryant participated in an Invention Convention. Each student in second and third grade had to come up with an invention and make a display about it. Bryant chose to do Sunblock Wipes. We took pictures of different kinds of sunblock available now and demonstrated how much easier sunblock wipes would be to apply. Bryant posed very nicely and in some cases, very creatively. As part of the assignment, he was required to stand next to his display and explain it to people as they passed. Instead of waiting for people to ask questions, he was flagging them down - parents, teachers, even the principal! He's quite the salesman. And yes, he got a good grade on it.

His end of school year party was a bowling field trip. Originally, Jeff and I were both going to chaperone, but the scheduling of the busses got messed up and they never showed. They rescheduled the field trip for the following week, but Jeff wasn't able to take more time off to go. Bryant was pretty bummed about it, but he still had a lot of fun. The manager at the bowling alley jokingly accused me of trying to smuggle out a bowling ball (ha, ha, very funny - no, not really). Bryant was hilarious to watch. He's played bowling on the Wii, so he thought it would be very similar. He would run up to the lane and throw the ball, striking a pose as he watched it make its way to the pins. His score wasn't the greatest, but we figured we could remedy that by making Jeff take us bowling another time.

After many headaches and phone calls, we finally got our XBox back from repair. Then we got a second one. Somehow they had messed up and sent us an extra. The representative helping us was very surprised when we admitted it and rewarded us by sending us an extra accessory - a new wireless controller. We would have sent it back no matter what, but it's always nice to know doing the right thing can pay off.

Corbin's room is finally complete. Jeff originally was going to build a dresser for each of the boys, but a few weeks ago, I was at Walmart and discovered they were clearancing out a lot of their furniture. I was able to pick up two really nice dressers and a desk for our office for the same amount it would have cost us in materials to build the dressers alone. And all Jeff had to do was assemble them. He was pretty impressed with the quality of the furniture. I'm just thrilled to finally have it.

Last Wednesday, Bryant had his trophy presentation for his soccer season. They had a barbeque at the amenities center. The kids swam in the pool while the food cooked, then received their trophies while still wearing their bathing suits. His coach said there are three things you could always count on with Bryant - he always wanted the ball passed to him, he was always hungry (no surprise there), and he was always good for great conversation. So true. He talks to anyone who'll listen. And every twenty minutes during the day, I hear "Mom, I'm hungry." Even if we just ate. Darn kid.

We finally have a fence on two sides of our property. Our neighbors got a golden retriever puppy and put up a fence for her. I'm now very jealous. Next year, we're hoping to finish off the back section at the very least so the neighborhood kids will stop using our yard as a thoroughfare.

After nine months of waiting...Bryant has finally lost another tooth! (What did you think I was going to say?) He was so worried he wouldn't be able to whistle anymore (a newfound skill), but nature prevailed and it came out this week. After wrestling with his friends. Go figure. We were both relieved when he could still pucker up and whistle a tune. He has two more ready to come. I love seeing his smile now. He's a bit bummed he can't eat corn on the cob for a while, but his new tooth is already starting to come in.

Only 5-1/2 more weeks left! We're excited thinking that we're finally in the month Corbin could be born in (if he's a couple of weeks early - please let that be the case!). We are so ready for it, too. My waist has finally surpassed Jeff's size-wise - a very depressing thought for me. Bryant and I go to the pool or the beach to cool down at least 2-3 times a week. We don't leave the air conditioning for much else. The baby clothes are washed, the room is done, we are ready. We've made arrangements for Bryant's baptism and Corbin's blessing (September 5th and 6th). Now we just need the kid to come. Why does time have to drag so slowly?

Bryant and Jeff have signed up to enter an all-ages, everybody welcome, pinewood derby for church. They'll be racing in the regulation round since Jeff isn't sure if he'd do so well in the cheater's round. I wouldn't want to try to face people who are talking about using open flames and CO2 cartridges, either. The actual event is on Saturday, July 11th. I hope my boys do well! Jeff is working very hard to make sure their cars look really good. He even went out and bought a small vice, files, and a few other 'necessary' tools - including a digital scale. At least I know he'll use them for years to come.

That's it for this month. I think I've gone on long enough, anyway. Official baby countdown - 38 days!