Oh, just trying to keep up with life!
After we returned from our nine-day road trip, we had one day to pack and prepare for a big milestone for Katie: her first sleepover camp! I grew up going to camps every summer. My parents started sending me to camp when I was SIX years old. (And I was gone for a month!) I can’t imagine doing it that early with my kids, but I know for sure I want them to have some sort of camping experience. I think it’s good for them to be away from their parents and learn about nature and getting along with others and having adventures of their own. My camp memories are priceless and it’s a gift I want to give my kids.
Katie’s first sleepover camp was at a nearby Girl Scout camp. She went with one of our neighbor’s daughters, and they did a special session called “Pair Up.” They pick a buddy to arrive with and spend the three-day, two-night adventure together.
I was nervous about Katie spending her first nights away from us in a platform tent in the woods, and thought there was a 25% chance I might get a call to retrieve her before the session ended. But she was a great sport and I didn’t hear a thing from her until we arrived to collect her. She and her friend were a bundle of energy, telling us about their adventures (“Lots of bugs!”) and singing camp songs (lots of potty humor songs!), and I think it was a successful first try. She says she doesn’t want to go to camp again because of the bugs, but I’ve already got some plans simmering for next summer at a camp that has cabins. Yippee!
After Katie returned from camp, we had one week before the new school year started. We filled the last week of summer with visits to the movie theater, pool and even Chuck E Cheese.
I got to second shoot with my friend Michael and photograph a wedding in there too, which made for some days of exhaustion (the good kind)!
The first day of school arrived…
…and we continued our tradition of treats after school, so we could hear about everyone’s first day.
The adults also enjoyed some treats – my new favorite drink made with Firefly sweet tea vodka. Yum!
Jackson recently hit a milestone: Katie taught him to write his name by himself! He likes to practice on our craft table too, where I stuck a sheet of paper with his name on it under the acrylic table protector. He uses a dry erase marker to write, erase, and write again.
We have some other things that are starting to drive me a little bonkers this summer: our bathroom shower tile is popping off the wall, and the mess and potential for mold behind the tile has me a little tense. Not to mention the idea of spending money to fix it. Ugh! But in a related thought, the idea of money has me already thinking ahead to Christmas spending. I am starting to ponder how I can plan gifts that are meaningful and inexpensive. Hmmm…
We have all kinds of critters that keep popping up in our backyard. Katie previously blogged about our “pet” squirrel Pancake. I’ve spent a few summer hours watching this crazy squirrel hang out in our trees as if he doesn’t have a care in the world.
And the other day I found a dead mouse and then saw two LIVE ones scurrying around our garden. I’m about to declare a full-scale war on varmints!
I think we had a pretty great summer this year. We did lots of activities (VBS, day camps, vacation, camping, amusement parks), celebrated birthdays, swam at the pool, and made some good memories. How did your summer turn out?
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