The Last Day of Camp: Snipes Beware

Brotherly love at breakfast1

Who doesn't love camp oatmeal!

All the kids have been talking about the last couple of days is the snipe hunt!  Aidan said on Tuesday that he saw a dead white one near the basketball court.  And when I called them to go up to the cafeteria for cookies Aidan said, "But we're going to miss the snipe hunt!"  I told him the snipe hunt was after cookies.  We started out fine and everyone was excited but as we made our way around the baseball field chasing snipes and finding ice poop all over Mikyla had enough and told me her tummy hurt really bad and she didn't want to hunt snipes anymore!  After a hot shower I decided that it was more that she was cold and wanted to go to bed.  Aidan informed me that no snipes were caught again, but, "Daddy fell over trying to catch one, and one got away from him and Jess's cousin Tally caught one that blew a hole in her bag because it was a King Snipe so it was big."  Aidan was so exhausted from the evenings' events that he started crying when I made him take a shower.  I told him he had to he was covered in dirt, so he told me, "I'm never going in the dirt again."  Somehow I doubt that!

Ah, but before that culminating event there was lots more that happened.  Today was how many times can Ethan get a ride on a golf cart, all the kids really; but Ethan had a special eye for when the opportunity arose.  And of course it was our last chance to enjoy camp oatmeal. And who doesn't love camp oatmeal?  And one last time for Aidan to help Jeremy keep his cabin in line before meal time.  I have to say Aidan is getting a little too big for his britches up here at camp, I'm sure glad it's Friday.

Ethan's two obsessions at camp are pushing a brum...

...and the golf carts!

With all the fun I had to get a shot of one of Aidan's camp heroes, Stepfan King.  Aidan was all about the older kids this year and really looked up to all of them.  It took me the first few days to get him to play with kids his own age, but he did and Jess and Logan Tischmacher's trailer and Looney Toons became a favorite hang out.

Papa enjoying his grandsons on the deck!

One of Aidan's heroes at camp, Stepfan King.

Day 5, Patience

Well, last night Mikyla took it upon herself to play Mommy with Ethan; keeping him up until 11:30 when we came to bed.  I found a baby doll, a teddy bear, every blanket for him, all in his port-a-crib.  On top of that she had taken his pants off and had put a diaper in there like she was going to change his diaper.  What a good mommy she will be, but at 11:30 I was not happy about having not only her but Ethan awake.  Which leads me into today, what a morning it was.  By the end of class Ethan had had it and was in complete melt down mode, and could barely get any food down at lunch before he was about to face plant into his plate; and Mikyla was a whining mess!  One word, NAPTIME!

Sandwich making during bible class.

They got to paint bread too during class.

Loving snack time during class.

We had fun at arts and crafts, Aidan made a picture frame and a beautiful pet rock and Mikyla started making a pet rock but Mommy did most of the work; she named it Rocky. Aidan designed his all by himself , and I have to say it is adorable! It was pre-campers against the mosquitos again and I think Ethan is the only one that isn't covered in pink Caladryl dots.

Sam and Ethan pretending together.

Just hanging out at the playground.

Logan, Aidan, and Maddy at the playground

"Hey let's stick our faces in the holes"

The playground is the best!

There was lots of pretending going on at the playground with the girls.  I watched from a distance as Mikyla had a stick and was rocking out singing a song of sorts.  Then Maddy, Aidan, and Logan had some fun with me taking their pictures.  I don't know what they would have done when I was growing up and there wasn't digital cameras, because after every shot all three had to see what it looked like!

There were two baptisms tonight up at the pool Dace Waite and Conner Olmsted, it's really wonderful, I just wish Kim and Troy were here to have seen Conner!
Only one more day of camp, we better make every second count!

Ice cream sunday night at dinner

Sam got herself up next to Ethan just to get into the picture.

Day 4, Midweek Lull

It is mid-week at YBC and there wasn't much excitement today, other than Mikyla and Aubrey's continued obsession with all things dirt.  We can't quite figure out how they both basically roll in dirt and yet Mikyla always looks cleaner.

Mommy catching Aidan for a picture.

The mosquito's definitely are in full force down at the lower bowl, and they have a love affair with pre-camper blood.  Mikyla and Aidan have two on their faces which means they will look like they have been in a fight by tomorrow.  They have pink dots all over themselves from the Caladryl lotion.

Mikyla and Aubrey asked to ring the dinner bell together and were so excited about it that they sat by the bell for at least twenty minutes in fear that someone else would be there to ring it instead of them.

The dynamic duo get to ring the dinner bell.

And they just kept ringing!

Messy bean boy!

It was dress like a pre-camper at campfire tonight and Jessica Turney dressed like Mikyla and Megan Christiansen was Aubrey.  It was quite funny to watch Mikyla's face as they imitated the two of them.  Aidan was upset and quite upset about the fact that no one pretended to be him.  On the way up to the cabin he told me, "I just don't understand why no one pretended to me, I'm really disappointed".  I don't know how to tell him that he isn't the only cool cat up at camp.  We are over the mid-week hump and there are only two days left to get our fill of dirt and snow cones for the year.

It's Aubrey and Mikyla times two.

Mikyla gets to do "Aroostasha"

Who is dirtier?

Daddy and Ethan during campfire!

Day 3, Camp Pictures and Grouch Cake

Day 3 began a little later, Aidan at least slept until the 7:00 am bell rang to get up but he was raring to go, practically jumping out of bed.  Mommy on the other hand was not her perkiest, since I didn't go to sleep until 12:30 last night, but you have to roll with the punches.

Mommy and Mikyla at breakfast.

Aubrey, Mikyla and Lillia watching the tractor at work!

We got a little delayed by a tractor and a horseshoe post on our way to bible class, and Estela Sue and I got to overhear the stories of wee ones.  Mikyla and Lillia Sue got a ear full from Aubrey who very seriously informed them that the tractor with a front end loader could pick them all up and put them in a dumpster, and then they would be taken to the garbage dump, very scary stuff.  But then it was off to learn about how Jesus takes care of all his sheep even the lost one.

"Walk in the light of the Lord."

All the cousins ready for camp pictures

YBC Crew 2011

Pointing to a wasp's nest

Snow cone time!

Proof it was good!

The two highlights of the day were camp pictures and Grouch cake.   Pictures turned out to be interesting since Ethan was falling asleep in his high chair at lunch and the pictures were immediately after.  Our pre-campers had their shirts, the special twelve who are all born amidst my chillins. The only way we could get them all to stay turned around so we could see their number order was to get them to point to a huge wasp's nest, what ever works! Now Grouch cake is a whole other story.  Mikyla and Aubrey have become obsessed with the sandy dirt up here at camp and have now initiated Lillia Sue into the mix and Ethan just tags along for the ride most of the time.  They found that if you mixed the sand from the horseshoe pit and water from the nearby drinking fountain and mixed it together in the hollowed tree stump you could make "Grouch cake".  They spent 45 min to an hour going from the dirt to the fountain and mixing, and then they made Ethan try it from a stick two times and according to Lillia "he didn't like it either time".

It all started with the drinking faucet...

Baking the perfect "Grouch Cake".

The aftermath of being the taste tester of the
Grouch Cake.

 Then later Mikyla layed down in the horseshoe pit and crossed her arms like she was dead and Lillia and Aubrey sprinkled dirt all over her body and then one ran to a tree yelling, "Daddy, Daddy look!", then Mikyla sat up.  Lori England joked that it was the burial and resurrection.  Day 3 ends with Daddy coming back up for the rest of the week, he missed us too much to work one more day!  More fun tomorrow

They decided they were too big to eat with Mommy and Daddy.

Day 2, A Day Without Daddy










Well day two started without Daddy to help out since he had to go home last night to work the next couple of days, today should be fine but I'm sure by tomorrow I will be anxiously awaiting his return.  I was awaken by Aidan who heard people going into the kitchen, our cabin is on the hill behind the cafeteria, I drowsily told him that they were just making breakfast and the rest of the campers WERE NOT awake and to go back to sleep...he didn't.  So after laying there a while he got up and joined Papa in the cafeteria for the adult devotional while I got the other two ready.  Ethan as always was anxious to see get his Papa fix, and after breakfast found the best stick on a walk, Papa commented that he hoped he wouldn't get the same fixation with sticks that Cooper did; who would find any stick no matter size or shape and pick it up to swing around like a sword!

Ethan and Papa found the perfect stick together!

Aubrey and Mikyla durring bible class.

Logan and Aidan durring class.

Bible Class!

It was the first day of bible class for all my little pre-campers and we had so much fun learning about the parable of the three types of soil and that we wanted to be the good soil and live our lives for the Lord.

Later Jennifer Paine informed me that Samantha and Ethan were in front of Grammy and Papa's trailer playing...so I walked over there.  I found them swinging on the the railing up to the girls upper cabins and Ethan was tickled to have found a new ability.  He used this new talent later in the day with Aidan and Logan, he couldn't miss out on the action.

Getting into mischief with Samantha!

Look I can swing!

This became the swinging bar for all the precampers.

It hasn't failed to surprise me with the amount of adoration Ethan has for Papa, if it's not Papa it's Nono and this week, it's ALL about Papa.  For those that don't know this yet about Ethan he has the worst stubborn streak out of all my children and has hit the independent age of two and wants no help for anything; but if it's Papa it seems to be a different story.  Papa is the only person he will let feed him anything, crazy but cute!

Look at that adoration!

Campfire was so fun, David Hubbard asked Aidan and Mikyla to be in a skit with him called "The Candy Shop".  It was hilarious and they were so excited to be in it, "10 cents worth of licorice", and a tall ladder to get to that licorice is all that is needed to get such giggles out of the two of them, as well as the rest of the audience.  Day 2 of camp down, five more fun filled days left.  What will tomorrow bring, a little more learning the Word, and a whole lot more dirt!

They were never far from eachother1

picking out the perfect jokes to tell at campfire!

pretending the pinecones were choo choo trains, of course!

"10 cents worth of licorice please."

Aidan thought David Hubbard was too funny!

A note from Miss Stephanie: She said that Mikyla and Aubrey were digging by her trailer and she over heard their conversation.  "Let's pretend that we have evil parents who are really, really mean to us."  "And let's pretend that they are so evil they make us dig, and dig, and then we break free and are released from being prisoners"  I hope they aren't using real life experiences for their stories.