Let's Go Camping!

Sadly, we still haven't made it camping.

But, the last week in July, Daniel and Anabella did the next best thing: they attended a week long "Let's Go Camping" camp (M-F 9am-12pm).

Here they are peering out from the tents they made.

Talk about cute. I should have gotten some pictures of the set-up (it was indoors, of course, but they did do some outdoor activities, too). There were tents set up all over the large room. One for reading (see picture below), one for cooking, another set up with sleeping bags and flashlights, a very realistic looking campfire (complete with flames coming out the top), some "woods," a cave for bears, you name it, they had it. It surely took some real planning and creativity.

Here's a cute picture the teacher gave me- said she was so excited to have gotten the camera quickly enough to catch them- said they were in the reading tent lying down like this and she just couldn't resist taking their picture. Two happy campers indeed!

Daniel and Anabella had a blast to say the least. Every day they were ready with their shoes on and in the van- waiting on me most mornings.

The camp was at their new preschool, Little Lambs Village Preschool, so I'm thrilled that they enjoyed it so much. I was worried the transition from Daytime Playtime to Little Lambs might be difficult, but I don't think it's going to be.  In the five days they were at camp, they both made friends and were waving happily to them, calling them by name, in the parking lot as if they'd known them for years.

Outside the school on their last day.

I was super impressed with the staff and the efficiency with the way the camp was run. Upon meeting the director for the first time in January when I went to tour the school (preschool registration starts in Feb. if you can even believe it), I immediately felt like this was the right school for us. Besides that it's a Christian school, which I love, I liked that the classrooms were spacious (they were quite small and cramped at DTPT) and that there's a teacher and an assistant in each classroom. DTPT had only one teacher per class of 10 and "floating" assistants. I also like their curriculum, particularly the handwriting program,"Handwriting without Tears," which I use with some of the elementary students I tutor.

Here's what they made the first day.

See Dan there in that sleeping bag.

Look at Anabella's beautiful eyelashes....and is that lipstick adorning that smiling face?

On the first day the director greeted Anabella and Daniel by name, as did the teacher. I know it made me feel welcome, and it must have helped make them feel secure too, as they walked in with little hesitation.

Another thing that helped make me feel like we were at the right place was that there was a sweet lady who came up to me on that first morning telling me that she remembered Daniel and Anabella from the fitness center, where she used to work part time in the kid care center.  I don't remember her, but I do remember Chip asking me if I knew her. Said she lives in our neighborhood. She struck up a conversation with him there one day, and since then he's run into her a few times in the neighborhood while walking the dogs. He said she really made over them holding hands as they entered like they always do. Leave it to my friendly second half. Turns out, this nice lady is a teacher assistant at Little Lambs for camp and will be the assistant in Dan's class this year.

Their campfires and marshmallows
I love that they provided snack.  I didn't even have to fill water bottles for camp, though I'm thinking I will for the school year.  

Small world here in Gainesville, I tell ya! Since meeting this nice lady at the fitness center and then running into her again at camp, fast forward a week later and we've met a back up babysitter and a swim lesson instructor. Turns out her daughter, who is a junior in high school just like our current babysitter, is also a coach at Swim Kids, an indoor swimming facility in Gainesville which offers private swim lessons. Our neighbors take lessons there, and while we've checked it out online, lessons there are not in our budget. But....private lessons with her at our pool here in Bridlewood, sold! She and her mother met us there one afternoon this week, and Ms. Emily, who also babysits, is coming to play with D and A one afternoon this week so that I can tutor.

So, not only do we have a new swim teacher but a new babysitter as well. Our other babysitter is wonderful. Wonderful! Love her to death, but it's nice to have a second. Especially since the kids already see her twice a week already so that I can tutor. I don't like asking her any more than that, especially during the school year, as I know she has homework and activities of her own.

While I love to tutor, one of the things I don't like about it is that it takes me from my family in the evenings when that's really the only time, besides weekends, during the school year that we all get to spend together. I'm hoping this year that with the help from two sitters, I can work out my schedule so that I'm home when Chip gets home, and we can all spend the evening together.

Of all the things they had to show me when I picked them up, they were most excited about this scavenger hunt activity and binoculars. 

They also excitedly told us all about their bear hunt. 

On the last day they made these fish and also went "fishing"

Love these! 

They also learned a new blessing song, which we now recite before meals instead of our usual "God is Good, God is Great...." prayer. It's super cute. Even has hand movements:

God, Our Father,
God, Our Father,
We thank you,
We thank you,
For our many blessings,
For our many blessings,
Amen,
Amen.

I couldn't believe how quickly they picked it up- starting singing it mid-week at supper.  If this camp is any indication, I think it's going to be a good year at Little Lambs.