I'm happy to report that we had a fantastic weekend at Camp Indianola. With memory of New Year's Eve's 2AM jaunt home fresh in our minds, we were leery. However, they gave us a private room that allowed Mason to be as loud as he liked in the middle of the night. (A wise move, it turns out.) Both kids did a pretty good job sleeping, but the days were the highlights!

Rope Swing
As we were heading up to camp, I started remembering the rope swing from the retreat last year. "Holy cow!" I thought. "I let her go on that swing last year, by herself, when she was only 2-1/2 years old! What was I thinking?? The swing is 50' in the air and you get launched over the trees. To even get on it you have to climb on a platform! Heck, no. Not this time," I thought.

It started slowly, as poor parenting decisions often do. First I went with her. "If I'm holding her, she won't let go." Then the next time, "She's going with another adult." Then, "well, if she starts from the ground instead of the platform." And soon we got to, "all the other kids are doing it" until finally I found myself on top of the platform loading her onto the CPS-mocking swing, pulling her into the air above my head, and letting go.

But, yes, she did have fun.


Kites
$10 seemed like such a good deal for a fish kite. In addition to never quite getting off the ground, it drew blood and gave me a rope burn. Mason did, however, seem both fascinated and perplexed by the giant dive-bombing fish.







Basketball
Regardless of the context, Mason squeals every time he sees a ball. Basketballs appear to be his favorite.

(As a side, I just have to have it go on record that I beat Cindy in a game of p-i-g.)


Talent Show
For the talent show, Kenzie recited the first few pages of The Little Mermaid. She and I went to the front of the room full of people, and we alternated reading sentences. She was a little shy, but did a great job of talking loud so that everyone could hear her. She won an Einstein award. I think people thought she was really reading it and didn't realize she has the entire book committed to memory.


Rests/snacks on the beach
Won't eat hotdogs or chicken, but kelp and sand, sure.




Playing
They had fun with all the different kids from church.