Off to CAMP

Ready or Not...Sarah is off to her first resident camp.  She is spending the week at Girl Scout Camp Timberlake in Azle, TX.  They were supposed to go Sunday - Friday, but late Sat night they called to inform us that there was a water-main-break and camp would go from Tuesday to Sunday.  She is staying with three of her buddies in a cabin.  It felt like we packed everything possible, with the exception of air-conditioning.  Her camp theme is Mystery Madness.  She will learn all types of detective skills and clue-finding.  Hopefully these will transfer over when looking for missing shoes or articles of clothing!  One can wish, right?  One of the grandmothers dropping off told me that when she went to camp, they could only take what would roll up in the bed-roll (sleeping bag).  I can assure you that Sarah's camp essentials barely fit into the new suitcase I bought her.  What are the essentials, you may ask:

1.  Sheets and a sleeping bag

2.  Clothes and swimsuits

3.  Battery powered lantern, flashlight, mini, hand-held fan (extra AA batteries)

4.  Sunscreen, bug spray, and anti-itch cream

5.  SWAPS and craft items to complete during quiet time

6.  Stationary, labels, and stamps (...hoping for at least one letter!)

Camp Buddies...Kate, Olivia, and Hannah

Sarah was super excited and a little nervous when we dropped her off.  We asked her if she had butterflies as we entered the camp; she said she had a pterodactyl in her stomach!  Once she saw her buddies, she was fine.  I know she will do great and I cannot wait hear the stories she comes home with.

Newest friend...inside the girls' lodge, which is the common area for the 5-6 cabins in the Pioneer Unit.

Cabin with flaps down over screened windows and cots

Guess Who?

These pics were taken last November.  Kids must have gotten these at a carnival or something.  I was cleaning out folders on my desktop and ran across them.  Both kids have those deep, deep dimples. Often when we are out, people will comment on how cute their dimples are.  I didn't realize that all people didn't have dimples until Sarah was born.  When she was in the NICU, birth - day 12, the nurses would Ohh and Ahhh over her dimples.  I thought this was strange, but my mom explained that not all people have them.   Go figure!!

{Thanks Cari for Sarah's pjs.  She wore them out, so unfortunatley they won't be passed down.}

I love the way Sarah's eyes sparkle.  They seem full of mischief in this picture.  She is my honest, always play-by- the-rules kid.  Shane on the other hand...

Creative?

I came upon Shane last week watching tv this way.  Don't know what was more comical, that he was watching The Polar Express in June or that he was sitting and watching from the end of my banister.  Silly, creative BOY!!

Misc

We have had such a fun year this yearas Brownie Girl Scouts.  On Saturday, we went Ice Skating at Ice at the Parks in Arlington.  Then we drove to Camp Timberlake to check out the facilities.  Sarah and 3 friends are going there June 20-25 for Resident Camp.  6 days away from home!  She is both a little anxious and excited.  I know she will have a great time, but how we will miss her.  Especially Shane.  He asks many times a day how long until she gets home from school.  He loves to play outside with her once she gets home.  On days when she has a playdate with a friend, he will get so disappointed and say, "She has been gone all day and now she doesn't even want to play with me!"  I think he will really enjoy being in kindergarten next year.

Three more weeks of school.  Wish it were over sooner.  We are all ready for a break and the kids are DYING for the pool to open.  It has been a fun spring, being home and not subbing very often! I seem to stay busy with too many other things, but LIFE IS GOOD!

Vacation

Well, Steve is on vacation for the rest of the month!  He was also off this last week, but he went to Dallas for training.  We recently bought a partial Home Vestors franchise.  So now, he is looking to buy Ugly Houses.  He is looking to supplement his Southwest income so that he can be home more, and fly less.  We just need him to fly enough for benefits.  We'll see how this new business adventure goes! 

Our Wii got so hot earlier from being played all day by him and the kids, it kept freezing up.  Sarah loves World of Zoo and they all play Lego Star Wars.  I took two naps and read 100+ pages in a new novel.  It was a great pj day for us all.  Wish we could have these days more often!

Funny deductions

Last week, the kids were deep in thought, doing some deductive reasoning.  Their conversation went a little like this:
Shane: "Mommy doesn't let us say butt, right?"
Sarah:  "Right."
Shane : "We can say buttox, maybe it's OK for us to say fart-ox."
Sarah: "Mommy, since we can say bottox, can we say fart-ox?"
Mommy: Laughing so hard she couldn't even answer.

Kids!

Gabby Retreat

We have had a great, fun-filled weekend with the Gabby Scrappers.  This group has been coming to the Covered Bridge Inn for 4 years now.  It is amazing that this is our 7th time to visit this cute little bed-and-breakfast in Weatherford, TX.  The first time we met, I was in town to close on our house in Keller, in transient from Del Rio,TX.  We have also been to a friend's lake house and a retreat center in Glen Rose a  few times in between.  I am so lucky to have family that keeps my kids so that I can get away on these much needed weekends.  Thank you Mom, Dad, Pam and Steve!