A big day at Coney

We made it home from our Panama City Beach vacation on Sunday afternoon (I'll post more on that with pictures later) and have since been trying to get back into our normal summer routine.  Usually our (the kids and my) day consists of sleeping til 8:30 or so (ok, that's just me usually - the kids get up earlier and head down to watch tv and play) then deciding on a plan of action for the day.  Coney Island is a frequent choice, especially when our friends Amber, Brenden, and Emery can go with us.

Today I woke up to a rainy, gloomy day.  We went over to Walmart and got Conner's school supplies (he was pretty excited to pick out some new stuff!) then to the library to find some books and videos.  I'd originally told the kids that we could go to McDonald's for lunch but then reconsidered and decided to go home for lunch, take naps, and head down to Coney in the late afternoon.  Conner wasn't too excited about the change of plans, but I could tell by his behavior on the way home that a nap was definitely a necessity.

They both took great naps after lunch (without any extra prompting/yelling/nagging on my part!) so we all got our suits on and headed down to Coney around 4:00.  As we were walking in I could hear an announcement saying that the pool was temporarily closed because of lightning in the vicinity.  The kids and I spent some time in the pool store (Aud needed a new float and Conner some new goggles) then found a dry spot under a big umbrella to wait it out.

Once they made the announcement that the pool was back open, the kids rushed on in. It was actually pretty nice - there weren't very many people there and we were able to head to the "island" for the kids to jump without running into anyone.  Audrey did fantastic - she grew much more confident in the water last week and was actually swimming back to the ladder on her own after jumping to me.  She was so excited to tell Daddy about it when she got home!

Conner rediscovered the pool slide this summer (with a little encouraging on my part) and had gone down it several times when I asked Aud if she'd like to go.  I wasn't sure how she'd respond, but she said she wanted to try it and headed up the ladder with Conner on his next go-round.  I was a little worried that she was going to change her mind once she reached the top, but with just a little bit of hesitation, Audrey made her way down.  Her face was priceless (I'm not sure I've ever seen her eyes that big!) and she looked terrified, but as soon as she hit the bottom she popped up and was ready to go again.  I think she ended up making 4 or 5 trips and was ready for more (but it had started raining again and it was time to head home).  I know where we'll be spending the rest of our trips to Coney Island!

More big news from this week - the director of the preschool at New Richmond Elementary called on Monday.  This was the school that I'd taken Audrey for screenings in the spring but she didn't get a spot for next year.  I guess someone dropped out and now there's room for Aud!  She'll go every morning on the bus (which will pick her up and drop her off at our babysitter's - perfect!!) and will be an example of a "typical" child in a special needs class - just like Conner was when he was 4.  I'm so excited for her!