Exploring the field on our first day
Running to the Dining Hall
Although not a great photo, I had to put this one in here. This is Juan at our favorite creek spot. We went here several times over the weekend, throwing rocks in, wading, looking for fish, soapstone, and water scooters.
Juan tries his hand at archery with "Pancakes"
Getting ready to boat
I was nervous to take the canoe out with Mary Lu, but I figured at worst we would get wet. They both did great in the canoe and Juan wanted me to paddle as fast as possible around the lake over and over. It was fun!
Grandpa Randy visits. Grandma Ruthy visited also.
Lunchtime in the Dining Hall. This is a rare moment where Mary Lu is actually sitting and eating something. Mostly she wandered around under everyone's feet. I like to think she made the dining experience a little bit like an All Camp Activity for the family campers.
Juan outside our cabin (Cabin 1 in Hillside) during FOB
Mary Lu FOBbing
Juan builds a lean-to outside our cabin. He told me that it's called lean to because it has two walls.
Juan builds a cabin at Arts and Crafts. It was pretty cool. He watched the older girls making their log cabins out of popsicle sticks and made one using the exact same technique all on his own. They were fairly elaborate really with roofs (he made a dome roof) , a painted paper base, and a sign out in front. I was impressed.
Matt visited which was great, and someone offered to take our photo together. It was cracking me up; it's like an alternate universe photo.
Juan and Mary Lu being ATVs. Juan was an ATV a lot during the weekend, and thus Mary Lu was as well.
On the way up to Flag Sunday morning we saw a rabbit. We checked her out for a long time; she seemed pretty comfortable with the attention.
Hopping
Mary Lu heads out to the field to check out the ball box. We spent a lot of time out on the field at the ball box.
Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk. . .
(Juan on a few years ago)I'm a woman's man, no time to talk
Feel the city breakin' and everybody shakin'
And we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive
What's up with the Tafollas (Jessica excluded) and their corndogs?
Snacking in the cabin before Carnival
The slip n' slide at carnival. Carnival was good, excellent new cake walk idea, the other standard booths were much better thought out than in some years past. Notably missing, however (as Bullphrog pointed out to me) was the "Hanging out with Nature Boy" booth.
Juan was one of two merciless patrons of the sponge toss booth. Poor Milk Dud and
Pancakes. They let him toss those sponges at them for-e-ver. With each turn he
inched closer and closer too. Very good sports. Nice tossing, Juan!
Juan closely examines the slip n' slide technique and procedure before deciding if he wants to give it a try. He did, eventually (he was the only little one to go). He very bravely ran and jumped on.
Mary Lu wakes up from her Carnival nap and checks it all out.
Mary Lu loves putting shoes and clothes on and taking them off. Here she helps Juan. While at camp she learned to put on her own crocs. She can take off her own clothes and can get clothes about halfway on. She does NOT like help with, well, pretty much anything. If she wants help, she'll ask. I'm amazed at her dressing skills. OH, I also have to mention about her counting. I think I've talked before about her "reading" where she looks at books or letters on things and pretends to read them. She really, really likes to count. She doesn't know the names of the numbers to say yet, but she knows the process. She'll count things on a page, or count them out onto my hand and say her interpretation of a number with each thing she points to or each item she puts in my hand.
Checking out the creek by Hillside. Both Juan and Mary Lu really liked the creek. I had to be quick with this photo because Mary Lu kept trying to go over the bridge.
"Water" she says now over and over whenever we see water.
About halfway through the weekend, Juan met Elliot and they became fast friends. Elliot also has a little brother, Ian, just a little younger than Mary Lu. From the minute we finished playing on Saturday afternoon, playing with Elliot again was all Juan talked about. Here they are at the volleyball net on Sunday.
Mary Lu balancing
Juan and Elliot head over to the creek. They were seriously synchronized. I just love watching kids this age when they meet a kindred spirit. It was all we could do to keep up with them.
Building a dam
This is toward the end of this play session and things were getting seriously goofy. Mary Lu chased after the two of them all afternoon and did all she could to join in their play.
Walking up to Flag on Monday morning
Walking up this old familiar Hillside route to flag with the kids was the most moving camp experience for me.
Waiting for Flag at the Hillside spot.
Mary Lu in Silver Creek
Juan and Elliot had a nice long playtime again on Monday morning before it was time to head home. I have to say, after having to watch Juan say a lot of goodbyes over the last year, some more permanent than others, that is certainly one of the most difficult things about parenting. I wish there were a way to get through childhood without those goodbyes.
Here they're "fishing." They fished for a long time on this morning. This was after they were playing with a little inflatable boat. We kept telling them not to get in it (it was in the water). Then, we overheard Juan explaining to Elliot that Elliot should get in it first and Juan would push him out. There was some further reasoning on Juan's part. Elliot's dad very aptly described it as a "Tom Sawyer moment."
