Stepniowski Family

I admit it… I was totally freaking out over how summer was going to work out with Aidan being out of school.  I’m not ashamed to say I imagined him driving me crazy all day and thought getting work done was going to be all but impossible.

But, I’ve been pleasantly surprised.  As we hit the midway point of summer break, I’ve got to say things have been going very well.  We’ve stayed busy and managed to do a lot of fun activities, including being able to sleep in.  We’ve all enjoyed that!

Here’s a summary of what we’ve been up to so far…

1. Busch Gardens – With annual passes, you can’t go wrong.  Before summer ends, I want to take the kids to breakfast with Elmo there.  Skye just loves Elmo!
2. Camping – Luke took Aidan out to O’Leno and camped out in the excruciating heat.  I don’t think Luke will be letting me forget that anytime soon, although they both admit it was a great time.  Aidan played with fire and got burned… lesson learned.
3. MOSI camps – Aidan did two weeks at MOSI.  They have 3 hour camps there that took him from exploring the science of candy making (eating) and then into the world of super secret mysteries.  I was worried that he wouldn’t want to go because he didn’t know anyone there.  But, he fit right in and had a blast.  Of course, we explored Kids in Charge a few times as well.  Skye thought that was pretty cool.
4. Bright Horizons – I can’t say enough about how much Bright Horizons improved their summer program this year. And, returning after our period of absence was just like coming home.  The people there are awesome and Aidan has met so many new friends.  He wakes up every morning and asks when it’s time to go to camp.  He’s playing LEGOs, swimming, going on field trips (water parks, picnics, Lowry Park Zoo and more).  Watch out Skye… you’ll be going there soon enough!
5. Ybor – Aidan loves Gameworks, so we were happy to discover they reopened.  Luke and Aidan met up with family in from Poland one evening.  The highlight was Aidan puking on the sidewalk after dinner.  We try to keep it real!
6. Aquarium – Aidan has been to the FL Aquarium so many times, but he still enjoys it.  Skye just can’t get enough of the fish.  I’m hoping to go back sometime next week so they can play at Explore A Shore.  Wow, it seems like just yesterday that we had Aidan’s 3rd birthday party there.
7. Boating – Next weekend, Aidan and Luke will be going out on Garry’s boat with Luke’s family.  I think they’re heading out to Homosassa Springs.
8. Dinosaur World – Aidan’s 6th birthday party was awesome!
9. Hunter’s Green Discovery Club – Aidan spent a few days at a science themed camp and was able to see a few of his friends from school.
10. Bounce U – They have “open bounce” throughout the week.  We met up with the Silversteins for a play date one afternoon.  I’m thinking we’ll go back before summer is over.

Coming up in a couple of weeks will be our two week trip to the mountains.  It’s become sort of a tradition now, and I think we’re all looking forward to hitting the road in the mini van and chillin’ in a mountaintop cabin up near Pigeon Forge.  The pit stop at Stone Mountain is always fun too.

And, as for work, I’ve been able to fit everything in just fine.  My classes at HCC were cancelled for the summer so I’m just doing a few things for Pro QC.  My mom has been able to help me out with Skye one or two days each week so I have had some catch up time.  All things considered, I think summer all year around sounds like a good idea (minus the heat and humidity).