Last week Braylen spent 3 days at church camp and 2 days at Cub Scout camp! This was his first year to go to an overnight church camp, and he had so much fun. I have to admit, it felt weird to leave him there with strangers. And it didn't help that on his second night there was a storm that came through with 80 mph winds! I had a crash course lesson in leaving my son in God's hands.
On the way home from picking him up, Braylen had some stories to tell us from his time at camp. He started several statements with, "You'll be happy to know..." or "You'll be glad to hear..." His favorite part of camp was the zip line. He also loved riding a horse named "Firecracker." He said Firecracker even galloped a little and "shook himself all over." His best breakfast was a huuuuge cinammon roll and Frosted Flakes. He rode a paddleboat with his buddy Ryan and told us in dramatic fashion that he had to get out of the paddleboat and push it while swimming. Hmmmm... His shoes were covered with squished mulberries, the boy slept in his clothes, and instead of changing his underwear he turned it inside out! I'd say he had a ton of fun and didn't want to waste any precious time on showering or dressing. He went straight to the shower at home and then napped for 2 hours!
standing in front of his cabin
The next day Derek took Braylen to Cub Scout camp and the two of them had a great time. Braylen shot a BB gun and Derek found out he's a great shot! His archery skills aren't quite so great. :) Oh well! They made several crafts with leather, swam in the pool, and even did a polar bear swim at 6AM. Braylen learned how to use a compass, and of course he and Derek roasted marshmellows at their campfire.
taking aim at the target!
While all of this camping was going on, I took Kaleb and Aaron to see the new Pixar movie Wall-E. It was a cute movie! We went out to McDonald's for ice cream afterwards. Aaron tries so hard to eat from a cone but just can't eat it fast enough before it melts. We also went to the city pool for an evening swim with friends. After seeing his 1 year old cousin go down the waterslide with me, Aaron agreed to try it out. I reminded him that last year he did it by himself, but he was still scared of it! Sheesh. All in all, we had a fun time.
This week I've enjoyed having our family back together again. Camps are fun but they also wear us out! We're looking forward to a fun weekend for the 4th of July. Aaron is a ring bearer in a wedding, and I'm sure he will look like a little man in his tux. We've been setting off fireworks at home this week, and we even rode our bikes to a nearby stand today. Braylen's favorites are firecrackers. Kaleb likes parachutes and is pretty good at catching them before they hit the ground. Aaron loves the fountains. I love watching!
One little Aaron quote. On an overpass coming home from camp he shouted out from his carseat, "We can see the whole world!"
Our backyard pool was a lifesaver on such a hot and humid day. All 3 boys spent plenty of time in the water. Now that Aaron's completed 2 weeks of swimming lessons he's much braver in the water. He dunks himself completely underwater and is mighty proud of that.
I feel like we are cruising right along through summer. Half of our school's kids start school this Thursday. Our boys are not on that schedule, so we still have a few more weeks of summer vacation. I'm glad for that! I'm not quite ready to give up my sleepy mornings and open days.
