Campfire! and Chippewa

After our stay at the "cottage" the girls went off to stay for a week at Campfire! This was right after we "discovered" that Rebecca had a broken collarbone. Well the week went fine, the girls had fun, and I didn't get any calls saying Rebecca wasn't doing well. She did need to see the camp nurse a few times because her shoulder was hurting after being bumped or something while playing ... but it sounds like she had fun. Last year the girls also went to Campfire!, but only for a few days, this time it was for a longer period of time ... at first I couldn't imagine not seeing or hearing from my kids for an entire week (altho I've spent a lot of time away from them in the past, we would talk almost daily on the phone) ... but the week flew by and before we knew it it was Saturday afternoon and we were off to pick them up from their busstop.

Last year I spoke of some of the struggles I have with Campfire! (see here) and whether I would send my kids again ... obviously we came to the decision that we would, although I must say that I still have many of the same struggles. Yet,I have to come to realize that I cannot shelter them completely and I do truly feel that what Campfire! is trying to accomplish is good and upbuilding for my kids. I cannot shelter them from everything they might see or hear, but I hope that we can continue to guide them at home each day again so that they are able to truly understand what they are being taught and to take it with them, applying it to their everyday life and encounters.

After the girls had a few days at home to rest the kids and I headed off to Chippewa Creek Conservation to join some friends who were camping there. We decided to just go for the day and stayed at my parents overnight. This worked out well and the kids still had plenty of time to play during the day and sit around the fire in the evening as well as collect enough misquito bites to last them a lifetime. We only went for two days and left just on time on the last day as not even half an hour later (as we were driving) it began to pour down buckets and buckets of rain!!



Left: The girls being energetic and trying to set up the tent (for Matthew to nap in) ... even though they don't have the faintest idea how to do it
Right: Matthew never did nap in the tent, but the girls did for a bit the one night and Matthew had lots of fun playing in it.
















Pumping up the boat for added beach fun












The creative way to get the boat to the beach ... thankfully it made it in one piece, with no holes!

Left: The kids had a lot of fun with the dingy boat and it was well used, by us and by other strangers on the beach

Right: Matthew did not actually go in the water very much, he loves to jump into deep water, but does not show interest in playing in large bodies of water ... he spent most of the beach time wandering around or napping

The girls spent some time digging a hole for some fish and then Rebecca watched the hole while Syvannah and Marietta went off fishing ... they didn't catch anything, so Rebecca's time was somewhat wasted, but I think she still enjoyed fixing up the hole and adding little things to it

Matthew at the beach

Dig a hole, then fill it with water ...

... jump in hole until good and muddy, then sit in it and play with the dirt just to make sure you're well covered in mud

Since beach time was in the afternoon during Matthew's napping hours, he usually only last for a little bit and then he was climbing on my lap and asking for his "bubby" (bottle). Although I no longer snuggle him to sleep all the time ... this old habit has been handy as he is easy to get to sleep elsewhere by just holding him and snuggling him for a bit ... once good and asleep I can just lay him wherever and he'll continue to saw logs, not even noticing the noise around him.