Katelyn (20 Months Old)Thursday, July 31, 2008
Outdoor Adventures with Grammy
The single best thing about my parent's house is that it borders an Audubon. Grammy has taken the girls on countless walks through the forested paths to visit frog pond and the wooden foot bridge. A few months ago, Grammy even bought them backpacks and water bottles to go along with their walking sticks, in order to "authenticate" the hikes!
Now that the girls are old enough, Grammy enrolled them in some weekend activities the Audubon was hosting. The most recent was this canoe trip. It was a bit lengthy for the girls (2+ hours of sitting still!) but they really enjoyed it!
The funny thing is when I've asked them what they remember most about the day, they mostly tell about the group in the canoe that tipped over, but sometimes it's all about the ice cream that followed!!!
Nature Lovers
Last spring I received a GPS for my birthday and for fun I would take the girls on car rides allowing them to tell me where to turn, with the ultimate goal of "getting lost", which is oh so exciting to them.
It was on one of these trips that involved turning right at the horse barn and two long and windy dirt roads, that we discovered the Connecticut Audubon's Bafflin Sanctuary...acres and acres of fields speckled with bird houses and lush wildflowers and upon further discovery, carved with walking trails!!!
Since then, we've spent many a day here running along the paths wondering what lay around the next corner and still haven't walked even a 1/4 of the way around!!
Such beauty right around the corner, who knew?
It was on one of these trips that involved turning right at the horse barn and two long and windy dirt roads, that we discovered the Connecticut Audubon's Bafflin Sanctuary...acres and acres of fields speckled with bird houses and lush wildflowers and upon further discovery, carved with walking trails!!!
Since then, we've spent many a day here running along the paths wondering what lay around the next corner and still haven't walked even a 1/4 of the way around!!
Such beauty right around the corner, who knew?
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Summer Camp
If there was ever a year that you can mark as the year a child grew up, this would be the one for Megan. So many discoveries, understandings and firsts. Like her first time at Summer (overnight) camp!
She and one of her best friends, Lexi, spent 3 nights at the Girl Scout Camp, Green Eyrie in MA. It was a short stay meant as an introductory, and they had a really great time! They spent most of their time on the lake swimming and boating, but also enjoying themed meals and campfire songs.
Highlights:
Sleeping (for lack of a better term since no real sleep actually occurred) in a tent with 4 other girls and no adults!
The shock of what an outhouse really looks and smells like!
That there could actually be THAT many mosquitoes in one place at one time!
The "shipwreck" dinner that was to be eaten using only Kitchen utensils (Megan received a spoon the size of her face and Lexi got a whisk and they report their friend got a rolling pin!)
Best of all was the realization that there is an entire world beyond your door that is just waiting to be explored!!
She and one of her best friends, Lexi, spent 3 nights at the Girl Scout Camp, Green Eyrie in MA. It was a short stay meant as an introductory, and they had a really great time! They spent most of their time on the lake swimming and boating, but also enjoying themed meals and campfire songs.
Highlights:
Sleeping (for lack of a better term since no real sleep actually occurred) in a tent with 4 other girls and no adults!
The shock of what an outhouse really looks and smells like!
That there could actually be THAT many mosquitoes in one place at one time!
The "shipwreck" dinner that was to be eaten using only Kitchen utensils (Megan received a spoon the size of her face and Lexi got a whisk and they report their friend got a rolling pin!)
Best of all was the realization that there is an entire world beyond your door that is just waiting to be explored!!
Happy 4th of July!
Years ago, Dan and I stumbled upon a local town's Jamboree celebration and have made it part of our traditions for the 4th. This year, we went our great friends, the Wheeler and van der Swaagh families. It's very country and quaint, but chucked full; good (and bad) local bands/singers, men on stilts, chicken bbq, clowns doing face painting and balloon animals, kids games, hayrides and sno cones!! The best part is the afternoon parade that the girls loved...we decorated our bikes and rode along after the fire trucks. Very cool!
The previous night we laid out blankets, played games, ate snacks and got the light sticks ready all in anticipation of our town's fireworks display. It was a great show and everyone had a great time.
Later, when I was scrapbooking the day, it really occurred to me just how great this holiday was. Unlike many holidays in the past, it was stress free, immensly enjoyable and spent with great friends. You can't ask for more than that.
Girl Scout Camporee 2008
(Trash Can Turkey - YUMMY!)
Tents, cooking outdoors and sanitizing dishes, hiking, fire building and swimming in the lake...this was the ultimate conclusion to three years of Brownies.
It was a ton of work planning, shopping, packing, setting up, cooking, organizing, cleaning, taking down, packing up, unpacking at home and putting away. However, with my co-leader and the help of a few great parents, we made it through, learned a lot and provided the girls with many memories.
(Note to self: in the future, leave the stress behind and try to enjoy the mayhem!)
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