Day Camp Pictures

We are almost fully recovered from last week’s day camp. The fun outweighed the exhaustion, but only slightly, and more for some than for others. The house is also recovering, although most slowly than the rest of us. With Chris gone last week there was no one around to pick up the pieces when everything fell apart, so it’s taken several days to get life back on track.

And because of course the house can clean itself while I sit here at the computer and blog – though to my defense I have cleaned the kitchen, done a load of dishes and two loads of laundry, and put away another two loads that have been hanging out in the hall for over a week, and I have spent two hours on the phone with car rental companies accomplishing absolutely nothing but a headache – I have pictures from camp to share with you. Not many, though, because I was with other people’s children most of the time and won’t put pictures of them on my blog. But Friday was field day, and things were so well organized that I was able to wander around and take pictures of my own kids.

First of all, though, I have to mention that the camp was held at Oxbow Regional Park, which is only about a half hour from our house and full of breathtaking scenery. It is also, we learned, full of wildlife, including deer who have learned that people are not necessarily something to be afraid of, but more something that leaves tasty treats laying around. I did not use the zoom to take this picture, and this deer showed no inclination to run away from me or the 15 chattering girls nearby.


For field day the kids rotated through six different stations with their units, competing against another unit each time. One of the stations required them to jump rope through a hula hoop. You can't tell too well from this picture, but I loved watching Vicki because she had her tongue sticking out the entire time. She says it's because the hula hoop was so small she really had to concentrate to get herself through it. I love it.
Even Ellie and the Widgets (3-5 year old kids of volunteers) got to participate. In this race they had to soak a sponge with water and then run across the field and squeeze it into a cup. Whichever team filled the cup first was the winner. The Widgets raced against the entering-1st-graders, so they were as evenly matched as could be hoped for.
At station 6 the kids were given popsicles and a shady spot to cool off. It was approaching 90 degrees, so this was welcome. I just love this picture.
When the kids had rotated through all the stations, they made the leaders participate in the most hilarious of the relay races, and Lexi offered to "hold the camera" for me. I realize that this is an unflattering picture on so many levels, which is why, you may notice, it's a smaller size than the rest. This race involved taking a partner and a pool noodle, standing one in front of the other, placing the noodle between your thighs, and running down the field, around a laughing teenager, and back to the start, where you pass the noodle to the next unfortunate pair. I have no idea if my team won or not. I was laughing too hard to care.
Despite the unflattering relay race I have already volunteered to help out again next year, so it looks like Oxbow Day Camp may become a tradition in our family. If nothing else, it unglued the girls from the TV for a week, and I'm all for anything that does that. But honestly, we all just had a really good time. In case you haven't noticed yet, we really like Girl Scouts around here, and everything the program offers :)

Random Thoughts Thursday

Okay, so it's technically still Wednesday, but only for a little while longer (and I really need to go to bed.) But I don't think I'll have time to post tomorrow, so I'm jumping the gun just a tiny bit.

It's our Girl Scout Day Camp this week. Five words: Busy. Wild. Crazy. HOT. Fun!

In case anyone is wondering, my camp name is Otter Pop.

The girls and I have joined groups known as the Red and Green Apples (Ellie), the Pink Bunnies (Lexi), the Super Green Lizards (Vicki), and the Ice Penguins (me), and so far we have: made bells out of terra cotta pots, woven God’s eyes, learned to gimp (more on this one another day, I think), eaten huckleberries (or puckleberries, if you’re Ellie) straight off the bush, hiked through gorgeous forests, been within 10 feet of a deer who apparently enjoys half-eaten peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, made new friends, learned to set up a tent, played animal charades and a game called “Bob the Weasel”, tested the pH level of the Sandy River, run through sprinklers, learned the distinction between “the flushies” and “the pits”, put up or taken down the flag, and completely crashed each evening. We’re having a blast at camp.

My feet hurt.

I feel really cool and special and kind of giddy because I just discovered that Daring Young Mom left a comment on my blog. I told Chris the other night that I want to be friends with her. She lives in Seattle, which isn't that far from here, so maybe one day I can meet her. Of course I'd probably freak her out because I'd be like a blogger groupy or something. Hi there, Kathryn! (if you're reading this (and I know I flatter myself to think you might)) I'm not crazy, I just love you because you write about life as a mom way better than I do and I aspire to be like you. And I think we sort of already have a connection because I think your husband went to school with my cousin Carrie, so it's like a six degrees of Kevin Bacon thing. We could totally be friends. But now I think I'm just embarassing myself. I'll stop gushing and move on. (but she's really awesome and hilarious - you should all read her blog!)

I had all these great ideas this morning for things to include in my Thursday post, and now I can’t remember what they are. You spend three days with 15 soon-to-be 4th graders (my own daughter is in a different unit, thank heaven) and see how clear your mind is.

That is all. To sleep; perchance to dream.

Random Thoughts Thursday

Both Angie and Carrie posted this on their blogs and I’ve been giggling about it for days – “slo-mo dove”, “spin around, ninjas!” and “over-surprised guy” (and, of course, “mullet with headlights?”) continue to bring me near tears. The 80’s were awesome and I need to share the love. You really must go watch it now. Right now. I'll wait... Oh, the laughter, the tears. And that video was supposed to make sense with the original lyrics? I get the "bright eyes", but really? Ooookaaay. (this really probably should have been its own post, but it's Thursday, so what do you do)

I still haven’t come up with a really good camp name.

I have reached a point in my Portland life where I feel guilty buying anything pre-packaged (which I don’t do that often anyway) and anything not organic or with more than five ingredients. This is not to say that I don’t buy those things anymore, just that I try to hide them when I do.

Our library has an awesome summer reading program. The girls are always totally gung-ho for it. Free T-shirts for everyone, woohoo!

We got Vicki & Lexi’s incomprehensible report cards in the mail on Tuesday. I miss the good old A-B-C-D-F system. At least then you know where they stood. We have letters, but they’re E, M, CM, N, NM and then funky symbols like \, +, --, V. It’s so confusing.

We also got the official school uniform (sorry, Code of Dress) information. I cannot wait. I’m probably putting too much into this, as if all my problems will suddenly disappear when the girls are wearing uniforms to school. But a lot of them will, since half our battles are about what they get to wear to school each day. No more!

Ellie can’t say “able”. She says, “ableble” and I love it.

I can’t believe I will have a 4th grader in September.

When Chris goes to CA on Tuesday instead of Wednesday, I’ve discovered that it throws my whole week off. All day Tuesday I thought it was Wednesday. Yesterday I thought it was Thursday. Today I keep thinking tomorrow will be Saturday. This is not good.

I had jury duty on Monday. This was the third time I’ve been summoned (I like how that sounds – official and slightly scary), and the other two times I was selected to serve. What are the odds? When they got around to calling names for the first trial on Monday, whose do you suppose was first? Yep, mine. Luckily I didn’t end up being selected. I say luckily because, while I’m all for doing my civic duty, I think that having served twice in 12 years is enough for one person. Give me another 10 years and I’ll be good to go again.

In 22 days I will go on vacation without kids for a whole week! But, really, who’s counting?

Wacky Wednesday

Well, it's not really wacky. I just like the alliteration. But I have a bunch of random pictures, none of which really warrant a whole blog post. And I can't think of anything else to post about, and it's been 4 days (!) since my last post, so I figured if I wanted to hang on to the few of you who read this, I'd better post something.

We went to the park to play frisbee a while ago, and I just love this picture of Vicki pouncing on it, like a cat or something.

Here are all my now Junior Girl Scouts at their bridging ceremony. We like to joke that they went from Brownies to Junior Mints.

At Lexi's gymnastics class a couple of weeks ago they got to use the bungees, which hang over a trampoline, and which she's been dying to try out for 9 months now. You can't really tell from the picture, but she's at least 20 feet in the air. She recently moved up a level in gymnastics and is now in an advanced beginning (sounds like an oxymoron, doesn't it?) class, with, apparently, the potential to be on a pre team if we're willing to pay more in time and money. She loves gymnastics and it's a great way for her to get her wiggles out.

I finally got my new camera. I stuck with Nikon and got the Coolpix S230 (no, the amazon reviews are not fabulous, but I got a good deal at Costco, and you can't always trust those reviews anyway) and I'm really happy with it so far. Of course when I got it we all had to try it out by taking random pictures all over the house.


(This is of a project Lexi did in school. I'll have to post the text of her report one day. It's adorable)

(I just like this next one because I think it makes me look really skinny! After 3 kids, anything that makes me look skinny is VERY welcome!)
Last but not least, we went to the high school and shot off some of Chris's rockets a couple of weeks ago. We had a blast and we didn't lose any of the rockets, which made the day even better!

In which I invite you to call me names

The girls are going to Girl Scout day camp in a couple of weeks. And, sucker that I am, I’m going along. I will, apparently, be in charge of a unit of 3rd graders, although I supposedly don’t have to do more than get them from place to place, mostly. We’ll see how it goes. I’m excited.

But here’s where you come into play. All the leaders are supposed to have camp names – fun nicknames that we go by. The lady running the whole thing goes by Meadowlark. I’m not entirely sure of the purpose, except that it’s been a Girl Scout camp tradition dating back at least to when I was a Girl Scout, because I remember two camp counselors called Pinky and Mouser. I don’t know what to call myself, and I need ideas. What’s a good camp name for me?

Random Thoughts Thursday

Sigh. I knew when I posted that picture that the shirt wasn’t going to go unnoticed. All my protestations that I’m not a huge Twilight fangirl, and then I post a picture of me wearing a shirt that says, “Twilight...Only a vampire can love you forever.” I have two things to say about the shirt: 1) it was a birthday present from my Twilight-obsessed bff Mela, and 2) I wear it because it makes Chris laugh (and while I’m pretty sure he’s laughing at me and not with me, I like to pretend otherwise.) The girls have decided that it means Chris must be a vampire, because Mom could never even dream of anyone else! Too bad he doesn’t sparkle.

A recent conversation, which took place the day after Chris brought home the eight unclaimed boxes of Girl Scout cookies from his office:
-Ellie: Dad, you had too many cookies, so I ate some, and now you just have two!
-Dad: How many did you eat?
-E: A whoooooooole bunch!
-D: And I just get two? Do you think that’s fair?
-E: Yep! And you know what? You’re gonna share them with ME!

3+2=5. But 3 little girls + 2 more little girls = chaos worthy of 50 little girls.

We’re learning lots of lessons about the power of advertising these days, thanks to our good friend Qubo. In order to illustrate how the amazing Ab Roller might not be quite as effective as they’d have you think, I had to do a demonstration of how the same person can look skinny and fat. After I did it, Lexi said, “You look weird skinny. Do the fat again!” Thanks, sweetie.

I just figured out how to do a hyperlink in a comment. There is no charge for awesomeness (or attractiveness.)

I like my banner/header thing big. But I think it looks kinda funny and I haven’t quite figured out why yet. But I’m getting bored with my blog template and may have to start creating something new. With all my free time.

Yesterday some friends taught Vicki and me how to play a game called Farkle. And they were asking what card games we play, and I realized I cannot remember how to play Pounce. I still have all my cards, and fond memories of playing in the stairwell of the York Youth Hostel, but for the life of me I can’t remember the rules. I’m a disgrace to the name of Youngberg, quite possibly. This must be remedied.

Just a word of advice: when the 3-year-old says, “I can be so self-reliant!” don’t take her word for it. And don’t let her get a full pitcher of juice out of the fridge by herself. Unless you want to spend the next half hour bathing children and scrubbing juice off of unlikely surfaces, that is.

10 Years

Ten years ago today Chris and I were married.

Wow.

Ten years (six in school), three cars, four apartments, two houses, four fish, and three adorable children later:

I think it's clear we were made for each other.

Here's to another ten, and twenty, and thirty, and more!