Camp Wakonda, Take 2

James had his week at camp Wakonda (several weeks ago!) Sam dropped him off at the YMCA camp near Springfield, because I (mom) have "terrible taste in restaurants." 

At the restaurant: 

His bunk: 

His cabin: 

James did not appear to be terribly sad upon being left for the first time ever for a whole week away.

The camp very helpfully did big photo dumps daily on Facebook so that we could spy on him. Here's the opening ceremony (I think). You can see he's standing up:

With a counselor:

Yelling? 

It was easy to find James from this day, since he was wearing a stand-out tie-dye shirt. It looks like they did a climbing wall (and swimming?)

And facepaint:

 James passed the YMCA swim test! (far left) here are the pictures in reverse order:

This is the Holiday Olympics. His cabin was representing Day of the Dead.

 

 

 

 

Three-legged race: 

More climbing:

I don't know what this is, but he sure looks goofy.

Waiting for showers?

It looks like he had a good time! He didn't write us any letters!

Updated (since this post needed another picture!) with his cabin photo: 

Clover Chains

One of Amelie's interests is still making these huge clover chains: 

People are usually perplexed/impressed - it takes a lot of patience and dexterity to make those tiny knots! Here's a little bit of a roundup of some of the other photos I've taken of her hobby over the years.

A gigantically long one from 2020. 

And another from Quarantine. 

She found a 5-leaf clover this year at the new house & Sam took a somewhat blurry picture:

Plus here's a link to the first time (NOT EVEN THE ONLY TIME!) Amelie found a 6-leaf clover.

Statisticsbyjim.com tells me that the odds of finding a 4-leaf clover are 1 in 10,000 and 1 in 100,000 for a five-leaf clover & also that the Guinness world record is a 56-leaf white clover!

From vacation and at the playground across from church.

Her clover chains frequently adorn the play structure at the park, too.

Now if only I could get her interested in crochet.

Capen Park

We've visited the grindstone side of Hinkson Creek many, many times but somehow had never gone over on the Capen Park side to let the kids/dog play in the water over there. 

Leah & Spark and I went a bit ago - I think this was the day we spent 4 hours at Cosmo Park in the morning and then 2.5-3 hours at Capen park in the afternoon since Sam had taken the big kids to Big Surf and it was so nice outside. I asked Leah what she wanted to do & that's what she said!

Happy dog!

 

 

Leah did get a little bit wet: 

I wonder how?

We saw crawdads & fish & frogs. I did have to give her a piggy back ride to the car.

 Earlier in the summer, James & Amelie got to go with a friend of theirs while Leah was at school so I guess it evens out. James wanted to wear his swimsuit & I told him it was too cold to swim, but he did this anyway, just in his clothes: 

Zoo Trip

The kids and I took a perhaps somewhat ill-advised zoo trip toward the end of summer. The forecast told me that the high would be in the 80's but it was wrong - and we left later in the day than I'd planned - and it was VERY WARM at the zoo. 

We packed a picnic and ate ice cream and rode the train and saw the lions rolling around like cats, though!

The kids enjoyed the new play structure with the monkey house - that was the only part of the zoo that was crowded at all. We didn't have to wait for the train, and we were the only folks in the sea lion tunnel. Like I said, it was a VERY WARM weekday. 

We got to see all kinds of neat stuff, like the giant tortoises enjoying their salad. And those are all the pictures I took. 

First Day of School!

 It seems so late! 

First day of 7th grade for Amelie, first day of 4th grade/unit B for James, and very first day of Kindergarten for Leah!

James and Amelie declined individual photos but Leah was very excited!

Drop off at the middle school went surprisingly quickly so we were very early to Ridgeway, where we watched the kids on the playground. James found a friend and Leah ran around zigzag to every piece of equipment. Then the bell rang and all the Unit A kids lined up in the gym! Hoping for a good first day for everyone!

UPDATE: They also declined an after-school first-day photo. But it sounds like they had a good day! Leah said her favorite part was having 4 recesses (?) and also getting ice cream after lunch. James said the fire drill (??) followed by the ice cream bar. Amelie said getting to sit with her friends Hattie & Indigo at lunch. 

The bus ran super duper late & apparently some kid squirted James in the eye with hand sanitizer (???) BUT it didn't appear to sour his whole first day. Success! Cross your fingers that they'll be as enthusiastic to wake up at the crack of dawn tomorrow morning. 

UPDATE 2: I can’t believe I forgot to put this, but I got a call from the school nurse after lunch that Leah had tripped and fell. She needed an ice pack but then wanted to go right back to class! I wonder how many calls from the school nurse I am going to get this year.

Everyone got up early to be ready for school! Unfortunately, I got a call from Sam at 7:08 AM that they were headed back home to get Amelie’s clarinet (she wasn’t supposed to bring it yesterday). 

Amelie's favorite activities this summer were:

1) MUUSA

2) Camp Wakonda

James said:

1) The AJR Concert

2) Big Surf