Camp Update

I got my babies back today. Yay! They had a *great* time at the Governor’s Institute. This morning there was a whole presentation where the director talked about the experience and showed a slideshow of everyone’s final projects. Then we had time to walk around and check out all the final projects. They ranged from digital designs, to video games, to physical robots and “makerspace” projects. They were all pretty cool.

Eve made a really neat wooden box with her drawings engraved in the side. She also created the graphics for a video game that Lex programmed, and a screen printed poster of the game logo. They had fun working together. They also both joined a Dungeons and Dragons group and are now fully addicted. 😄

Eve also made cool/weird/pretty earrings and a little mushroom out of clay and paint. They are adorable, but the earrings are huge. :)

After we were packed up and checked out, we headed to Church Street for yummy bagel lunch and Lake Champlain Chocolates ice cream. We also made a stop at the local game store to buy D&D dice. Yep, they are hooked!

Alan took Lex and Eve back to his house for a bit while I dropped B’Lake off at his Governor’s Institute mathematics camp. It was a very different drop off experience than last week with Lex and Eve. For the math camp they were disorganized, lax, and extremely informal. I hope it ends up being as much fun for him as L&E had.

Em the snail went to camp to keep B’Lake company. 💙💛

After dropping him off I stopped at Alan’s house to pick up the other two and we headed home. Huxley was VERY glad to see the kids again! He slept in his crate every night this week and is definitely missing his cuddles with Lex. 🤗

Tomorrow we’re off on another adventure! Life is good.

Governor’s Institute

Eve and Lex are spending the week at a fancy tech camp called the Governor’s Institute. The camp is held at Champlain College, a beautiful location on Champlain Lake. I dropped them off yesterday, in the rain. I was a weird nervous person trying to be double sure on the parking and plans. I think I drove Lex crazy. LOL. The camp is a super cool camp. Lex and B’Lake did it last year, but it was virtual due to Covid, so it was fun, but not AS fun as in-person. This year Lex and Eve signed up for the “technology and design” session and B’Lake signed up for the “mathematics” session, which is next week.

Eve was up at 4:30am, feeling anxious, I think. She didn’t say as much, but she said she had a stomachache and worried she might have Covid (she tested negative before I even work up). She was excited and nervous, so I knew it was all ok.

I helped them both get packed, ran a few errands with Eve (she needed headphones and Lex needed laundry detergent –he’s planning to do laundry!), then we headed to college. It was a super weird experience.

I don’t think I was too much, but by the end when I wanted one pic of the two of them together, Lex was done with me. :) I jokingly said something about Lex being ready for me to leave and he less jokingly said yeah, he was. :) That boy is exactly where he should be for a rising senior!

Eve, on the other hand, needed extra hugs, texted me before I was even home, and called me at night. She said she was having fun, but that there was a lot of people and activities and she was very tired. I’m hoping she’s having a good day today. She texted me a picture of the clouds this morning, so that’s a good sign.

Red sky after the rain.

Country living

Eve decided to go back to summer camp in NY, so we’re spending a week in the country.  We dropped her off on Friday and she even allowed me to take a picture! :)

Cabin 9, just like last time.

Camp starts with a swim test. I snuck a little picture. She passed the test with no trouble at all.

While she was away, Lex and I hung at in Franklin. We watched G’Tom and his friend repaint the house, we had a little mani/pedi session, we watched lots of TV and played lots of Minecraft … I say “we” but I think you can guess who did what! :)

Greg, hard at work painting. Mema was gardening and Tom was painting, but somehow neither of them ended up in my photo.

Just for fun.

We also took a trip to Target, saw Toy Story 4, watched the Tour de France, and took a few walks.  The heat steadily rose all week.

We picked up Eve on Friday. She had a great time at camp and is already planning her return.

A cheer tunnel for all the campers to run through. Camp is fun!

Closing ceremony. It’s hot and humid, and Eve is wearing her sweatshirt. At least it is unzipped!

Eve introduced us to all her new “friends,” that included a few animals she made at craft time, and a collection of rocks she drew faces on.

She made friends (of the human variety), collected email addresses, and is now enjoying a screen-filled day today.  :)  We are all spending the day doing as little as possible and riding out the record high temps.

Life in the country. <3

 

Eve off to camp!

We dropped Eve off at camp today, the same camp that my siblings and I all went to so many years ago. Not much has changed. It’s still a sweet little camp, all centered around a fire pit. Eve passed her swim test and made friends with her bunkmate before we left. I know she’s going to have a blast!

I already miss this crazy girl!

She picked a bottom bunk and immediately found a poem written on the underside of the top bunk.

She forgot to bring a book, but it looks like she’ll have plenty to read!

I love this child. <3

First things first, pass that swim test! (Eve is in white, putting on her goggles)

Lex wasn’t terribly excited to be there. Camp is not his thing.

Out of about ten hug/wrestling pictures I got one sweet one. :) I’ll pretend this is how they parted. <3

She’s back!

We picked Eve up from camp today.  She was so bouncy and happy to see us!  We all had brunch together, then Eve gave us a tour of (some of) her favorite places.

Someone was happy to see little sister!

Siblings reunited!

Brunch in the dining hall. (Ignore that pile of carbs on Lex’s plate.)

Eve took us on a tour of her favorite places. (This is kind of a trippy picture!)

See the pretty horses.

She told us stories the whole way home and then went right to her room and almost cried from exhaustion.  I thought she would take a nap, but she listened to music and worked on a friendship bracelet while I took a nap!  😄

My favorite story came when I asked if she got the package I sent her with the disposable camera in it.  She brought her toy camera to camp, but it takes terrible pictures and probably ran out of battery, so I made a special trip Wednesday to the drug store and post offic to get her a camera.  I envisioned pictures of her friends and her counselors and the horses.  Ya know, camp pictures! I had plans to make copies of some of them to share with the other two families.  My plans evaporated when I ask her about the camera and she said, “Yeah, but it was really confusing.  I mean, it had no screen so I didn’t know if the pictures were good, then I couldn’t figure out how to make it work, and I think it needs something called film?!”  I was laughing so hard!!

Now the neighbor kids are over.  We couldn’t say no to them because they are leaving tomorrow for a month long vacation!  I think everyone will sleep well tonight.  I know I’ll be happy to have Miss Eve back in her own bed.  ❤

PS. Lex and Asher saw the camera on the counter after I unpacked Eve’s stuff.  Eve peeled off all the stickers and wrappings so its just a weird black box.  Lex figured out how to take a picture, but I had to show him how to scroll forward to take the next one.  The boys took a few pictures of each other but got bored when they realized they couldn’t immediately see them. Hahaha.

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Miss Eve goes to camp

We dropped Eve off at Girl Scout Camp today.  She is there with two friends from school.  She was so excited!!

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All packed and ready to go!

Her friends came over to our house this afternoon and we caravanned up together. It was great to have her friends and MY friends there for support! :)

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She was so excited! She rolled down her window and said hello to every councelor that gave us parking directions along the way. Look at that smile! <3

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Three eager girls heading to check-in!

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Her GIANT Valentine’s Day puppy went to camp too! :)

We parked and headed to the check-in lines. Fortunately all three ended up in the same camp sight (there are multiple sites with many cabins/tents/treehouses each). We had a little scare with them being in different groups, but when faced with a few panicked mothers the nice councelor fixed the problem asap! LOL!

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Head checks for all the girls. Of course, I checked her this morning! I DID NOT want to be the parent bringing her girl home with head lice before camp even started! :)

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This way to Tall Timbers!

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Eve’s cabin. It is small and HOT!

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Eve got the top bunk because her buddy wanted the bottom bunk. Her other friend is in the other bunk in the cabin, with one other girl who they don’t know. They promised to be nice and inclusive with her! :)

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Her shelves, fully stocked.

It was great having the other families and all the siblings there. The moms helped the girls set up and make beds while the dads/boyfriends/friends chatted with councelors and played with siblings. The girls made name tags, met their councelors (at least two of them, one named Pickles and the other named Hatter — both camp names, I’m assuming!), found the water fountain and bathrooms, and generally settled in. The mom’s laughed, exchanged advice and support, and everyone parted in good spirits.

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Saying goodbye to brother. Neither of them seemed too upset. I’m curious how they will feel later in the week.

I have been texting with the other two moms and that has been fun. I’m very glad to have their support. One’s daughter has gone to visit family for weeks at a time and the other girl goes to visit dad on a regular basis, so I’m the only one with separation anxiety, but they are nice and supportive and giving me gentle loving grief.

Eve will either have the time of her life, which is what she’s expecting, or it will be miserable. The temps will be pushing 90° all week with rain in the forecast for two of the days, though not a cooling rain. I hope she has a great time!

Now we are watching The Martian, a movie that’s not appropriate for her, and staying up late. Lex has karate camp this week so I will have a few mornings to myself again! Hello naps! LOL!

PS.  Since this is the digital age, camp now has an email system.  You can send an email and they will print it and deliver it with the daily mail call.  If you would like to email Eve, let me know and I’ll send you instructions.

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Camp – Day 2

Lex came prepared for camp today!  Safari vest, bug catching box, butterfly net, and more!  I asked the councelor if that was ok and he said, “Sure!  No problem!”  We’ll see if it all comes back again this afternoon. :)

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Camp

The kiddos started their one week of summer camp today.  It’s a new place we haven’t gone before with a “GeoQuesting” theme, a cross between ValleyQuests and geocaching.  They had a blast.  They learned how to make a fire, they swam, they took two hikes, and a squirrel (or some other creature!) ate Lex’s lunch leftovers.  A good time was had by all. :)

happy campers

I was going to take a before and after pic, but I forgot the before, so you just get the after. Eve was still in her bathing suit and covered in dirt!

lex

The secret to getting healthy food in Lex is to wear him out, then give him a book and surround him by healthy things that he likes. He’ll mindlessly much for hours. :)

I wanted a nice “before” and “after” picture of them but I was feeling kind of emotional about leaving them and totally forgot the before picture.  Oh well.  They had fun and I survived without them… and by survived I mean got a TON of errands and things done!  I think we are all excited for four more days! :)

Camp

I am feeling frustrated this week. Consider yourself warned.

I like having my kids home. I think they need down time in the summer. They need to play and explore and be together and relax. However, they also need friends sometimes and outings. I’m finding myself frustrated this summer because all of the kids’ friends are in camps! In the past we’ve been able to have a steady stream of playdates and playground trips and there has been a nice balance of downtime and social time. This year that seems unlikely to happen. The kids of working parents are in camps, of course, but this year the kids of all my stay-at-home parent friends are in camp as well. Leaving just the three of us every day. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I think after spending a year in school with friends and plans every day, having nine weeks of just the three of us might be tough. Eve has a pre-k friend not in camps, but Lex needs socializing too.

Lex did soccer camp last week. It was through the town, but he only knew one kid in the program and that kid was a grade behind him. I signed them up for Splash Camp for one week in July and they are both excited for that. One of Lex’s friends will be there, so that’s good. Now I’m debating about other camps. The town has a popular one that’s comparatively affordable, but I called today and the only week they have openings available is the week immediately following Splash Camp. They also run from 8am-5pm, which is a long day! I think it would be too much for my kids to have two long camps in a row, but maybe I’m underestimating them. They are growing up.

Eve wants to take a dance camp, but we did that last summer and it seemed like a waste of money, especially if she doesn’t know anyone.

I guess the slow life has it’s downsides. If everyone would just slow down a bit there would be plenty of kids in the neighborhood to play with. Instead they are all off at organized camps all week and I’m left debating.

The other down side is that the moms of all the kids in camps are off doing whatever moms do without kids and I’m left with limited social options for myself as well.

Sigh. Thanks for listening.

PS. I should add that I’m exaggerating a bit. Not EVERY child is in camp EVERY week. But most of them are in camp most weeks, making playdate scheduling very tricky.

PPS. I really just need a plan for the summer. Then I’ll feel better.

Splash Camp

The kids are at Splash Camp this week and SUPER excited! They have been waiting for this for months! There was no delaying or fussing getting out the door this morning. I’m a little nervous about how they are going to do sunscreen and bathing suits and all of that by themselves, but I’m sure they’ll be fine without me. That’s a hard thing to say!

unicorn eve

Unicorn Eve. How else do you start a new week?! Lex is working on a unicorn mask in the background.

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Two super excited swimmers! See the hot air balloon in the background? I love this area!

on the benches

They were so eager to join the group I had to stop them and request hugs and kisses. So it begins. Sigh. The girl sitting next to Lex is one of his favorite friends from school. Total coincidence!

I was a little sad to drop them off and leave. Fortunately I have a hot date with my cool car and the Toyota Service Department! Well, I suppose technically my car has a hot date with the service department and I have a long wait in the waiting room. Sigh. Happy Monday!