End of Summer Camping

We had such a great time camping near Red Feather Lakes this past weekend.  It was the perfect storm of dear family friends, good weather, great ages, and a kid-friendly camping site complete with lake and gentle rock outcroppings.  We rolled out of the tent in the morning and immediately parted ways - the kids to climb on what they dubbed "Chipmunk Rock"and the adults to make instant coffee (say what you want about Starbucks, I do appreciate their Via!).  Note to self - no matter how desperate you are for caffeine, a Whisper Lite backpacking stove was made for individual use only.  I repeat, individual use.  Sadly, it will never ever in a million years heat enough coffee for 3 adults. 

After our recent experience with the Vieiras, Cal has a new-found love of fishing.  Thankfully, he's 2 and imaginary fish are still as entertaining as real fish.  We didn't catch a thing.   



We did, however, manage to get 7 people into the canoe and row out to the nearest island for some exploring.  This picture (and the 4 others just like it) had so much potential. Sigh...
 

Willa was slightly chilled in her crepe princess dress and curled up in the sunshine on this rock.  Batman had me undo the safety pin (ahem), I mean Bat-Clip, on his cape so that he could drape it over the fair maiden as she slept.  Does she have any idea how adored she is?  Yes.  Yes she does.  And she eats it up.  I'm not sure it's healthy.    

While Romeo and Juliet might be moving into pre-adolescence, Cal and Rosie are still solidly in happy-go-lucky toddler hood.  Here they are dancing to their own music.  I could eat them up.  

The farm

Before we went for our regular walk tonight, we spent some time walking around Auntie Amy and Uncle Wyatt's farm.  The kids found about 25 old golf balls - it felt a little like Easter! 
Happy birthday, mom & Wyatt! 

"Here, Cal. Take my shoes."

There is an irrigated section of lawn directly in front of our townhouse complex that is lush and easy on the feet.  Just beyond the sprinkler's reach, there is a wild section of grasses and weeds that we call the "pokies."

Earlier in the year, the kids could walk across this pokey section without batting an eye.  But as the grasses have dried out and been mowed, they are getting more uncomfortable to walk across with bare feet.  On this particular morning, Willa had worn shoes but Cal hadn't. When she and I decided to take a shortcut across the pokies, Cal was stranded behind trying to figure out how to catch up.  I was already to the lush grass by this point and kept slowly walking, half-waiting to see if Cal would ask for help across the pokies.  At this point, Willa looked back, and said "Okay, okay" to herself in an, "I've got it.  Here's what you do" sort-of way.  She then ran back to Cal, kicked off her Crocs and said, "Here Cal.  Take my shoes."  Cal obediently put them on and followed Willa who had hiked up the hem of her Rapunzel dress and was tiptoeing across the pokies back to where I was waiting.  She seemed genuinely and pleasantly surprised when I told her what a nice thing that was to do.  What a sweet pea. 

Camping

The kids had a fabulous experience fishing with close family friends this past weekend.  Ever since we've been home they've been talking about touching the fish; catching the fish; winding the reel "around and around."  Willa's likes to tell about how she moved a rock that had slid off the edge of the "observation pool" and onto the trout.








Cal is at the stage where he likes to read the same book over and over and over.  One of his current favorites is "The Quiet Book."  Each page describes a different kind of quiet - lollipop quiet, sound-asleep quiet, underwater quiet. 
As our little group was walking back from playing in the stream bank, Cal and I fell behind.  We held hands and walked at a toddler's pace down the dirt road that would lead us back to the tent.  There were trees and a grassy field to our left and a steep incline up the mountain side to our right.  We could hear the voices of the other kids up ahead and the grasshoppers clicking all around us.  It finally occurred to me that he and I had been silent for quite a while.  I looked down at him and quoted the book, "Best friends don't need to talk quiet." At which point he beamed up at me and said, "yeah!" knowing exactly what I was referring to.  Then we kept walking.  Quietly. 

The Night before Kindergarten

I've known it's been coming, but I still can't believe tomorrow is Willa's first day of Kindergarten!  She is definitely being braver than I am.  She's sound asleep in her bed.  I'm sitting in my bed as I type, a stack of wrinkled and water damaged papers beside me.  These are what is left of the "getting ready for Kindergarten" packets I received back in May when this whole process started.  I dug them out tonight to see if there's anything I've forgotten, certain that I have neglected some super important detail.  Here are the things I'm worried about (in no particular order):

1.  How will she make it through the day without me providing hourly snacks?

2.  How will one teacher and 21 kids ever hold a candle to the wondrous Disney Land experience that was Allyson's house for the past 3 years?
3.  Who will wipe her butt?  (I know.  Not only TMI, but also clearly answerable with "no one" as she will resist pooping at school at all costs and hold it until she can race home to poop in privacy).
4.  What if she pees on the floor and the kids make fun of her?
5.  What if she needs a hug?


Here are the things I'm excited about (in no particular order):

1.  She's going to learn to READ.  By HERSELF.
2.  She gets to walk to school.
3.  Her school has a garden.

(photography by the fabulous Kirsten Boyer)

Return to routine

I got back from backpacking (which is an entirely different post) and we are slowly getting back into our routine.  It took me a while to get the kids out of the front yard and to the bike path last night because they were too busy making mud soup.  They are becoming extraordinary mud chefs!  Their menu so far - mud coffee, mud cakes, and mud soup.  I feel a pot-luck coming on...









Their favorite seasonings : crab apples and flowers.





I finally lured them on a walk with the promise that Cal could play "lawnmower guy."