Summer Camps

We just finished school a couple days before the middle kids went to camp. 

Charlize and Phoebe have gone to camp together for four years now. Charlize's mom usually drives with us to take the kids over and pick them up. Makes the time pass quickly when you have someone to chat with. Eve is from the Bronx, so she certainly has some stories to tell. 

Elizabeth went to a camp with some friends in town. She skipped a week of school to do that, so she is still schooling into the summer. But she had a good week at Camp Eagle. They keep you hopping!

Tether ball, nine square ~ Phoebe enjoys these games at camp. Jonathan loves gaga ball. I'd not heard of gaga ball or nine square till we moved to Texas. 

Jonathan and Harrison (friend, not brother) met at camp and have become good friends since we found out he lives only half an hour away. 

Phillip was also away visiting his parents and Cody in Missouri while the middle kids were at camp. So it was just myself and Liz and Harrison at home for a bit. Harrison learned about caves this year in school, and he didn't remember going to the caves near us when he was two, so he and I had a little field trip to Natural Bridge Caverns.

He was excited at first. And then he got nervous and asked me if I was going to make him go. And when I assured him that we were going to go, but would he trust me to let him know that it was going to be okay, he reluctantly complied. He told me several times in the cave that he was glad he came because it wasn't as scary as he thought it would be. He thought they were going to turn the lights out to see how dark it gets. But they didn't. I think they did that at the caves in Hannibal, MO. Or maybe it was somewhere else I've been. I know I've experienced that somewhere......

My phone didn't get the colors very well, but this is called cave bacon. They are drapery formations that look like strips of bacon. Better pictures here. 

Liz and her friend Adelyn cooked for me one evening. They made fried rice and cauliflower with orange sauce. Kind of like orange chicken, only with cauliflower. It was DELICIOUS. The kids are supposed to do more cooking this summer, and this was a great kick-off. 

Back from camp. 

Phoebe often gets sick once she gets back. She's a person who needs lots of alone time and down time ,and you don't get that for a solid week at camp. So once she gets back, she can be out for a good week with one sickness or another. This year she spiked a very high fever for about 12 hours, had chills and sore throat, stuffy nose, earache and hives. The fever left, but the rest of the gunk is kind of clinging. 

Jonathan back from camp. 

He pretty much just misses his friends and wishes camp was still going on. He does not test out as an introvert. He's an extrovert in a house full of introverts. Funny, because I grew up an introvert in a house full of extroverts.