Decks, Patios, Porches and Docks - Renovating a brick patio doing the wave

The house that I bought has a large brick patio (maybe 20 years old) in the rear. the patio is 70 percent level, but many of the brick have separated and some have raised of lower in places. I think I want to keep the patio in brick, but want to fix it right. What do I need to do to make sure the brick stay put this time? The bricks were also layed down with some space between them that has accumulated dirt (and weeds and moss) over the years.

1) There is some buildup under the deck of sand and I think crushed rock under the bricks. I am thinking of cleaning all the bricks with a poerwasher and removing as much of the dirt as possible. I then can add several inches of additional sand ( I really want the patio up a couple of inches), level everything, tamp and then replace the bricks tightly. I also building a frame out of wood or trex would stop the desk from spreading. Any thoughts? does the pattern of the bricks make any difference? I would need to buy a few more bricks to fill in a few areas.

2) I could also pour a slad and then use bricks and motar to cement the whole thing. I have not worked with cement before, but understand that this is not difficult, but would also help keep everything stable.

Any one done this before?