The end of July is creeping closer, and that freaks me out. When July is over, it will be August. August is when Jay goes back to school, and becomes immersed in all the extracurricular stuff that he loves, and that keeps him from home. August is when I have to figure out how to keep up with my schoolwork while I handle all the childcare and most of the household duties. August means stress. I'm not ready for that to begin again. It will help when Nan goes back to school in mid-September, but I'm afraid it will be a long four weeks until then. I'm /pretty/ sure the preemptive freakout isn't the best way to stave off stress, but I can't help it. This is how my mind works in the middle of the night, when I should be asleep. Anyway. We just got back from a lovely, too-brief, vacation in scenic Cincinnati. We actually had a great time at a great resort close to King's Island. We went to KI one morning, and in truth, I think our time would've been better spent at the water park back at the hotel. Nan is at an age where the unknown creates tremendous apprehension, so the amusement park is not the best place for her. But, we had a lot of fun at the hotel. She slept beautifully in an unfamiliar place, and enjoyed spending time with my family. Oh, and according to her, the best part was the fact that she got to eat at McDonald's not once, but TWICE. Truly luxurious living. Lately, when it's time to leave the house, she says, "Ok, let's rock and roll!" I have no idea where she got that, but it makes me laugh. Since we got back, she has created a stuffed animal family that she plays with all the time. There's Lady, the dog from the Disney movie, as the mom; King, a dog purchased at King's Island by Grandpa, is the dad; Amy, the elephant, is the elder sister; Laura, a kitty, is the younger sister; and finally, there's Baby Brother, a little puppy who doesn't get a real name, "because he's just a baby, Mom". This family goes on adventures throughout the house, and you must not try to put ANY of them away prior to bedtime, or there will be great distress. She puts them to bed properly, and wakes them first thing in the morning, before she comes to find me, even. Which has been kind of nice for us-- the longer the wakeup takes, the longer Jay and I get to sleep. Excellent.