As Summer Winds Down

I'm a delinquent! I've had this post started for many days and I can't make myself finish it and actually push publish. I have so much to add. Pictures to share. Stories to tell. But I also want it finished so I can start again. :)

The kids have been taking turns sleeping out in the tent, on the porch. They stay up late and wake up later. Summer is a fun time for all of us. The pressures of being places on time is lifted... for at least a few weeks. We casually sleep in (past 0700) and leisurely eat breakfast. I've been working a lot of night shifts at work this summer and bringing home biscuits in the morning is fun, easy and a special treat for the kids. We've stayed home this summer. No trips to the beach. No vacation anywhere. That's ok. It really is. I would rather go to the beach when 90% of the other people are back home where they belong. Like Columbus day or Labor Day or some other day when we can scoot away for a long weekend. I wanted to go back to Charleston because last year it was rush, rush as well as rainy. I also wanted to go to Disney.... THAT's not happening! So, instead we play around the house, go to playgroup with our friends, watch the laundry pile up, and send the eldest two to camp. If you read the earlier posts you know Bennett went for a week with Maggie then got to go back for two more weeks with his cousins. It was a LONG time! I was there for several of the days as well. It was a great week. I still don't think I've caught up on the rest, or lack of. I would stay the whole 6 weeks of summer camp... if they would let me, if Curtis would let me, if work would let me. That's a whole lot of if's... and I'm pretty sure most of them would say NO! I just don't like having to grow up and be the responsible adult. Sigh!

We had a week with the Rose family too. After we sent the boys off to camp... we did girlie things like shop for shoes and paint nails. Aunt Lara did all that stuff. I just went along for the ride...

we also made tie dyed t-shirts with all the kids. It was almost painful for the eldest of the Roses but we managed.

There are more pictures. I can't find them. Our main computer crashed and I moved them somewhere. I'll get them back one day.

In the meantime, Curtis is shopping our tax free weekend for a new computer or tower or something that will function more than 2% of the time.

Hopefully, I'll get back in the swing of things. I think part of it is working night shifts. As much as I enjoy doing it I am much less productive during my time at home... simply because I'm just trying to stay awake.

More soon... or later. Who knows?!?!

Boys Go To Camp

We had the extreme privilege to send the boys to Strong Rock for a 2-week session. It's the last session of the summer and they had some empty spots... so Friday when we went to pick Bennett up from his first session they made an announcement about the spots. We tried to talk Seth & Leslie into sending Micah. I didn't think it was going to work... but in the end they decided it was ok. Leslie had a hard time having him gone for 2 weeks but the reports we were getting from camp was that Micah was non-stop running... sheer joy!

We also talked Lara into sending Jared as they were driving down from Pennsylvania for this same time frame. It worked out perfectly. The opportunity would never come again.

Then we managed to figure out a way to get Rob & Stacy's Adam to camp as well. 4 cousins. All in the same cabin. All at the same lunch table. All having the time of their lives. Jared and Adam are on the opposing tribe from Bennett and Micah. It worked out! We'll certainly have some tribal cheers and songs to hear once they return home. A little competition is a healthy thing.

Here are the boys one lunchtime... after having read some mail from family back home.

Jared (9) Micah (8) Bennett (8) Adam (9)... all within 18 months of each other.

It's been a long 2 weeks (3 for Bennett) and the mother's are counting down the days until they return. I'm sure the boys are all counting down the days too... but for different reasons.
I'm going to camp on Tuesday and will work as the camp nurse for the rest of the week. It will be fun to see how they're doing instead of just hearing stories. I hope there are no major health issues. These are big kids! :)

A Week at the Grandfolks

Living close to Grandparents has both pros and cons. Well, everything does for that matter (almost). We are close enough that they can drive up for birthday parties and soccer games, Mother's day luncheons and camp ceremonies. But they are far enough away they can't stop by on a whim. Can't join us for dinner without some planning and phone calls. They can't provide child care for date night (whatever that is!). :) But they are almost too close to send the kids away for any length of time. Both of my sets of Grandparents were in different states... and not even local states. Indiana and Arizona. While making visiting them difficult, it did make the visits that much more special and memorable and special! Did I say that already? Going to Phoenix meant we had "won" against the siblings. Sometimes, two of us went together... but never all four. So, our trips were savored. We GOT things. We DID things. We WENT places. Going to Indiana meant we learned things. We picked strawberries, played in the cornfeed, hayloft, chicken house, corn field. Saw cousins, Aunts and Uncles, ate like pigs! Grandparents can do things parents can't... or won't. And even though my own mother goes WAY overboard with my kids... I won't complain. At least not for long. Because I know that it will make memories for the kids that they too will savor years from now... when the grandparents are just memories and pictures.

That being said... we sent the two little girls to Grandpa and Grandma's house for a week! They did fun stuff every day. Played hard. Ran around and visited old friends. Picked veggies from a garden. Picked blueberries with Grandpa. Ate at Mr. Cathy's restaraunt. Oh, and Grandma and Ruth made Cheerio treats multiple times. I think because they kept eating them all... they just kept making more. And as soon as they returned home, she made another batch. I don't think Grandma made them nap twice while they were there. I wish she would tell some of the stories. Ruthie and Grandpa did everything together... for they are buddies. Lydia stuck to Grandma, probably by default. Ruth even went to the dentist and entertained the hygentist while he got his teeth cleaned. There were lots of stories from the week. I finally got pictures from Grandma... so I can share. I hope one day my kids can tell stories of visiting their Grandparents' home... even though we live in the same state.

Ruthie at the piano I grew up playing... and some of the same songbooks! :)

Breakfast with Grandpa's eggs... a tradition! The BEST eggs ever!

Ruthie and Grandpa with their matching shades. The girl is not spoiled!

Lydia's peach milkshake mustache from Mr. Cathy's place.

Picking Grandpa's blueberries. These were just knee-high bushes a few years ago.

Showing off the loot! Picking in their pj's? :)

The Quiet Days of Summer Camp

This week has been unusually quiet around our home. We're just 3 days in and we've already said how weird it is several times. The big kids are off at CAMP... and the little girls are off to Grandfolks "camp".

One of the good things about being "on staff" at camp and knowing the photographer is being able to get pictures to put here. All the camp photos go to some far off website and you can't use them. You can buy them. But you can't share them, like this.

It does a Mother good to see these smiles.

Thanks SNAPS!