After the storms that ripped through here last night, I think they'll get their wish today. We weathered it just fine, but not everyone did, so as the reports come in, we're looking for opportunities to help and pay forward all the generous care we've received in the past. If you don't mind saying a prayer for the Southeastern US this morning, that would be much appreciated.
James spent a fantastic week in New Mexico, eating, learning, experiencing, and doing. He ate a lot of new food (mostly Vietnamese and Indian, I think), which thrilled his food-curious heart no end. He Skyped with us on Easter Sunday so Em could show him her dress, and Z and I could put eyes on him in real time. It was a chance to see the tangible benefits of hard work and self-discipline, and to walk away with more knowledge and insight than he arrived with. That's hard to pass up. His team won an award for Creativity and Innovation in Design: they each received a plaque and $50. We picked up a very happy camper the following week.
Meanwhile, we had a quietly busy week while James was gone. (I spent a lot of time standing in parking lots, waiting for him to come around the back of the Suburban, then realizing he wasn't actually in the parking lot with us. The kids thought that was hilarious.) We went to the annual Earth Day movie (it was Bears this year, and absolutely fantastic) with friends, then shuttled over to the Teen Game Day for a visit and some fun.
The rest of the weekend was taken up with projects - for me, mainly the quarterly changing of the seasonal clothing and updating of the sizes. I realized I have a lot of things in the basement we can pass along, now. They're too small for Em or Jase. Some of them were rather large sizes, to my way of thinking, for me not to have a child wearing them. Things are about to get weird, I suspect. Easter was a lovely day of joyful celebration with church family and local friends. Then I took the kids camping.
We slipped out to DeSoto State Park to enjoy a little camping and exploring. We scampered around Cherokee Rock Village in the fog (fantastic for kids, a wee bit terrifying for mothers), hiked and hiked all over the place, and played at DeSoto Falls (something I've been dying to do for the last five years! It was worth the wait!)
John and Jacob absolutely rock the camp set up action. Em and Jase have found their groove, and they're more help than not at this stage. It could not have gone more smoothly, or been more fun. Even John mentioned that the loading and setting up seemed "freakishly easy". He was worried we'd forgotten something, or left someone. I told him I know the feeling. We did a head count and called it good.
We had Thursday to re-pack, wash clothes, catch up, and rest, for Friday we headed out to the Camporee. That was a truly amazing experience. I sat in with the Rocking Chair Patrol (the adult leaders). Seldom saw the kids except when we ambled over to take pictures. The boys' Troop hosted the Camporee, and these boys were on fire. They were busy and engaged the whole time. They handled everything from administration to direction. They were gracious and encouraging. I think my favorite tidbit of feedback came from one Scout who came panting up to the check-in desk after the Orienteering course and exhaled, "That was hilariously awesome!" Well, that's hard to beat, isn't it?
We slipped out after the camp fire on Saturday night so we could be ready for Sunday's adventure... which requires a post all its own.
Kiss those babies!
~Dy
2 comments:
Oh my word, Dy, how do you keep up?! I'm loving this glimpse into life with older kids, but also find myself hyperventilating a bit after reading your posts. ;) do you ever find yourself just needing to curl up and hibernate for a month?
I do. And when we need it, we do curl up in little lumps around the house, doing nothing but reading books, eating leftovers, and watching Netflix. But we get antsy and distracted if we hibernate too long, so I haven't made it to a full month yet. ;-)
But in all honesty, when it does happen, that's mostly lack of organization on my part - I forget to pencil in downtime. We're getting better about that. Plus, it ramps up more slowly than it seems. I remember when my days consisted of getting everyone dressed and fed, read to, loaded up to go to the park (for a whopping hour), then coming home for lunch and a nap - and I was *wiped* by the end of that.
We get better at what we do, and they get older and learn new skills. Trust me, it takes far less energy these days to get this crew out the door for a two-night camping trip than it did to get just two of them into the car when they were little! It all balances out.
Please don't let me discourage you. We're having a blast. And it looks the way it does only because this is how we've chosen to roll. Your home will have the energy and direction that works for your family, and meets the needs of each of the individuals in it - including *you*. That's part of teaching them how to live, and learn, and grow. You'll do great!
Post a Comment